Edward Michael "Bear" Grylls (born 7 June 1974) is a British adventurer, writer and television presenter. He is widely known for his television series Man vs. Wild (2006–2011), originally titled Born Survivor: Bear Grylls in the United Kingdom. Grylls is also involved in a number of wilderness survival television series in the UK and US. In July 2009, Grylls was appointed the youngest-ever Chief Scout in the UK at age 35. Grylls was born in Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland.He grew up in Donaghadee until the age of four, when his family moved to Bembridge on the Isle of Wight. He is the son of Conservative politician Sir Michael Grylls, who was implicated in the cash-for-questions affair, and Lady Sarah Grylls. Lady Grylls is the daughter of politician Patricia Ford, briefly an Ulster Unionist Party MP, and cricketer and businessman Neville Ford. Grylls has one sibling, an elder sister, Lara Fawcett, a cardio-tennis coach, who gave him the nickname 'Bear' when he was a week old. Grylls was educated at Ludgrove School and Eton College, where he helped start its first mountaineering club, and Birkbeck, University of London, where he graduated with a degree, obtained part-time, in Hispanic studies in 2002. He graduated from the University of West of England. From an early age, he learned to climb and sail with his father, who was a member of the prestigious Royal Yacht Squadron. As a teenager, he learned to skydive and earned a second dan black belt in Shotokan karate. At age eight he became a Cub Scout. He speaks English, Spanish, and French. He is a Christian, and has described his faith as the "backbone" in his life. Grylls married Shara Cannings Knight in 2000. They have three sons. In August 2015, it was reported that Grylls had deserted his young son, Jesse, on Saint Tudwal's Island along the North Wales coast, as the tide approached, leaving him to be rescued by the RNLI. The RNLI later criticised him for the stunt, saying its crew "had not appreciated" that a child would be involved.
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Biography from TMDB.
- June 7, 1974 (52)
- Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland, UK
- Actor and producer, also writer
- 14 on MovieCove · 38 credits in all
What are Bear Grylls' films like?
Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 4
Light 4 · Serious 1 · Dark 1
A split, not a type: Grounded 4 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1
Gentle 3 · Charged 3 · Intense 0
Steady 5 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 1
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Mentoras Narrator in Hostile Planet (2019)
- Mentoras Self in I Survived Bear Grylls (2023)
Moods and endings
- Happy9
- Bittersweet2
- Ambiguous5
- Cyclical2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Bear Grylls' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Bear Grylls' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
38 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 45 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows
Miracle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
Miracle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
The Mosaic Church(2025)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Celebrity Bear Hunt(2025)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all shows
Finding Michael(2023)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Into The Wild With Bear Grylls & Ajay Devgn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
You vs. Wild: Out Cold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Children of Shanghai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Into the Wild with Bear Grylls & Akshay Kumar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Into the Wild with Bear Grylls & Rajinikanth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Treasure Island with Bear Grylls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Man vs Wild with Bear Grylls & PM Modi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
You vs. Wild(2019)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all shows
Hostile Planet(2019)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Everest Rescue(2017)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)
Absolute Wild China with Bear Grylls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Survivor Games with Bear Grylls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Britain's Biggest Adventures with Bear Grylls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
With A Kite (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows
Bear Grylls: Escape From Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows
Fine Dining With Bear Grylls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
A Day in the Life of Bear Grylls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Voice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Abenteuer Survival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Worst-Case Scenario (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
Bear Grylls, Young Adventurer: Endangered (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Bear Grylls, Young Adventurer: Icebreaker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Beyond Borders with Bear Grylls: Bahrain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Escape to the Legion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Faster Than Horses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 65th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 32 titles, 27 of them dated from 2004 to 2026.
Biggest box office
Arthur the King (2024)
Highest rated
Hostile Planet (2019)
Most popular right now
Running Wild with Bear Grylls (2014)
Film career
- 2013Screen debut· Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
3 major nominations and no wins, 2019–2021.
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Structured Reality Program
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Original Interactive Program
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Bear Grylls' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 44th percentile, the median of all 4; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th6
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 14 titles are Mixed.
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser5
- Mixed7
Reviewers score the acting 44/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 61, detractors 24. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Bear Grylls work with?
People who share at least 2 of Bear Grylls' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Delbert Shoopman shares the most, 14.
Directors
- Ben SimmsShared titles: Animals on the Loose: A You vs. Wild Movie (2021), You vs. Wild (2019), Running Wild with Bear Grylls (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Ben Simms
Writers
- Delbert ShoopmanShared titles: Bear Grylls Is Running Wild (2026), The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls (2026), Celebrity Bear Hunt (2025), The Mosaic Church (2025), Finding Michael (2023), I Survived Bear Grylls (2023), Ranveer vs. Wild with Bear Grylls (2022), Animals on the Loose: A You vs. Wild Movie (2021), Hostile Planet (2019), You vs. Wild (2019), Bear Grylls: Breaking Point (2015), Running Wild with Bear Grylls (2014) and 2 moreSee newest 12 of 14 shared titles with Delbert Shoopman
- Robert BuchtaShared titles: Animals on the Loose: A You vs. Wild Movie (2021), You vs. Wild (2019), Running Wild with Bear Grylls (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Robert Buchta
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Dan BowringShared titles: Bear Grylls Is Running Wild (2026), The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls (2026), Ranveer vs. Wild with Bear Grylls (2022)See all 3 shared titles with Dan Bowring
- Craig CotterillShared titles: Celebrity Bear Hunt (2025), Everest Rescue (2017), The Island with Bear Grylls (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Craig Cotterill
- Nick HarveyShared titles: Finding Michael (2023), The Island with Bear Grylls (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Nick Harvey
- Devin PowersShared titles: Animals on the Loose: A You vs. Wild Movie (2021), You vs. Wild (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Devin Powers
Producers
- Ben MitchellShared titles: The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls (2026), Celebrity Bear Hunt (2025), The Island with Bear Grylls (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Ben Mitchell
- Ciara LungerShared titles: Animals on the Loose: A You vs. Wild Movie (2021), You vs. Wild (2019), Running Wild with Bear Grylls (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Ciara Lunger
- Elizabeth SchulzeShared titles: Animals on the Loose: A You vs. Wild Movie (2021), You vs. Wild (2019), Running Wild with Bear Grylls (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Elizabeth Schulze
- Mark StelljesShared titles: Animals on the Loose: A You vs. Wild Movie (2021), You vs. Wild (2019), Running Wild with Bear Grylls (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Mark Stelljes
Mixed roles
- Robert VanoverShared titles: The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls (2026), Running Wild with Bear Grylls (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Vanover