**Early Life and Education**:
– Bear Grylls was born in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland on 7 June 1974.
– He comes from a family with a strong cricketing background.
– Grylls has one sibling, an elder sister named Lara Fawcett.
– He speaks English, Spanish, and French.
– Grylls was educated at Eaton House, Ludgrove School, and Eton College.
– He studied Spanish and German at the University of the West of England, Bristol, graduating with a 2:2 bachelor’s degree in Hispanic studies in 2002.
– Grylls helped start Eton College’s first mountaineering club.
– Trained in martial arts from a young age and achieved the Eagle Scout rank in the Boy Scouts.
**Military Service and Adventure Career**:
– Grylls served in the Territorial Army with 21 SAS.
– He survived a free fall parachuting accident in Kenya in 1996.
– Grylls was awarded honorary ranks in the Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Marines Reserve.
– He was promoted to Honorary Colonel in June 2021.
– Achieved his childhood dream of climbing Mount Everest in 1998.
– Led expeditions like circumnavigating the British Isles on jet skis and crossing the North Atlantic Ocean unassisted.
– Grylls holds a world record for the highest open-air formal dinner party and embarked on a record-setting Paramotor journey over the Himalayas in 2007.
– Founded the Bear Grylls Survival Academy.
**Television and Media Presence**:
– Hosted TV shows like ‘Man vs. Wild’ and ‘Running Wild with Bear Grylls’.
– Featured guests like Barack Obama and Kate Winslet on his shows.
– Faced controversies over staged scenes in his shows.
– Grylls appeared in various documentaries and TV series.
– Collaborated with celebrities on survival challenges.
– Created and hosted shows like ‘Mission Survive’ and ‘Bear Grylls Survival School’.
**Philanthropy, Advocacy, and Personal Life**:
– Grylls supports charities like The Princes Trust and Global Angels.
– Advocates for environmental causes and youth empowerment.
– Ambassador for organizations like WWF and Care for Children.
– Designed a Scouts-themed Paddington Bear statue for charity.
– Appointed Chief Ambassador of World Scouting and Chief Scout of The Scout Association.
– Married to Shara Grylls with three sons.
– Received honors and awards for his contributions to adventure and media.
**Collaborations and Miscellaneous Activities**:
– Collaborated with celebrities like Zac Efron, Channing Tatum, and Ajay Devgn on TV shows.
– Worked with British Military Fitness, rebranding it as Be Military Fit.
– Participated in the Never Give Up Tour and supported President Zelenskyy’s fundraising platform.
– Involved in the Brexit debate and recognized for his Irish heritage.
– Shared insights on being the Chief Scout and his experiences in various endeavors.
Edward Michael "Bear" Grylls OBE (/ˈɡrɪlz/; born 7 June 1974) is a British former SAS trooper who is a survival expert, adventurer, and television presenter. He first drew attention after embarking on a number of notable adventures, including several world records in hostile environments, and then became widely known for his television series Man vs. Wild (2006–2011). He is also involved in a number of wilderness survival television series in the UK and US, such as Running Wild with Bear Grylls and The Island with Bear Grylls. In July 2009, Grylls was appointed as The Scout Association’s youngest-ever Chief Scout of the United Kingdom and Overseas Territories at age 35, a post he has held for a second term since 2015 and in 2024 became the 2nd longest serving Chief Scout after Robert Baden-Powell.
Bear Grylls | |
|---|---|
 Grylls at a meeting with Coventry Scouts groups in 2012 | |
| Born | Edward Michael Grylls 7 June 1974 |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse |
Shara Cannings Knight
(m. 2000) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent |
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| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1994–1997 |
| Rank | Trooper |
| Unit | 21 SAS |
| Website | beargrylls |