Richard Leakey

Also known as Richard Erskine Frere Leakey, Richard Erskine Leakey, R. E. F. Leakey, R. Leakey

kenyan paleoanthropologist, conservationist, and politician (1944-2022)

Film & TV

Nairobi - Kenya

Richard Erskine Frere Leakey FRS (born 19 December 1944) is a Kenyan palaeoanthropologist, conservationist and politician. Leakey has held a number of official positions in Kenya, mostly in institutions of archaeology and wildlife conservation. He has been Director of the National Museum of Kenya, founded the NGO WildlifeDirect and is the chairman of the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Known for

Africa's Great Civilizations — Self2017
Ivory. A Crime Story — Himself2016
The Genius of Charles Darwin — Self2008
In the Footsteps of Bigfoot1988

via TMDB

Key facts

Born: Richard Erskine Frere Leakey , ( 1944-12-19 ) 19 December 1944, Nairobi , British Kenya
Died: 2 January 2022 (2022-01-02) (aged 77), Nairobi, Kenya
Spouses: Margaret Cropper ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1965 ; divorced</span>"}]]}'>div. 1969 ) Meave Epps , ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1970 )
Children: 3, including Louise
Parents: Louis Leakey Mary Douglas Leakey (née Nicol)
Awards: Hubbard Medal (1994)
Fields: Paleoanthropology Conservation
Institutions: Stony Brook University

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Gender: male
Citizenship: Kenya
Place of birth: Nairobi
Place of death: Nairobi
Spouse: Meave Leakey
Child: Louise Leakey
Father: Louis Leakey
Mother: Mary Leakey
Occupation: anthropologist
Employer: Stony Brook University
Languages spoken: Swahili
Religion: atheism
Field of work: natural monument
Movement: humanism
Image: Richard Leakey (1986).jpg
Number of children: 3

Show 9 more facts

Commons category: Richard Leakey
date of birth: 1944-12-19
member of: African Academy of Sciences
name in native language: Richard Leakey
date of death: 2022-01-02
birth name: Richard Erskine Frere Leakey
ethnic group: English people
place of burial: Ngong Hills
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4

Sources (9)

via Wikidata · CC0

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Encyclopedic overview

Richard Erskine Frere Leakey (19 December 1944 – 2 January 2022) was a Kenyan paleoanthropologist, conservationist and politician. Leakey held a number of official positions in Kenya, mostly in institutions of archaeology and wildlife conservation. He was director of the National Museum of Kenya, founded the NGO WildlifeDirect, and was the chairman of the Kenya Wildlife Service. Leakey served in the powerful office of cabinet secretary and head of public service during the tail end of President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi's government.

Leakey co-founded the "Turkana Basin Institute" in an academic partnership with Stony Brook University, where he was an anthropology professor. He served as the chair of the Turkana Basin Institute until his death.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Richard Leakey” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.