50 facts about Mark Burnett: producer of The Bible series

In 2013, Burnett produced The Bible series that brought in around 100 million viewers, which ended up being the most-watched cable miniseries of the year. Learn more things about Burnett.

1. Mark Burnett is a British television producer based in Los Angeles and is currently the CEO of United Artists Media Group, a subsidiary of MGM Holdings.

2. Mark Burnett is currently the executive producer of 11 network television series.

3. Mark Burnett has won six Emmy Awards, two Producers Guild of America Awards, two Critics' Choice Television Awards, and five People's Choice Awards.

4. His current unscripted series are Survivor, The Apprentice, The Voice, The Sing Off, Shark Tank, Beyond the Tank, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, 500 Questions and the People's Choice Awards.

5. In addition to these network shows, Burnett also produces cable series: On the Menu, Women of the Bible, Lucha Underground, and Divine Intervention (working title).

6. In 2013, TV Guide Magazine named Burnett its "Producer of the Year".

7. In 2014, The Hollywood Reporter named Burnett No. 1 on the Top 50 Reality Players in 2014.

8. In 2015, Burnett was named No. 1 on the Reality TV Power List: 30 Most Powerful Sellers of 2015 in The Hollywood Reporter.

9. In 2013, Burnett produced The Bible series that brought in around 100 million viewers, which ended up being the most-watched cable miniseries of the year.

10. Mark Burnett produced the follow up series A.D.: The Bible Continues, which premiered in Spring 2015.

11. In 2014, Burnett produced the feature film Son of God and is now producing another, Ben-Hur for a 2016 release.

12. Additionally he has authored four books, including the autobiographical self-help book Jump In! in 2005.

13. Mark Burnett was born on 17 July 1960 in London, the only child of Archie and Jean Burnett, both Scottish Ford Motors factory workers, and was raised in Dagenham, Essex.

14. His father was a Roman Catholic and his mother was a Presbyterian, although it is not known in which denomination he was raised.

15. Aged 17, he enlisted in the British Army, and became a Section Commander in the Parachute Regiment.

16. From 1978-82 he served with the 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment in C Company and saw action during the Falklands War.

17. In October 1982, Burnett decided to immigrate to the United States, where he met up with a friend, Nick Hill, who had emigrated from the UK several years earlier and was working as a nanny and chauffeur.

18. Hill knew of an open position for a live-in nanny position with the Jaeger family in affluent Beverly Hills.

19. Despite having no experience as a nanny, Burnett went on the interview. The Jaegers, realizing the advantage of having a nanny and security at the same time, hired him.

20. After a year of working for the Jaegers, he moved on to another family in Malibu, taking care of two boys for $250 a week.

21. Mark Burnett was eventually given a position in the insurance office owned by Burt, the father of the two boys.

22. Two years later, he decided to rent a portion of a fence at Venice Beach and sell T-shirts for $18 each during weekends.

23. Realizing he made more money selling T-shirts, he left his insurance job.

24. In 1991, Burnett, along with four others, joined a French adventure competition called the Raid Gauloises.

25. After competing, Burnett saw a business opportunity in holding similar competitions. He purchased the format rights and brought a similar competition, Eco-Challenge, to America. Eco-Challenge launched Burnett's career as a television producer.

26. Burnett is best known for producing the hit reality show Survivor, which premiered in the summer of 2000 and was the most watched summer series since Sonny and Cher.

27. Mark Burnett has produced several other television franchises including: The Apprentice, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Shark Tank, and The Voice. He has maintained a strong presence in award show franchises, having produced the MTV Movie Awards (2007-2011), the annual People's Choice Awards (2010-present), the Spike Video Game Awards and the 2011 Primetime Emmy Awards.

28. Mark Burnett has produced more than 2,900 hours of television programming which regularly airs in more than 70 countries.

29. Past shows include Bully Beatdown, Combat Missions, The Contender, The Contender Asia, Expedition Africa, Expedition Impossible, How'd You Get So Rich?, Martha Stewart, My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad, On the Lot (a collaboration with Steven Spielberg), The Restaurant, Rock Star, Sarah Palin's Alaska, Stars Earn Stripes, Starmaker, Toughest Cowboy, and Wedding Day.

30. As well as his ongoing productions, Burnett and his wife, actress Roma Downey, produced The Bible, a 10-hour History Channel drama based upon stories of the Bible.

31. The Bible became the No. 1 new series on cable TV in 2013 and was the No. 1 series in Canada, Spain, and Portugal.

32. According to 20th Century Fox, The Bible was the fastest-selling TV title released on home video in the past five years and the top miniseries title ever during its first week of sale.

33. After the success of The Bible, Burnett and Downey started developing more faith-based scripted series. A.D. will premiere on NBC on Easter Sunday 2015, and The Dovekeepers miniseries will air on CBS. In addition to these, Burnett has three more scripted projects in development: Faust and two untitled series.

34. In January 2004, Burnett began dating Downey.

35. In November 2006, while the two were vacationing with their children in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, he proposed to her.

36. They wed on 28 April 2007 in their Malibu home. The ceremony was officiated by Downey's former co star, Della Reese.

37. Both Burnett and Downey produced The Bible miniseries and are now co-owners of United Artists Media Group together with MGM and Hearst. In addition to their producing projects, the couple is heavily involved with philanthropic organizations Operation Smile and Compassion.

38. In 2014, they announced a fundraising plan called Cradle of Christianity that aims to raise $25 million to help Iraqi and Syrian Christians and other minorities displaced by ISIL survive the upcoming winter.

39. Mark Burnett was previously married to Dianne J. Burnett (née Valentine); they have two sons, James and Cameron. The couple filed for legal separation in September 2002 and a judgment for legal separation was granted in December 2003. They later divorced.

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40. In 2004, Time called Burnett one of the Most Influential People in the World Today.

41. Mark Burnett was also named "Philanthropist of the Year" by the Reality Cares Foundation.

42. Mark Burnett has won both Brandweek's "Marketer of the Year Award", the prestigious Rose d'Or Frapa Format Award, the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award and the Norman Lear Award from the Producers Guild of America.

43. Mark Burnett served for two years on the Board of Directors for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

44. In November 2007, Burnett was elected into the Broadcast & Cable Hall of Fame and in 2008, it was announced that he would be honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On 8 July 2009, Burnett received a star at 6664 Hollywood Blvd.

45. In June 2011, Burnett was elected into the Producers Guild of America Council Board of Delegates and currently serves on the Producers Council.

46. He is an ambassador for Operation Smile.

47. In 2013, the ten-hour mini-series The Bible received the Parents Television Council 2013 Seal of Approval.

48. Shark Tank, The Voice, and Survivor were all nominated for Critics Choice Awards, at which the Voice won for Best Reality Series - Competition. The three shows were nominated for the Television Critics Association Awards, at which 'Shark Tank won for Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming.

49. In 2013, The Voice, Shark Tank and The Bible were nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards; "The Voice" won for Outstanding Reality - Competition Program. "The Voice" and "Shark Tank" were nominated at the 2015 Critics' Choice Television Awards, at which "Shark Tank" won for Best Reality Series.

50. In 2014, Burnett and his wife Roma Downey were recipients of the Anti-Defamation League's Entertainment Industry Award.

Source: Wikipedia.org