Richard Engel was born in 1973 and raised in Manhattan, New York City. His father, Peter Engel, was a former financier at Goldman Sachs, and his mother, Nina, of Swedish descent, owned an antiques store. Engel grew up alongside his older brother, who later became a cardiologist. During his early years, Engel was diagnosed with dyslexia, which led to concerns about his academic future.
He attended Riverdale Country School, a competitive college-preparatory institution in New York. He later enrolled at Stanford University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations in 1996. While at Stanford, Engel contributed articles to The Stanford Daily, fostering his early interest in journalism. After graduation, he spent a year working at CNN Business News in New York.
Following his time with CNN, Engel moved abroad to pursue freelance journalism, focusing on the Middle East. He worked as a freelance reporter in Cairo before relocating to Baghdad, where he began covering the Iraq War for ABC News. His reporting from conflict zones established him as a committed and courageous journalist.
In 2003, Engel joined NBC News as a freelance journalist and was later appointed as the network's full-time Middle East correspondent. In April 2008, he was named Chief Foreign Correspondent for NBC News. Prior to this, he served as the bureau chief in Beirut, where he covered unfolding developments across the region.
Richard Engel has covered many of the most critical global events of the 21st century. His assignments have included reporting on the Iraq War, the Syrian Civil War, and the Arab Spring. He is known for his fearless front-line reporting and in-depth analysis of complex geopolitics. During his tenure, he has become one of the most recognized foreign correspondents in American journalism.
Engel's fluency in Arabic, Spanish, and Italian has enabled him to engage with diverse communities and report from regions with linguistic barriers. His ability to directly communicate in multiple languages has enhanced the authenticity and depth of his storytelling.
Engel has authored two notable books based on his experiences as a war correspondent. His first book, A Fist in the Hornet's Nest, documents his time covering the Iraq War from Baghdad. His follow-up publication, War Journal: My Five Years in Iraq, released in 2008, continues the narrative, offering further insights into the conflict and its impact.
His war coverage, particularly his work on the documentary War Zone Diary, earned him the inaugural Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism. This prestigious award recognized his commitment to reporting from some of the world's most dangerous regions.
| Birth Date: | 16 Sep, 1973 |
| Age: | 46 yrs |
| Occupations: | Journalist |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | New York City |
| Education: | Stanford University |
| Gender: | Male |
| Description: | American television journalist and war correspondent |
| Twitter Id: | Richardengel |
| Net Worth 2021: | 5 million |
