Caesars Palace. Photo: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caesars_Palace_and_fountains,_Las_Vegas_-_April_2026.jpg)
Gallery of Doc Phineas (Phineas Kastle)
University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Photo: Renjishino, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:University_of_Las_Vegas.JPG)
Caesars Palace. Photo: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caesars_Palace_and_fountains,_Las_Vegas_-_April_2026.jpg)
University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Photo: Renjishino, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:University_of_Las_Vegas.JPG)
Phineas Kastle, publicly known as Doc Phineas, is an American actor, television personality, archaeologist, educator, writer, and interior designer. He is known for antiquities expertise on History Channel’s Pawn Stars, appearances in film and television, teaching and archaeological interests, and work in design and yoga.
Background
Phineas Kastle was born on February 6, 1951, and is the son of Otto and Mildred Kastle. His childhood was associated with family homes in New York City, Kansas, Taos, New Mexico, and Key West, Florida. He also appeared as a child performer on television programs including The Pinky Lee Show, Howdy Doody, and The Mickey Mouse Club.
Kastle attended Field Kindley Memorial High School and later pursued higher education in the United States and Europe. His subsequent interests joined archaeology, antiquities, performance, design, travel, and teaching, producing the multifaceted public identity represented by the name Doc Phineas.
Education
Kastle graduated with honors from Field Kindley Memorial High School. During his education he also attended institutions in Europe, including the University of Bern in Switzerland and the Sorbonne in Paris, according to biographical accounts.
He received a Bachelor of Arts from San Jose State University in 1973 and a Master of Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1978. He later received a Doctor of Philosophy from Shefferton University in London in 2002. His documented postgraduate work also included archaeological field research in India, Egypt, and Africa.
San Jose State University, founded in 1857 as California's first public institution of higher education, developed a broad academic program in the center of Silicon Valley. The University of California, Berkeley, founded in 1868, is a major research university with long-standing strengths in science, engineering, and the humanities. The Sorbonne represents the historic Parisian university tradition, while the University of Bern is a Swiss research university founded in the nineteenth century.
Kastle began performing on television as a child and later developed a career as an actor and television personality. He has been associated with film and television productions including DUDS, Mute, Mysteries at the Museum, Haunted Hospitals, Jay Leno’s Garage, and Pawn Stars. On Pawn Stars he appeared as an antiquities expert known as “The Professor,” discussing historical objects and antiques for the program.
His professional work also includes teaching and public education in archaeology and antiquities. He has been described as a college professor and guest professor associated with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, while public appearances have presented him as an archaeologist, historian, Egyptology specialist, and museum consultant.
Kastle has worked in interior design and related luxury design businesses. His documented associations include La Mirage Interiors in Rancho Mirage, Roche Bobois in Beverly Hills, Ligne Roset in Las Vegas, Design One, and Black Eagle Corporation, where he served as president and chief executive officer from 1991 to 2004. He was also associated with New Life Yoga and yoga centers at Caesars Palace and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
His public activities extend to writing, film production, event hosting, and steampunk culture. He has served as a master of ceremonies at steampunk festivals and has appeared at educational and cultural events devoted to archaeology, antiquities, design, and popular entertainment.
Received the City of West Hollywood Man of the Year recognition in 2000.
Was associated with the Business of the Year recognition in West Hollywood.
Won the National College Championship in persuasive speaking in 1972.
Works
book
From India With Love
(A book attributed to Kastle concerning his experiences an...)
2002
Bliss Now
(A book attributed to Kastle addressing personal developme...)
film
Mute
(A film in which Kastle appeared as an actor playing Cowbo...)
DUDS
(A film in which Kastle is documented as appearing as an a...)
TV series
Pawn Stars
(A reality television series in which Kastle appeared as D...)
Mysteries at the Museum
(A Travel Channel program in which Kastle appeared as a te...)
Jay Leno’s Garage
(A CNBC program in which Kastle appeared in connection wit...)
Religion
Kastle is identified with Hinduism. His documented interests in yoga, India, Sanskrit, and South Asian antiquities connect his public work with a religious and cultural tradition whose philosophical and devotional systems developed over many centuries on the Indian subcontinent.
Hindu traditions encompass diverse approaches to theology, ritual, ethics, meditation, and the pursuit of liberation. Kastle's public association with yoga and Indian cultural subjects places his work within a modern setting in which Hindu philosophy and practices have also been presented through education, wellness, and intercultural study.
Politics
Kastle is identified as a Democrat. The Democratic Party is a major American political party whose modern tradition has generally emphasized social inclusion, public institutions, civil rights, and government action in response to economic and social problems.
His documented affiliation is political rather than evidence of elected office or a public political career. No specific faction, campaign position, or policy platform is established here.
Views
Kastle's documented interests center on the relationship between historical knowledge, artistic expression, design, and personal development. His work with archaeology and antiquities treats material culture as a means of presenting the histories of different societies, while his involvement with yoga reflects an interest in practices associated with physical discipline, meditation, and Indian philosophical traditions.
Interests
Bodybuilding, yoga, travel, steampunk culture, antiquities, and interior design.
Connections
Kastle is the son of Otto Kastle and Mildred Kastle. His public career connects acting and television with archaeology, antiquities education, interior design, writing, and cultural events.
Father:
Otto Kastle
Mother:
Mildred Kastle
References
Interview: Doc Phineas
Interview and biographical profile discussing Kastle's teaching, entertainment work, appearances on Pawn Stars, and film and television activities.
