Mykel Hawke is an extremely accomplished man in many ways. While most people know him for his work in producing multiple Discovery Channel and Travel Channel shows, Mykel actually has a much more interesting life than most. A retired member of the US Army Special Forces, Hawke has made a name for himself in multiple industries, excelling in all that he does. Hawke is a best-selling author and an acclaimed producer, with a vested interest in charity work. Yet, despite his newfound fame, he never loses touch with his origins, posting his condolences to members of the armed forces on his Facebook page on a regular basis.
Mykel Hawke: retired Special Forces officer, TV star and inspiration to thousands http://t.co/TmrnT2ekcq #MykelHawke pic.twitter.com/UPerxVkvhu
— Limitless Pursuits (@LPursuits) June 16, 2015
Early Life and Family
Mykel Hawke was born on 29 November 1965, in Fort Know, Kentucky, USA, which pretty much predicated all that was to come. Mykel was born into a military family and lived out his childhood as the conventional “army brat”, traveling often but staying predominantly in the South East. As if there wasn’t enough turmoil in his life from the lack of consistency, Hawke was brought up in relative poverty, and suffered from abuse in his home. This culminated in him being thrown out of junior high, an event that he dealt with by spending time with a local gang. However, once he turned 17, he attended a boot camp and found his calling as an army medic.
Despite the trauma of his childhood, Hawke cites it as being the catalyst for all his later success in life.
Education
Although he had a rough run of school during Junior High, Hawke did not abandon his education. He attended New York University from 1988 to 1994, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in medicine and management. He later attended the University of Santa Barbara from 1997 until 2001, where he earned his Master of Science in psychology. In addition to speaking English, he has workable Russian and Spanish, and some basic French. He is also a blackbelt in Aikido and Judo.
Career
Military Career
Mykel Hawke served in the US army from 1982 until 2011. when he resigned with the rank of Captain.
He was based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, but his job naturally required him to travel frequently. Mykel credits the commitment and dedication that he learned in the army to giving him the ability to persevere and succeed in other industries, citing it as the source of all his creativity.
Television and Film
Odd Jobs
Mykel started out working odd jobs on the set of docuseries and films as early as 1999, when he was credited as a creative consultant for “Road Rules”. He served in the same capacity on various other projects, but was predominantly enlisted as an on-set security guard and medic, for series such as “Forever Eden” and “Paradise Hotel”, from 2001 until 2008.
Although he soon started taking on more prominent roles, he returned as a technical director for an episode of Daybreak – an experience that he described as “A fun mature teen show fusing zombies, Ferris Bueller, Buffy, Kung Fu and more.”
“Man, Woman, Wild”
Although he is credited in over 50 shows, this is perhaps the most noteworthy of the selection, as Mykel was able to blend multiple roles in his performance on the series. “Man, Woman, Wild” is part of Discovery Channel’s set of reality series about survival in the wilderness. This specific show focused on Mykel Hawke and his wife, Ruth England, documenting him teaching her various survival skills, and the charismatic couple and the subject matter attracted fans from across the globe.
The show premiered on 16 July 2010, and Mykel was credited with being a writer, producer, and cast member. “Man, Woman, Wild” was a trying series to film, and took a toll on the couple’s relationship, so they decided to end the show after only two seasons. Mykel explained that “The show in its current format was too hard on us and our family, so we chose to stop.” The show aired for the last time on 19 January 2012, but this was far from the end of his career, and instead of viewing the occasion as a blow to his career, he used it as a stepping-stone to launch new projects.
Other Projects
Since his time on “Man, Woman Wild”, Mykel has truly displayed his passion for all things survival and outdoors.
In 2011, he pioneered and hosted “One Man Army”, another Discovery Channel series, that would pit four professionals against each other in each episode – be they law enforcement or military figures – and set them various challenges to test their endurance, intelligence, and strength. Like many of the Discovery Channel shows, the winner would walk away with $10,000.
He and his wife also participated in “Lost Survivors”, another survival show in which couples would be transported to remote locations, and left to decipher clues and hints to survive and escape the situation.
Mykel’s focus has not been solely on survival shows as he has made multiple guest appearances on talk shows and series.
He also made a series of appearances on “The Gadget Show” from 2008 to 2010, served as a survival expert and voice of reason. He even made appearances on cult favorites such as “Top Chef Masters” (2011), on which he assessed insect-based dishes. He fulfilled a similar role on “The Bachelor” (2018), putting the bachelor and all his suiters through a series of survival tasks, forcing them to push their boundaries to the extreme.
Author
Mykel Hawke has written at least seven books, aiming to spread the art of survival and other skills that he picked up throughout his life. Among these is “The Language Book: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Learning Languages Fast”, in which he endeavors to teach people how to adapt to different languages within weeks, or at most a month.
Coming from a man who speaks four languages proficiently, this is genuine and expert advice. Of course, his books also have a survival theme for any occasion – be it foraging or a family adventure. He has also co-written a fiction book with Kim Martin called “In the Dark of the Sun”, and they are currently working on the sequel.
Personal Life
Mykel has been married twice, and while he has not disclosed information about his first wife, he has revealed that he has two sons from that marriage as well as a grandson and daughter. Mykel is currently married to a TV presenter from the UK, appropriately named Ruth England since 2005. The two have a son named Gabriel with whom they are very close.
Did Hawke Die
Hawke is still alive and healthy. Rumours of his death may have started when he began appearing on screen less frequently. However, these fears are unfounded.
Appearance
A handsome man in his youth, Mykel Hawke has fully embraced his white hair and appearance. After spending a lifetime in the military and training in martial arts, he is still strong and well built – a formidable force by anyone’s standards. Mykel is 5ft 10ins (1.78m) tall, but his weight is unknown.
Net Worth and Salary
Hawke has come a far way from his poverty-stricken youth, branching out into various ventures and industries. Mykel has a range of survival products, merchandise and books that are all available for sale, as well as continued income from the entertainment industry. For a man who came from nothing, his net worth estimated at over $3 million as of mid-2020 is truly impressive.