British-born TV producer Mark Burnett made his name in the world of reality TV by helping bring shows like Survivor, The Apprentice, and Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? to TV screens across America, in addition to producing original American content like Bully Beatdown and Shark Tank. Though he began his career in L.A. doing odd jobs, Burnett would go on to be nominated for over 40 Emmys and has been listed in Time Magazine's list of the most influential people in the U.S.
Mark Burnett
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- Joined the British Army Parachute Regiment at 17 and served from 1977 to 1982.
- Was awarded active service medals in both the Northern Island and Falklands conflicts.
- Moved to Los Angeles in 1982 and worked as a nanny, at an insurance company and selling T-shirts on Venice Beach.
- Became a U.S. citizen in 1990.
- Created his first TV series, Eco-Challenge, in 1995 after participating in the Raid Gauloises, an annual endurance race that began in 1989.
- Developed the concept for Survivor---based on a Swedish reality series---which was immediately successful upon its debut in May 2000.
- Teamed up with business tycoon Donald Trump to launch reality competition The Apprentice in 2004.
- Married his second wife, Roma Downey, in a 2007 Malibu beach ceremony officiated by actor Della Reese.
- Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009.