Regis Philbin graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1953. He's seen here with his uncle, Arthur Godfrey.
Career
Gallery of Regis Philbin
2017
18 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019, United States
Regis Philbin (R) and Joy Philbin attend the "Churchill" New York Premiere at the Whitby Hotel on May 22, 2017, in New York City. Photo by Mike Pont
Gallery of Regis Philbin
2017
132 W 58th St, New York, NY 10019, United States
(L-R) Jamie Gelman, Joy Philbin, Regis Philbin, Misha Gelman, and Laurie Gelman attend Michael Gelman Celebrates The Launch Of CLASS MOM, A Novel By Laurie Gelman at Loi Estiatorio on July 26, 2017, in New York City. Photo by Patrick McMullan
Gallery of Regis Philbin
2017
New York City, New York, United States
Regis Philbin and Joy Philbin visit 'Sway in the Morning' at SiriusXM Studios on October 3, 2017, in New York City. Photo by Rob Kim
Gallery of Regis Philbin
2018
1735 Vine St, Los Angeles, CA 90028, United States
Jon Lovitz (L) and Regis Philbin attend the screening of HBO's The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling at Avalon on March 14, 2018, in Hollywood, California. Photo by Jeff Kravitz
Gallery of Regis Philbin
2018
New York City, New York, United States
Regis Philbin attends the Always At The Carlyle Premiere on May 8, 2018, in New York City. Photo by Bryan Bedder
Gallery of Regis Philbin
2018
New York City, New York, United States
Joy Philbin and Regis Philbin attend the Always At The Carlyle Premiere on May 8, 2018, in New York City. Photo by Bryan Bedder
Gallery of Regis Philbin
2018
Los Angeles, California, United States
Regis Philbin is seen on December 10, 2018, in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Hollywood To You
Gallery of Regis Philbin
2018
Los Angeles, California, United States
Regis Philbin and Joy Philbin are seen on January 4, 2018, in Los Angeles, California. Photo by SMXRF
Gallery of Regis Philbin
2019
Los Angeles, California, United States
Regis Philbin is seen on December 12, 2019, in Los Angeles, California. Photo by TM
Gallery of Regis Philbin
2019
Los Angeles, California, United States
Regis Philbin is seen on April 19, 2019, in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Hollywood To You
Gallery of Regis Philbin
2020
Los Angeles, California, United States
Billy Crystal (L) and Regis Philbin the Los Angeles Screening of "Standing Up, Falling Down" on February 20, 2020, in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Joshua Blanchard
Gallery of Regis Philbin
2020
Los Angeles, California, United States
(L-R) Joy Philbin and Regis Philbin attend the LA screening of "BURDEN" on February 27, 2020, in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Kovac
Achievements
Membership
Awards
Daytime Emmy Award
2008
6801 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028, United States
TV host Regis Philbin poses with the Lifetime Achievement Award in the press room at the 35th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards held at the Kodak Theatre on June 20, 2008, in Hollywood, California.
6801 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028, United States
TV host Regis Philbin poses with the Lifetime Achievement Award in the press room at the 35th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards held at the Kodak Theatre on June 20, 2008, in Hollywood, California.
(L-R) Jamie Gelman, Joy Philbin, Regis Philbin, Misha Gelman, and Laurie Gelman attend Michael Gelman Celebrates The Launch Of CLASS MOM, A Novel By Laurie Gelman at Loi Estiatorio on July 26, 2017, in New York City. Photo by Patrick McMullan
1735 Vine St, Los Angeles, CA 90028, United States
Jon Lovitz (L) and Regis Philbin attend the screening of HBO's The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling at Avalon on March 14, 2018, in Hollywood, California. Photo by Jeff Kravitz
Billy Crystal (L) and Regis Philbin the Los Angeles Screening of "Standing Up, Falling Down" on February 20, 2020, in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Joshua Blanchard
Entertaining With Regis & Kathie Lee: Year-Round Holiday Recipes, Entertaining Tips, and Party Ideas
(Two popular television hosts present their best ideas for...)
Two popular television hosts present their best ideas for seasonal holiday parties, offering recipes, hints for successful entertaining, party plans, and much more.
(The popular daytime TV personality recounts his first exp...)
The popular daytime TV personality recounts his first experiences on television, his family life, his partnership with Kathie Lee Gifford, and his most memorable moments on the set of Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.
(Offers a glimpse into the fun-filled life of the host of ...)
Offers a glimpse into the fun-filled life of the host of the popular quiz show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," and includes humorous anecdotes about his wife Joy and his former co-host Kathie Lee Gifford.
(One of the most popular television and cultural icons eve...)
One of the most popular television and cultural icons ever, Regis Philbin has been entertaining television audiences for more than fifty years - as a beloved morning-show host (Live with Regis and Kelly), a nighttime game-show host (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?) and also as a fixture on national and local late-night talk shows. The irrepressible “Reege” has regaled television audiences with his stories for more than half a century, but he’s saved the most hilarious, surprising, heartfelt, and inspiring tales for How I Got This Way. Both a fascinating show business memoir and a delightful primer for living the good life rolled into one, How I Got This Way is Reege being Reege, just the way we love him, as he shares the secrets to success and happiness that he has learned from his innumerable celebrity encounters, his close, personal friendships, and, of course, his relationship with his loving wife and family.
(Based on Mae West's Broadway stage hit, this is the story...)
Based on Mae West's Broadway stage hit, this is the story of an American sex symbol, whose wedding night (to her 6th husband) becomes a comedy of errors with the intrusion of the bride's former spouses.
(In this third film version of the Bad News Bears series, ...)
In this third film version of the Bad News Bears series, Tony Curtis plays a small time promotor/hustler who takes the pint-sized baseball team to Japan for a match against the country's best little league baseball team which sparks off a series of adventures and mishaps the boys come into.
(In Blake Edwards' all-star romantic comedy, Burt Reynolds...)
In Blake Edwards' all-star romantic comedy, Burt Reynolds is David, a sculptor who is an incurable womanizer, who never met a woman he didn't love. He pays a visit to a psychiatrist, Marianna (Julie Andrews), in the hope of removing a creative block he's been experiencing; instead, he falls for herand she for him.
(The story centers on Duffy Berman (Wilder), a famed carto...)
The story centers on Duffy Berman (Wilder), a famed cartoonist who's biological clock has sounded...just in time for a mid-life crisis. Duffy wants a child. And when his marriage fails to produce one, he begins a comic quest for fulfillment.
(A lawyer who can't win a case decides to become a boxing ...)
A lawyer who can't win a case decides to become a boxing promoter in New York City - but problems with his mistress, her husband, and loan sharks soon add up to trouble.
(When Snidely Whiplash launches a scheme to take over the ...)
When Snidely Whiplash launches a scheme to take over the world, Dudley Do-Right sets out to defeat the villain, win the heart of the fair maiden and bring peace to Semi-Happy Valley.
(While raising twelve children, a middle-aged couple decid...)
While raising twelve children, a middle-aged couple decides to pursue more demanding careers -- only to discover that big families and big careers are a difficult mix.
(Federal Agent Gracie Hart returns in this action comedy a...)
Federal Agent Gracie Hart returns in this action comedy and goes undercover in Las Vegas to rescue her best friend, the Miss United States Pageant winner.
Regis Philbin was an American actor, singer, and author. He was a well-known TV personality who co-hosted his own daytime talk show for almost three decades, also working in prime time and writing several books.
Background
Ethnicity:
Regis Philbin's father was of Irish descent, while his mother was born in Manhattan to an Italian immigrant family that also had Arbëreshë/Albanian ancestry.
Regis Philbin was born on August 25, 1931, in the Bronx, New York, United States. He is the eldest child of Francis "Frank" and Filomena "Florence" Philbin. His father was a United States Marine who served in the Pacific Ocean for several years. He had a 20 years younger brother, Frank M. Philbin, who had died from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He got his name, Regis, from his father's high school. His middle name Xavier came from the Jesuit Saint Francis Xavier.
Education
In 1949 Regis Philbin graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School. In 1953 he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from the University of Notre Dame.
After graduating from university, Regis Philbin enrolled in the United States Navy as a logistics officer. All the while, Philbin dreamed of being a broadcaster like his idol, Jack Parr, so upon his discharge, he drove to Hollywood in search of work. There, he managed to meet with the program director of KCOP-TV in Los Angeles, who told the inexperienced Philbin that he would keep him in mind if anything opened up.
Returning to New York, Philbin’s uncle, a CBS radio press agent, helped him get a job as a page at NBC, where he worked for The Tonight Show, then hosted by Steve Allen. He traveled back to California after KCOP offered him a job as a stagehand and courier. At the time, virtually everything on television other than movies was broadcast live, including the commercials, and the pace was frenetic. Philbin eventually worked his way up to newswriter, although he still had to perform his duties driving the film-delivery truck for the station as well.
Soon, Philbin was helping to pull together the daily fifteen-minute sports show on KCOP. He eventually left the station, however, and later found work at KSON radio in San Diego, which broadcast out of the U.S. Grant Hotel. There, he continued to hone his writing talents and developed a following for his offbeat style. In 1959, KFMB-TV hired him away, and he continued to do quirky features on the nightly eleven o’clock news. After a year there, cross-town rival station KOGO-TV offered him a job doing features as well as a news anchor position, with a promise of eventually hosting his own talk show. In 1961 KOGO began producing The Regis Philbin Show for its late-night lineup, which was syndicated nationally as That Regis Philbin Show. Later Philbin also hosted the program on KTTV in Los Angeles.
In 1967, Philbin landed a job as the announcer and sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show on ABC, which competed with The Tonight Show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC. Despite this high-profile job, Philbin was unhappy, because he was often made the butt of on-air jokes. In addition, in 1968 he heard that the network was planning to fire him because they thought he might be the reason for the show’s poor ratings. He aired his concerns to Bishop, who suggested Philbin communicate his issues to viewers in order to gain sympathy. Letters from fans immediately poured in to show support, and Philbin remained on the show until Bishop quit in 1969.
After Bishop’s show went off the air, Philbin worked for KHJ-TV in Los Angeles, where he hosted various local talk shows from 1969 to 1973. After that, he worked at several jobs around the country, including hosting shows in St. Louis, Missouri, and Denver, Colorado. He also filled in for several months on the program A.M. Chicago and hoped to land a permanent position, but the job fell through. He later became the host of A.M. Los Angeles from 1975 to 1981, working first with Sarah Purcell and then Cindy Garvey. He left after lining up a job hosting a show for NBC, but the deal fell apart and he returned to New York City, where he again teamed with Garvey on The Morning Show, which was sagging in the ratings. After Philbin’s entry, though, the show’s popularity picked up and then became more successful when co-host Ann Abernathy came on board after Garvey left. When Kathie Lee Gifford joined the show in June of 1985, ratings soared even higher.
Meanwhile, Philbin had also been doing a show for the Lifetime cable channel called Regis Philbin’s Health Styles, which focused on health and beauty and would occasionally bring in celebrity fitness personalities like Jack LaLanne or wrestler Hulk Hogan. The show aired from 1982 to 1987 and was eventually transformed into more of a celebrity talk show. This show format was parlayed into a syndication deal in 1988 for The Morning Show, and its title was changed to Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.
By 1990, Regis and Kathie Lee was a runaway hit, nipping at the heels of established morning shows like Donahue, within two months knocking the latter program out of the top-rated daytime spot for the first time in fourteen years. By 1996 it was reaping the highest ratings on television between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. As opposed to other daytime programs that often featured salacious or inflammatory topics, Philbin and Gifford stuck to traditional subjects like cooking tips and friendly celebrity interviews. Much of the appeal was based on the hosts’ good-natured ribbing of each other and by the spontaneity that lives television offers. After Gifford left the show in 2000, Philbin continued to enjoy high ratings with his new cohost, actress Kelly Ripa.
Gifford and Philbin’s rapport with audiences proved equally successful in the publishing field. Together, they produced two cookbooks, Cooking with Regis and Kathie Lee: Quick and Easy Recipes from America's Favorite Television Personalities and Entertaining with Regis and Kathie Lee: Year Round Holiday Recipes, Entertaining Tips, and Party Ideas. The former title features recipes from guest chefs, as well as family favorites from the authors’ own kitchens.
In 1995, Philbin released his autobiography, I’m Only One Man! Written in a diary format, Philbin recounts the daily events of his life over the course of a single year, 1994, interspersing these entries with stories about his rise to fame in the early days of radio and network television. In 1999 Philbin was hired to host a new prime-time show on ABC called Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? featuring contestants facing a series of questions with multiple-choice answers in hopes of winning $1 million. The show became a surprise hit during a limited two- week run, and the network decided to air Who Wants to Be a Millionaire three times a week. Following the success of the quiz show, Philbin penned a second autobiography, Who Wants to Be Me?, in 2000.
"This is Your Life" was being remade on ABC, and Philbin took the role of host in November 2005, but by August 2006 it was reported that his contract had run out and he wouldn’t be renewing it. However, by this time Philbin was signed up to host the first season of the new show ‘America’s Got Talent’ on NBC. September 14, 2007, saw the 20th anniversary for the ‘Live!’ show and Philbin celebrated with a special guest appearance from Kathie Lee Gifford. The host was set to retire from the show in 2011.
Since he has retired as a host, the former Live! co-host has been focusing on taking the other seat for a change, as a guest. He has appeared on multiple different talk shows such as The Talk, Home & Family, Entertainment Tonight, Today, and is a regular celebrity guest in Rachel Ray’s kitchen.
Regis Philbin once said about his political views: "As a matter of fact I don't like politics. I really don't. I think it's so jaded now and everybody has to follow the party line."
In 2016 he told about Donald Trump's campaign. The former TV host said he thinks Trump is "doing alright for himself," but that he wished the Republican candidate would dial down some of his inflammatory appearances. "I wish he would calm down a little bit, but I'm not going to get involved." Asked whether Trump would make a good president, Philbin said America will have to wait and see. "I think that he'll be on fire if he becomes president," he said. "It might be the best thing that ever happened… for him and maybe for the country. We'll all find out together."
Views
Regis Philbin donated game-show earnings to his former high school. In 2000, he donated $500,000 to Cardinal Hayes to renovate the auditorium. He also led the 1995 and 1999 capital campaigns that funded a $7 million endowment and the updating of school facilities. He is the honorary chairman of the current capital campaign, "Our Future – Your Hands."
He won $175,000 on the Fox TV program “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" and announced on the air that he would donate his winnings to Cardinal Hayes High School. He gave the school his $50,000 prize from winning "Celebrity Jeopardy" on another special episode for celebrities to win cash for their favorite charities.
Quotations:
"What can I say? Librarians rule."
"You are as good as anybody and better than most."
"You get a taste here in New Orleans that you don't get anywhere else in the country."
Personality
Regis Philbin was a fan of the New York Yankees and a proud supporter of the sports teams of his alma mater, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. His favorite idol, when he was growing up, was Mickey Rooney.
Quotes from others about the person
Donald Trump: "He is completely free, amusing, and never loses contact with audience. The public adores him."
Interests
singing, dancing, gardening, exercising, dining out, listening to the radio
Sport & Clubs
baseball, New York Yankees
Connections
Regis Philbin was married twice, first in 1957 to actor Catherine (Kay) Faylan; they were divorced in 1968. From that marriage, he has a daughter, Amy Ferguson, who is a musician, and a son, Danny, a political scientist. On March 1, 1970, Philbin married Joy Senese, a television show host, and they have two daughters, Jennifer (also known as J.J. Philbin) and Joanna.