Survivor producer Mark Burnett gets Hollywood star
July 9th, 2009 - 6:51 pm ICT by John Le Fevre
British television producer Mark Burnett, known for introducing competition-based, reality-television to the United States, is the latest celebrity to be honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
Born in London, England, Burnett served with the British Parachute Regiment (the “para’s”) in Northern Ireland and the Falklands War, before moving to Los Angeles in 1982.
The multiple Emmy and People’s Choice award winning producer is responsible for productions such as Survivor – which in June 2009, was ranked by showbiz publication Entertainment Weekly as the number one reality series of all time – the most watched summer series since Sonny and Cher.
Other programs the 48-year-old producer has been responsible for include the US and UK versions of The Apprentice, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, and Eco-Challenge.
On being told that he was to become the 2,387th name to grace the famous strip, Burnett said, “you can’t imagine, for a kid like me from London, to actually have a star on this street, is astounding to me.
“While I’ve received a number of different awards, this is really different. This is something that is going to be there, and my grandkids and great-grandkids can come see that I made some kind of contribution to this community,” he said.
Burnett’s television series have been broadcast in more than 70 countries around the world and since 2001 he has been nominated for 51 Emmy Awards, winning two, along with four People’s Choice Awards.
In April 2004 Time Magazine listed Burnett in its 100: Our List of the Most Influential People in the World Today, compilation.
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