David Attenborough had regret over famous brother Richard's career before his tragic passing

Sir David Attenborough once shared an emotional thought about his late brother’s career.

The beloved broadcaster, who is known for his incredible nature documentaries, isn't the only famous face in the family.

The 97-year-old’s sibling is the late actor Richard Attenborough, who passed away in 2014.

The brothers had a close bond throughout their lives. Richard was three years older than David.

It’s not uncommon for Sir David to reflect on those who were closest to him and at the time of Richard’s passing, he looked back on his films brother’s career which spanned decades.

Richard had dozens of acting roles starting in 1942 until his final, posthumous credit in 2015’s Jurassic World.

Having studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he is perhaps best known for his role as John Hammond in the Jurassic Park franchise as John hammond.

He also played Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street in 1994.

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Many of the films in Richard’s repertoire are hard-hitting dramas, however, much as The Great Escape, where he played an RAF Squadron Leader named Roger Bartlett. He also won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Regimental Sergeant Major Lauderdale.

Sir David revealed shortly after his brother’s death that he would have liked to have seen his brother in a particular genre of film.

“The thing that I’m sorry about is that actually Dick was marvellous comic actor,” he told the Radio Times.

“He was very, very funny, and could be - and was - in domestic circumstances.

"We just spent all our time roaring with laughter - and that didn't get much of an outlet in his feature films. I mean, Christmas time, you know, we just sat around, roaring with laughter."

Sir David also candidly opened up about the death of his wife, Jane Oriel, in his memoir Life on Air.

BBC

The couple were married from 1950 until her death in 1997 and they had two children together, Robert and Susan, who are both in their 50s.

In the memoir, which was published in 2002 and revised in 2009, the iconic biologist and natural historian discussed in detail the day she died, which left him feeling ‘lost’.

He revealed that making his documentaries and exploring another world helped him cope after his wife passed away.

“She... gave my hand a squeeze. The focus of my life, the anchor had gone… now I was lost,” he recalled about the moment she died.

He continued: “I coped by working. It was the most fantastic luck that I was able to work.

“If my life had gone a different way - say I had gone into the oil business, which I once considered doing - I would have been out at 60.”