Regis Philbin

Regis Philbin
Philbin in 2009
Born(1931-08-25)August 25, 1931
New York City, U.S.
DiedJuly 25, 2020(2020-07-25) (aged 88)
Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S.
Burial placeCedar Grove Cemetery,
Notre Dame, Indiana, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Notre Dame (BA)
Occupations
  • Television presenter
  • talk show host
  • game show host
  • actor
  • singer
Years active1955–2020
Notable credits
Spouses
Catherine Faylen
​
​
(m. 1955; div. 1968)​
Joy Senese
​
(m. 1970)​
Children4, including J. J. Philbin
Military career
BranchUnited States Navy
Years of service1953–1955
RankLieutenant (junior grade)
UnitNavy Supply Corps

Regis Francis Xavier Philbin[1][2][3] (/ˈriːdʒɪs ˈfɪlbɪn/ REE-jis; August 25, 1931 – July 25, 2020)[4][5][6] was an American television presenter, talk show host, game show host, comedian, actor, and singer. Once called "the hardest-working man in show business",[7] he held the Guinness World Record for the most hours spent on US television (surpassing previous record holder Hugh Downs, who died 24 days before Philbin).[8]

After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, Philbin served in the US Navy and got his television start serving as a page for The Tonight Show in the 1950s. He got his first network television exposure in 1967 as Joey Bishop's sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show. He is most widely known as the co-host of the New York City–based nationally syndicated talk show Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee, starting in 1988, which became Live! with Regis and Kelly in 2001, and continued as Live! with Kelly after Philbin's departure in 2011.[9] He is also well known as the original host of the American version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, the most-watched prime-time series of the 1999–2000 US television season.[10]

Philbin also hosted Million Dollar Password[11] and the first season of America's Got Talent.[12]

  1. ^ "Regis Philbin". CityFile New York. Archived from the original on October 31, 2011.
  2. ^ "Regis Philbin at chacha.com". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  3. ^ AACL: Albanian American Civic League (November 13, 2009). "Kara DioGuardi & Regis Philbin". YouTube.
  4. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "The grave of Regis Philbin". YouTube. July 12, 2021.
  5. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Television Legend Regis Philbin Grave - Wrong Date of Death?". YouTube. August 4, 2021.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference People death was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Best of Connecticut 2006: People & Entertainment". Connecticut Magazine. September 26, 2006. Archived from the original on September 15, 2007. Retrieved June 1, 2007.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference record was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Overview: Live! With Regis & Kelly". About.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  10. ^ "Top TV Shows For 1999-2000 Season". Variety. August 6, 2000. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  11. ^ "Regis Philbin: Million Dollar Password on CBS". CBS. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009.
  12. ^ "Jerry Springer Replacing Regis Philbin as 'America's Got Talent' Host".