Regis Philbin

Regis Philbin (born August 25, 1931, New York City, New York, U.S.—died July 24, 2020, Greenwich, Connecticut) was an American television personality who hosted a number of popular programs, most notably the talk show Live! With Regis and Kelly (1988–2011; originally called Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee) and the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1999–2002, 2009).

While a number of sources give Philbin’s birth date as 1931, some use 1933 or 1934. He grew up in the Bronx and was an avid weight lifter as a teenager. He later boxed while attending the University of Notre Dame, from which he graduated in 1953 with a degree in sociology. After a short stint with the U.S. Navy, Philbin settled in Los Angeles and found work in the television industry as a stagehand and later as a news writer. He soon moved in front of the camera and in 1961 began hosting The Regis Philbin Show, a late-night program that was nationally syndicated during the 1964–65 season as That Regis Philbin Show. After appearing as an announcer and sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show (1967–69), Philbin helmed a series of programs, including A.M. Los Angeles (1975–81).

In 1983 Philbin became host of New York City’s The Morning Show. Ratings of the struggling show began to climb, and, with the addition of Kathie Lee Gifford in 1985, Morning became a huge success. Much of its popularity centred on the on-air chemistry between Philbin and Gifford. The duo’s unscripted banter during the opening chat sequence was a highlight of the show, and Philbin became noted for his comical complaining and crankiness. In 1988 the program was nationally syndicated as Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee. Focusing on celebrity interviews and home-oriented advice, Live! attracted one of the fastest-growing American talk-show audiences in the early 1990s. After Gifford left the program in July 2000, Philbin continued to host the popular morning talk show. It was briefly called Live! With Regis until Kelly Ripa was named cohost in 2001; the show was then renamed Live! With Regis and Kelly. In November 2011 Philbin retired from the program.

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A confessed workaholic, Philbin also appeared in movies and on television sitcoms. In 1999 he began hosting the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. With his unabashed enthusiasm and Everyman quality, Philbin helped make the show a phenomenon in the United States and turned “Is that your final answer?” into a national catchphrase. Based on the British program of the same name, Millionaire dominated ratings and made ABC the most-watched network on television. After leaving Millionaire in 2002, Philbin in 2008 became host of the game show Million Dollar Password, which was canceled the next year. In August 2009 he hosted 11 episodes of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to mark the show’s 10th anniversary. He also hosted the sports-themed panel show Crowd Goes Wild (2013–14).

Philbin wrote the memoirs I’m Only One Man! (1995; with Bill Zehme), Who Wants to Be Me? (2000; with Zehme), and How I Got This Way (2011). In 2004 Guinness World Records recognized Philbin as having spent the “most hours on camera.” Philbin won several Daytime Emmy Awards, including, in 2008, the award for lifetime achievement.