Who Hosted Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom?

The classic television show Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom is a program that many viewers fondly recall from their childhoods. This documentary series was initially hosted by zoologist Marlin Perkins, who developed and presented the content for almost its entirety. Much of Perkins’ work revolves around wildlife conservation and research, which he brought to life in the semi educational and often humorous series.

Though Marlin Perkins held the presenter role until his retirement in 1985, his predecessor's role was ultimately filled by Jim Fowler - a wildlife expert who grew up with a devotion to animals. After being accepted into Yale University as an animal behavior major, Fowler started volunteering at various zoos, enriching his experience with nature’s creatures immensely. Later, as fate may have it, Fowler was recommended as the new host for Wild Kingdom after getting his start on television up to that point through nature segments in various news channels.

When hired by Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom in 1965 (the same year Perkins retired) Fowler joined forces with the now famous Jim Johnston - one of Marlin Perkins’ 'old faithful' producers. As the new team took on their respective roles for the show’s second full season – hosting many exotic locations all over North America - Fowler quickly rose to fame becoming known for his thrilling interactions with untamed animals such as hippos and cheetahs. Being both knowledgeable and passionate about conservation efforts worldwide made Fowler an incredibly reputable addition to the series that carried it through until its end in 1988.

So there you have it – Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom had two hosts during its run; Zoologist Marlin Perkins from 1963-1965 and Wildlife expert Jim Fowler from 1965 to 1988 when the show ultimately ended its production run despite achieving excellence in both ratings and culture references alike.

The announcer and narrator for Mutual of Omaha's long-running wildlife documentary shows Wild Kingdom is Marlin Perkins. After taking over hosting duties in 1963, Perkins quickly became a household name as he traveled the world to introduce viewers to the diverse array of creatures living across planet Earth. While Wild Kingdom carried on through several decades and various iterations, including numerous specials, Perkins became the face of the show.

Perkins' interest in wildlife and animals began when he was young — when his family moved out to Missouri he soon became familiar with many species around his home. His passion grew as he began collecting reptiles and amphibians when attending University of Missouri. After spending time serving in various roles such as park ranger at Yellowstone, Perkins finally established himself as a prominent figure in the world of wildlife documentaries with his role on Wild Kingdom.

Throughout his tenure, Perkins highlighted remote locations where numerous creatures were unknown or misunderstood, often encouraging others to observe animals in their natural habitats instead of disrupting or interfering with them. From 1963-1987, Marlin Perkins continued to be an inspiring educator for children who were growing up alongside him as well as adults who watched regularly each Sunday night on NBC. Audiences tuned in for decades to learn about exotic creatures from around the world due largely in part to the iconic face of Marlin Perkins on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.

The narrator of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, which is an American television show about wildlife, is renowned naturalist Marlin Perkins. Debuting on June 14th, 1963, the show was full of educational, yet entertaining insights and was a favorite of generations of viewers.

Marlin Perkins was born on March 28th 1905, in Carthage Missouri and he was a scientist as well as an educator. His naturalist works often focused on research rather than exploration. Though he had certification in biology and zoology from the University of Missouri, Marlin devoted much of his life to studying the endangered species that make our world so beautiful and unique. Before Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom he started his career as an investigating entomologist through the various state departments and even held a position in the federal Office of Education.

Beloved by generations of fans the show interjected class at times to illustrate points with humor or wit. Marlin's charm combined with his expertise made him an adored figure who enriched viewers knowledge about animals and biology alike. He appeared on nearly every episode until his retirement at 85 years young in 1985 when Jim Fowler took over for him as host during the shows 22nd season run until 1988. With passion for what he did and curiosity for many topics like geology, meteorology and history Marlin created some very memorable content for audiences to enjoy!

Many viewers of the classic PBS series Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, may remember fondly the slow, soothing and enthusiastic voice often heard leading viewers through an exciting journey into the wild. This narrator is none other than actor Marlin Perkins.

Perkins had already had a long, successful career in television before he stepped into the role as narrator of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. During WWII he was already familiar with working in front of the camera due to his job filming training films for the US Navy. Post-war, he traveled around Africa and ended up starring in his own adventure series "Mysterious Africa". He went on to host Mutual of Omaha’s Wold Kingdom for 22 years using his calming and confident voice to narrate viewers through their wild exploration with vivid and informative story-telling.

Marlin Perkins is still remembered today for bringing audiences on amazing journeys through some of the world’s most expansive ecosystems even 30 years after its last air date. His engineering command of words made learning about exotic wildlife accessible to families around televisions sets all over America and beyond, making him an integral part of many TV viewers lives!

Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom has been entertaining and educating viewers for over five decades. The show was originally hosted by zoologist Marlin Perkins and animal expert Jim Fowler. The two of them worked together from 1963 on NBC, providing educational documentaries about the wildlife around the world set in places like Africa and Greenland.

Perkins had a passion for animals from an early age. Animal behavior fascinated him, as well as their environment and how they interacted in it. He used that knowledge to create interesting classes for his students at the Zoological Institute at Congress Park in St. Louis. He held this post for about 20 years before being invited to host a new television program, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, where he used his expertise to educate the public on various creatures.

Fowler joined Perkins in 1963 as his assistant on Wild Kingdom and eventually became the show's co-host in 1966 when Perkins stepped down to pursue conservation efforts on a larger scale. Fowler had a deep interest in the natural world too, having grown up in rural Georgia hunting and trapping before attending Wake Forest University, majoring in biology. He was welcomed onto the show with open arms due to his vast experience with both wildlife and television appearances.

Today, Marlin Perkins’ legacy lives on through Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom with Jim Fowler taking over as host in 1966 until 1988 when executive producer Don Meier took over until the show ended its run after 45 seasons of broadcasting in 2007. Decades have passed but both Perkins and Fowler still have huge fan bases loyal to them being part of ‘Wild Kingdom’ lore!

Marlin Perkins is an iconic figure in animal conservation and the host of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom from 1963-1985. His unforgettable voice and personality were unique, inspiring millions of viewers to love and respect the natural world. After his death in 1986, his legacy lived on in the form of his beloved television show.

So who did the voiceover for Marlin Perkins? That would be none other than actor Thurl Ravenscroft. Though it wasn't as celebrated as some of his other works, Ravenscroft provided the voice for Marlin Perkins on several episodes of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom between 1973-1983. Alongside giving a voice to one of television's most important animal advocates, Ravenscroft is perhaps best known as being the deep basso profondo behind classic holiday song "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch".

Thurl Ravenscroft started providing voiceover work since 1941 and is recognized as having one of the longest careers in American media production with narration credits spanning over half a century. He worked on nearly every major animated feature film that came out during his career before succumbing to cancer in May 2005 at age 91. Alongside Marlin Perkins, Ravenscroft is also remembered as being the narrator for many Popular Science films and military training films among others.

Marlin Perkins (1905-1986) was an American zoologist, adventurer, and TV host. He is best remembered as the host of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, a popular wildlife show that ran from 1963-1988.

During his life, Perkins frustrated his parents who wanted him to study law and got his first job at the St Louis Zoo. He became the zoo's Director in 1964 upon the passing of its previous director and he held this role for more than three decades. It was during this period that he established a successful career as an animal researcher, exploring all seven continents in search of rare and interesting species.

Perkins was in high demand for television appearances due to his vast knowledge on animals and his willingness to take risks; he had even survived a hippopotamus attack! This lead him to being selected as the host for Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom which was broadcast five days per week on NBC. The show followed Perkins and his sidekick Jim Fowler as they explored and studied the wildlife on various continents. Despite being extremely popular with both children and adults, it was cancelled after 22 seasons due to continually falling ratings.

The legacy that Marlin Perkins left continues today through reruns and DVDs of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom available in stores, as well as through organizations such as the Marlin Perkins Society which seeks to honor his accomplishments in conservation efforts. It is no wonder then why Marlin Perkins is remembered fondly as one of America’s greatest zoologists.