Regis Philbin

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Regis Philbin
Regis Philbin attend the Time 100 2006 gala
Born	Regis Francis Xavier Philbin August 25, 1931 (1931-08-25) (age 76) New York City, New York
Occupation	TV presenter/Talk show host/Game show host
Spouse(s)	Kay Faylan (1955-1968) Joy Senese (1970-present)

Regis Francis Xavier Philbin (August 25, 1931) is an Emmy Award-winning American television personality and occasional actor known for his roles as a talk show host, game show host, and presenter at various events. Appearing on television since the late 1950s, Philbin is often called (somewhat tongue-in-cheek and alternately attributed to James Brown), "the hardest working man in show business"^[1][2] and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera.^[3] His trademarks include his excited manner, his New York Bronx accent, and irreverent ad-libs. He is most widely known for Live with Regis and Kelly, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and for hosting the first season of America's Got Talent.

Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Talk show career 3 Game show career 4 Other television appearances 4.1 Host 4.2 Guest appearances 5 Written and musical works 6 Personal life 7 Regis Philbin in popular culture 7.1 Personal 7.2 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire 7.3 2007 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book 8 Awards and recognition 9 Television work 10 Filmography 11 Discography 11.1 Albums 11.2 Singles 12 Books 13 References 14 External links

[edit] Early life and career

Philbin was named after Regis High School, a Manhattan Jesuit private school, and after Jesuit Saint Francis Xavier.^{[citation needed]} Philbin was born in New York City, New York, the son of Julia and Jacob, who was a personnel director.^[4] His father and mother were of Irish and Italian-Albanian heritage, respectively. Although he was born in Manhattan, they lived at 1990 Cruger Avenue in the Van Nest section of the Bronx. It had always been believed that Philbin grew up an only child, but on the February 1, 2007 broadcast of Live with Regis and Kelly, Philbin announced that he did have a brother, Frank M. Philbin, who had died from Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma several days earlier. He said that his brother, 20 years younger than he, had asked him to not speak of him on television or in the press.^[5]

Regis attended Our Lady of Solace grammar school in the Bronx. He went on to graduate from Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx in 1949 before attending the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated in 1953 with a sociology degree. He later served in the United States Navy and went through a few behind-the-scenes jobs in television and radio before moving into the broadcasting arena.

His first talk show was The Regis Philbin Show on KGTV in San Diego, California. For budgetary reasons, he had no writing staff, leading him to begin each show with what has become his hallmark, the "host chat" segment (influenced by Jack Paar), where he engages his audience (and later on, his co-host) in discussions about his life and the day's events.

Philbin gained his first national exposure in 1967 as Joey Bishop's sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show on television (1967-1969). Bishop liked to tease Philbin, but the teasing stopped after Philbin walked off the set during a taped broadcast, and stayed away for several days.^{[citation needed]} When The Joey Bishop Show was canceled, Bishop walked off the show on the air unannounced, leaving Philbin to successfully carry the show on his own.

[edit] Talk show career

In 1964, Regis took over hosting the late night Westinghouse Tonight Show from Hollywood when Steve Allen left the show. The audience did not accept Regis as a replacement for the zany antics of Steve Allen, and the appearance only lasted a few weeks due to dismal ratings. Johnny Carson was too strong in the ratings for the same time slot. Johnny Carson was an inspiration for Regis Philbin, according to his own words (PBS, 2008, Pioneers of Television).

From 1975 - 1983, he co-hosted A.M. Los Angeles, a local morning talk show on KABC-TV, first with Sarah Purcell, then with Cyndy Garvey. Philbin's presence brought the show from the bottom of the local ratings to No. 1.

During the early 1970s Philbin also commuted each weekend to St. Louis, where he filmed "Regis Philbin’s Saturday Night in St. Louis" on KMOX-TV (now KMOV).

In 1981, Philbin and Mary Hart co-hosted a national morning variety series for NBC. The show lasted 18 weeks.^{[citation needed]}

Garvey left Los Angeles and relocated to New York City in 1983. Philbin rejoined Garvey on The Morning Show, another locally-produced morning talk show, this time on WABC-TV. At the time, the 9:00 A.M. time slot for WABC-TV suffered from low Nielsen ratings. After Garvey departed again, and Ann Abernathy briefly shared co-hosting duties, Philbin was paired with Kathie Lee Johnson (later Gifford), in June 1985, and ratings improved significantly. The show became nationally syndicated in September 1988 as Live with Regis and Kathie Lee and the success continued. The program would replace A.M. Los Angeles upon its cancellation in 1991.

In the 1980s, Philbin hosted Lifestyles with Regis Philbin on the Lifetime television network.

When Gifford departed in 2000, the show was temporarily named Live with Regis. Philbin would always have a guest co-host until an official replacement was found. Philbin won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2001 for "Outstanding Talk Show Host", his only Emmy as of 2007. Kelly Ripa was chosen as the permanent co-host in 2001, and the show was renamed Live with Regis and Kelly. Their chemistry has proven successful, as the show continues to enjoy high ratings.

Philbin set a Guinness World Record for "Most Hours on Camera" on his August 20, 2004 Live show (replacing Hugh Downs), which gave him a total of 15,188 hours on television.^[6] On the September 14, 2006 episode of Live, his record was updated to 15,662 hours.^[7] His on-air time continues to accumulate.

Philbin has a four-year contract to remain with Live with Regis and Kelly until September 2009.^[8]

[edit] Game show career

Philbin was also a game show host. He hosted The Neighbors, a short-lived game show on ABC in 1975. The premise of the show had a female contestant guessing which of her woman neighbors said gossipy things about her.^{[citation needed]} Also in 1975, he was a "field reporter" for ABC's Almost Anything Goes, an American adaptation of the British game show, It's a Knockout. Both shows suffered from poor ratings.

Philbin's more recent game show hosting duties have been much more successful. He was the original host of the U.S. version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, another ABC game show that had its roots in Britain. Millionaire was a big ratings success in its 1999 debut, when it was intended as an occasional special series. ABC aired Millionaire as a regular series with frequent episodes, but its viewership slowly declined. After Millionaire was canceled, it was retooled in 2002 as a syndicated series hosted by Meredith Vieira, which continues today. ABC brought back Millionaire in 2004 with Philbin, retitled Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire, a related series that was aired on a more limited basis.

Philbin won a Daytime Emmy for "Outstanding Game Show Host" in 2001, as host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

In November 2005, ABC announced that Philbin would host the network's revival of This Is Your Life. But in August 2006, he reported that his option on the contract for the show had lapsed and he declined to renew it.^[9]

Philbin hosted the first season of America's Got Talent, a Simon Cowell-produced amateur search show on NBC, during the summer of 2006. He flew between New York City and Los Angeles many times during that time period, in order to participate in both Live with Regis and Kelly and AGT. His difficulty with commuting between both cities was an issue, as well as his health problems he suffered a few years ago. Therefore, he was replaced in 2007 by talk show host Jerry Springer.^[10] In regards to filling Philbin's spot, Springer noted that "no one fills in for Regis. He's the best there ever was at this so you pay homage to him."^[11]

However, Philbin's affiliation with RTL started to develop. In late 2007, he was announced by CBS to host a revival of the Password franchise (which RTL owns) starting June 2008.^[12]

[edit] Other television appearances

[edit] Host

Philbin hosted the Miss America pageant with Kathie Lee Gifford from 1991 - 1995, and solo in 1996.^[13] He has also co-hosted televised parades from the Walt Disney World Resort, such as the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade with Gifford (much of the 1990s), Kelly Ripa (2002—), and Ryan Seacrest (2005—), and the Walt Disney World Easter Parade with Joan Lunden (1990s).

On December 31, 2004, Philbin filled in for Dick Clark on ABC's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, as Clark was recovering from a minor stroke. Philbin (who is a year and a half younger than Clark), lightheartedly claimed to have interrupted his previously planned vacation to perform to do the show. During CNN's New Year's Eve special, hosted by Anderson Cooper, and broadcast on both CNN and CNN International, revelers in Times Square told CNN reporter Jason Carroll that Philbin was "all right" filling in for Clark, though they had Cooper and Carroll.^[14]

The following year, Philbin hosted FOX's New Year's Eve Live special with Jillian Barberie, which put him in direct competition with Dick Clark (who co-hosted with Ryan Seacrest). Later that evening, after hosting FOX's New Year's Eve special, he appeared on Fox News Channel's New Year's Eve special, hosted by FNC anchors Mike Jerrick and Juliet Huddy, and shared his thoughts about hosting the special on Fox.

Philbin was also the host of the finale of The Apprentice 2 on December 16, 2004.

Philbin hosted the official 30-minute red carpet arrivals at the 80th Academy Awards ceremony on February 24, 2008.

[edit] Guest appearances

Philbin makes regular guest appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman where he gives David Letterman no great help in controlling the show--being simultaneously his usual urbane self and the "guest from hell" (being a fellow TV host)--though they show a heartfelt respect for each other.^[15] He also appears on other late night talk shows, such as Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

Philbin has appeared on the sitcom Mad About You.

Perhaps to bring good luck, some premiering talk shows, such as The View and The Tony Danza Show, had signed Philbin to be their first guest.

Philbin was a celebrity guest at WrestleMania VII in Los Angeles in 1991, commentating on the main event between Hulk Hogan and Sgt. Slaughter.

On December 25, 2000, Philbin appeared as a panelist on the 1st season championship game of the ESPN game show 2 Minute Drill.

On February 28, 2004, Philbin also guest starred in a Lilo and Stitch episode called Drowsy.

On May 15, 2006, Philbin appeared as a special guest alongside Howie Mandel for a 2-hour special episode of Deal or No Deal on NBC.

Philbin has appeared three times on Celebrity Jeopardy!, the most appearances for any competing celebrity on the game show Jeopardy!. He played for Cardinal Hayes High School, his alma mater. In November 2006, he won his competition and earned $50,000 for the school.

Philbin has appeared as a contestant on Celebrity Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader in November 2007. He played for his alma mater, Cardinal Hayes High School. He dropped out of the game and went home with $175,000 for Cardinal Hayes High School.

[edit] Written and musical works

In addition to being a television personality, Philbin is also an author and singer, drawing on the success of his talk show.

Philbin's two autobiographies (with co-author Bill Zehme), I'm Only One Man! (1995) and Who Wants To Be Me? (2000), are written in the conversational or anecdotal style of his host chats. The former book follows a year (1994-1995) in his life recalling, among other things, his personal life, his memories with celebrities, and work on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. The latter book is a response to the success of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and deals with more antics about the show and his life.

As a singer, Philbin can best be described as a crooner in the style of his favorite singers: Dean Martin, Perry Como, and Frank Sinatra. He tested the musical waters with his 1968 pop vocal release, It's Time For Regis! After receiving poor reviews, Philbin was reluctant to record another studio album, but he occasionally sang on Live, usually duetting with another person. After 36 years, he recorded When You're Smiling (2004), a more mature-sounding pop standards album. The Regis Philbin Christmas Album was released September 2005 according to Amazon.com but was made widely available that November in time for the holiday season. This album features several duets, with close friend Donald Trump ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"), Steve Tyrell ("Marshmallow World"), and wife Joy ("Baby It's Cold Outside" and "Winter Wonderland"). A special edition of the album was produced with tracks recorded with the Notre Dame Glee Club.^[16] He is said to enjoy the music recording experience more now than on his first recording. Philbin is signed on to Hollywood Records.

[edit] Personal life

Philbin has been married twice and has four children. He was married to Kay Faylan from 1955 - 1968, and to interior decorator Joy Senese in 1970, to whom he remains married. His children are Amy, Daniel (both with Kay), Joanna, and Jennifer (J.J.) (both with Joy). Joy Philbin occasionally co-hosts with Philbin. On Live, he often mentions Joy, and to a lesser degree, Joanna, J.J. and Danny. During the September 11, 2001 attacks, Philbin noted on air that he was very worried about Danny who worked at The Pentagon and is wheelchair bound. Danny emerged from the terrorist attack safe, and since the tragedy Regis has joined Danny at Walter Reed Hospital to visit injured troops. In August 2007, Regis and Joy Philbin announced that their daughter J.J. and her husband, Michael, were expecting their first child in February 2008. William Xavier Schur was born on February 18, 2008. He weighed 6 lbs. 5 oz, and was 19 inches in length. William Xavier is named after Regis, Xavier being his confirmation name.

Philbin spends his time between his home in Greenwich, Connecticut and his apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan near the WABC-TV studios. Radio personality Howard Stern is a neighbor of his in the Millennium Tower Building located at 101 W 67th Street. He also has a home in Charlestown, Rhode Island.^{[citation needed]}

He had a strong bond to his family cat Ashley, who was blind in his final years.^[17]

Philbin follows the professional sports world extensively; baseball as well as football. He is an avid fan of the New York Yankees and a proud supporter of his alma mater, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish – so proud, in fact, that Philbin narrated the two audio CDs that accompanied Joe Garner's book, Echoes of Notre Dame Football: Great and Memorable Moments of the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame football coaches, such as Charlie Weis, Tyrone Willingham and Lou Holtz have appeared on Live.

He is known to have trouble handling new technology. He does not own a cell phone or use computers, and is frequently confused when operating electronics (such as remote controls and DVD players). It is often noted, however, that Philbin does not completely reject the technology; he simply has Joy make calls and send e-mails for him.^[18]

On March 12, 2007, Philbin announced that he would undergo triple bypass surgery later that week, as he had experienced chest pains and shortness of breath the previous two weeks and doctors found plaque in his arteries.^[19] He said, "Darn it, I don't want to do it. Nobody wants to do it, I guess. But they tell me. And I had a second opinion, I did all those things [tests for heart disease], and so they're [the doctors] are all in agreement that it should be the bypass. And so that's what I'm going to do."^[20] In addition, Philbin talked with David Letterman, for whom Philbin substituted for on the Late Show with David Letterman during Letterman's own quintuple bypass surgery.^[19] Philbin's heart surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center on March 14 was successful and he returned to the show on April 26. He previously had an angioplasty in 1993.^[21]

[edit] Regis Philbin in popular culture

[edit] Personal

Philbin has a distinctive avuncular voice with a strong New York accent that is often imitated by others, usually in parodies involving him. Notable impersonators include Ben Affleck, Frank Caliendo, Dana Carvey, Darrell Hammond, Alex Borstein, Tom Hanks, Conan O'Brien, Mike O'Meara, Eric McCormack and even Kelly Ripa. Carvey and Hammond performed their impressions of him on Saturday Night Live. Fans voted for Hammond and Carvey to receive the "Best Regis" award during Live with Regis and Kelly's "Relly Awards."

He was cast as car salesman Handsome Hal on Hope & Faith mainly because of his voice and mannerisms.

He was chosen as the voice of a minor female character in Shrek the Third: Mabel, the sister of the Ugly Stepsister (played by Larry King).

In the Animaniacs episode "Pigeon on a Roof" (a Goodfeathers musical parody of Fiddler on the Roof), a key plot element involves toppling a statue of Martin Scorsese -- and replacing it with one of Philbin.

Also, several Hey Arnold! episodes would feature a talk show that parodied Regis and Kathie Lee. The male host, in addition, would always get extremely excited in a parody of Philbin.

He is mentioned in Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Live Out Loud."

[edit] Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

During the successful first run of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Philbin popularized the monochromatic look in men's formalwear that emphasizes color rather than pattern in ties and dress shirts. His "look" was basically a suit, shirt and tie coordinated in solid, slightly varying shades of the same, usually dark or muted, color.^[15] A Van Heusen clothing line based on this look, called Regis, was short-lived.^[22]

When Philbin hosted Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, he used the phrase "Is that your final answer?" whenever he had to verify a contestant's answer. Adopted from Chris Tarrant, this became Philbin's catch phrase during his tenure with the show.

[edit] 2007 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book

In October 2007, Philbin was featured in the 100th anniversary issue of the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. He was a host of the Classical Superstars Fantasy Concert, which included piano virtuoso Lola Astanova with Russia's Kirov Orchestra led by conductor Valery Gergiev. The super concert for 500 guests was offered for sale at $1.6 million.^[23]

[edit] Awards and recognition

• May 2001: Daytime Emmy Award winner: Outstanding Game Show Host, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
• May 2001: Daytime Emmy Award winner: Outstanding Talk Show Host, Live with Regis (tie with Rosie O'Donnell)
• 2001: TV Guide Personality of the Year
• January 1, 2002: Grand Marshal of Tournament of Roses Parade
• February 2003: Walter Camp's "Distinguished American Award" winner
• April 10, 2003: Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
• August 20, 2004: Sets Guinness World Record for "Most Hours on Camera"--15,188 hours
• July 2005: PR.com "Best Celebrity Nickname" winner^[24]
• April 2006: Daytime Emmy Award winner: Outstanding Special Class Special, 2005 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade (co-host with Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest)
• April 2006: Inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Television Hall of Fame^[25]
• September 2006: Guinness World Record updated to 15,662 hours

[edit] Television work

• That Regis Philbin Show (1964-1965)
• The Joey Bishop Show (1967-1969)
• The People's Lawyer (1975)
• The Neighbors (1975-1976)
• A.M. Los Angeles (host from 1975-1983)
• Almost Anything Goes (co-host in 1976)
• SST: Death Flight (1977)
• Mad Bull (1977)
• Mirror, Mirror (1979)
• Steve Martin: Comedy Is Not Pretty (1980)
• Password Plus (guest in 1981)
• The Morning Show (1983-1988)
• California Girls (1985)
• Ryan's Hope (cast member from 1987-1988)
• WrestleMania VII (April24,1991)
• Live with Regis and Kathie Lee (1988-2000)
• Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1996)
• Mother Goose: A Rappin' and Rhymin' Special (1997) (voice)
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (host from 1999-2002)
• 2 Minute Drill (panelist on December 25, 2000)
• Live with Regis (2000-2001)
• Live with Regis and Kelly (2001-present)
• Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire (2004) (limited run of 12 episodes)
• Lilo & Stitch: The Series (2004) (Guest Voice in episode: "Drowsy")
• This Is Your Life (2006) (unsold pilot)
• America's Got Talent (host in 2006)
• Deal or No Deal (guest on May 15, 2006)
• Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader (Guest on 1Nov2007)
• Million Dollar Password (2008-)

[edit] Filmography

• Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972)
• Sextette (1978)
• The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978)
• The Man Who Loved Women (1983)
• Malibu Express (1985)
• Funny About Love (1990)
• Night and the City (1992)
• The Emperor's New Clothes (1993)
• Open Season (1995)
• Torrance Rises (1999) (short subject)
• Dudley Do-Right (1999)
• Little Nicky (2000)
• See How They Run (2001) (documentary)
• Pinocchio (2002) (voice in English version)
• People I Know (2002)
• Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
• The Breakup Artist (2004)
• Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005)
• Little Miss Sunshine (2006) (voice only)
• Shrek the Third (2007) (voice)

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

• 1968: It's Time for Regis!
• 2004: When You're Smiling
• 2005: The Regis Philbin Christmas Album (US: #74 UK: 163 [US Sales: 126,000])

[edit] Singles

• 2005: Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (feat. Donald Trump) "Rudolph, you're hired! Blitzen, you're fired!"
• 2005: Frosty the Snowman

[edit] Books

• (Foreword by Regis Philbin) The Spirit of Notre Dame: Legends, Traditions, and Inspiration from One of America's Most Beloved Universities by Jim Langford and Jeremy Langford, Doubleday, 2005. ISBN 978-0-385-52327-1

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website promoting Regis's albums
• Regis Philbin at the Internet Movie Database
• "Regis Philbin Avenue" at Forgotten NY
• Official website for Live with Regis and Kelly
• Regis appears on Michael Eisner's talkshow on CNBC

Preceded by Gary Collins and Phyllis George	Miss America Pageant host 1991-1996 (co-host with Kathie Lee Gifford from 1991-1995)	Succeeded by Eva LaRue and John Callahan
Preceded by First Host	Host, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US version) 1999-2002	Succeeded by Meredith Vieira
Preceded by Bob Barker and Tom Bergeron	Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host 2001	Succeeded by Bob Barker
Preceded by Bert Convy (Super Password)	Host, Password franchise (Million Dollar Password) 2008-	Succeeded by Incumbent

v • d • e America's Got Talent Seasons 1 · 2 · 3 Hosts Jerry Springer · Regis Philbin Judges David Hasselhoff · Piers Morgan · Sharon Osbourne · Brandy Winners Bianca Ryan · Terry Fator Runners-up Taylor Ware · Cas Haley Other alumni Celtic Spring · The Passing Zone · Rappin' Granny · At Last · David and Dania: Quick Change · Butterscotch · Julienne Irwin Other Got Talent series · Britain's Got Talent · Australia's Got Talent Host and judges names shown in italics are no longer a part of the show.

Persondata
NAME	Philbin, Regis Francis Xavier
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Television personality, talk show host, game show host
DATE OF BIRTH	August 25, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH	New York City, New York, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH