Photo: LBJLibraryNow / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Ken Burns was born on July 29, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York, United States and is credited as a film director, manufacturer and actor. Ken Burns is 73 years old as of 2026. Education on record includes Pioneer High School and Hampshire College. Listed accolades include Lincoln Prize (1991), National Humanities Medal, Emmy Award and 5 more.
My Take
Ken Burns is, to my mind, the rare documentarian whose style became part of the common language; when your editing technique ships as a default effect in video software, you have changed how people see. Yet his real power comes from patience: spending years on the Civil War, baseball, or jazz, letting old photographs and human voices carry the weight. He treats American history as a conversation rather than a lecture, glory and shame intact. The shelf of Emmys and national honors is deserved, but his deepest legacy may be teaching television, and its audience, how to slow down.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ken Burns
- Name (Japanese)
- ケン・バーンズ
- Reading
- けん・ばーんず
- Born
- July 29, 1953 (age 73)
- Origin
- Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Occupation
- film director / manufacturer / actor / screenwriter / film producer
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Snake
2. Background
- High school
- Pioneer High School
- University
- Hampshire College
Awards & achievements
- 1991 Lincoln Prize
- National Humanities Medal
- Emmy Award
- 1991 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album
- 1991 Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording
- 2017 Lady Bird Johnson Environmental Award
- 1991 Charles Frankel Prize
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
3. Links
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Ken Burns born?
Born July 29, 1953 (age 73).
Where is Ken Burns from?
Ken Burns is from Brooklyn, New York, United States.
What does Ken Burns do?
Ken Burns works as film director, manufacturer, actor, screenwriter, film producer.
Film director — see all → · Manufacturer — see all → · More people from the United States →