Regis Philbin

Regis Philbin: Biography in Details

Who was Regis Philbin?

Regis Philbin was an American media personality, actor, and singer. He was well known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s.

Additionally, he served in the Navy and got his television start serving as a page for the Tonight Show in the 1950s.

Likewise, Regis also gained his first network TV exposure in 1967 as Joey Bishop’s sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show. He was also known as the host of the New York City-based nationally syndicated talk show Live! with Regis and Kelly.

What caused Regis Philbin’s death?

This actor passed away on 25 July 2020, in Greenwich, Connecticut. Regis Philbin was 88 years old and the reason for the death was heart disease.

Regis Philbin: Age, Parents, Ethnicity

Regis Philbin was born in The Bronx, New York, the United States on August 25, 1931, to parents Frank Philbin (father) and Filomena Boscia (mother).

His father used to serve in the U.S. Marines. He has a sibling, Frank M. Philbin, who expired in the year 2007 due to non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He belongs to American nationality and mixed (Italian-Albanian) ethnicity. His birth sign is Virgo.

Education

Talking about his education, Regis Philbin attended Our Lady of Solace grammar school in the Bronx and graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx in 1949. Then, he attended the University of Notre Dame, from which he graduated in 1953 with a sociology degree.

Regis Philbin: Professional life, Career

On talking about his profession, Regis Philbin was a page at The Tonight Show in the 1950s. Then, he wrote for the Los Angeles talk show host Tom Duggan and nervously filled in one night when the hard-drinking Duggan didn’t show up.

Whereas, he was also an announcer on The Tonight Show in 1962. Unfortunately, in 1957, he left his job as an assistant news editor to Baxter Ward at KCOP, Los Angeles to make his fortune in New York. His replacement at KCOP was George Van Valkenburg.

In fact, his first talk show was The Regis Philbin Show on KOGO-TV (now KGTV) in San Diego. In 1964, Westinghouse Broadcasting picked up Philbin’s talk show for national syndication in the late-night time slot (replacing Steve Allen). Similarly, he also gained his first network TV exposure in 1967 as Joey Bishop’s sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show on television (1967–1969).

In 1964, he took over the show that replaced The Steve Allen Show when Steve Allen left the show. According to him, Carson was his inspiration (PBS, 2008, Pioneers of Television).

Besides that, from 1975 to 1981, he also co-hosted A.M. Los Angeles, a local morning talk show on KABC-TV, first along with Sarah Purcell (1975 to 1978), then with Cyndy Garvey (1978 to 1981).

Likewise, he also presence brought the show from the bottom of the local ratings to No. 1. Whereas, he was also a game show host. In fact, he also hosted The Neighbors, a short-lived game show on ABC from late 1975 to early 1976. Both shows suffered from poor ratings.

Additionally, Regis Philbin wrote his memoirs, I’m Only One Man, in 1995, and he has also co-authored Entertaining with Regis and Kathie Lee and Cooking with Regis and Kathie Lee.

Regis Philbin and Gifford also co-hosted The Miss America Pageant and collaborated on musical concert acts to sold-out crowds; Philbin also had a solo nightclub act.

Achievements and Awards

In talking about his lifetime achievements and awards, he was nominated ACE Award for Magazine Series for Regis Philbin’s Healthstyles (1983), Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment for Live with Regis and Kathie Lee (1988), Outstanding Special Class Special for Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade (2008).

Similarly, Regis Philbin was nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1999), and Best Host of a Game Show for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1999).

Likewise, he was nominated for the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Daytime TV Host for Live with Regis and Kathie Lee (1988), Favorite Talk Show Host, and Favorite Daytime Talk Show Host.

Moreover, he won the Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment for Live with Regis and Kathie Lee (1988), and he won the Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Special Class Special for Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade (2007).

Then, he won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1999).

How much was the net worth of Regis Philbin?

On talking about his salary and net worth, his salary was around $20 million per annum. Additionally, his net worth was around $150 million as of 2019.

According to the 2020 reports, his net worth was $180 million.

Regis Philbin: Rumors, Controversy/Scandal

There was a rumor that Regis Philbin was in a secret relationship with Kelly Ripa. Currently, he was far from rumors and controversies.

Body Measurements: Height, Weight

On talking about his body measurements, Regis Philbin had a height of 5 feet 7 inches. Additionally, he weighed 71 kg. His hair color was grey and his eye color was dark brown.

Social Media

Regis Philbin had over 33.2K followers on Twitter. He doesn’t have an official account on Facebook and Instagram.

Also, read Ricci Guarnaccio, John Barrowman, and Jacoby Shaddix.

Regis Philbin's Birthday Dates