Actors - Regis Philbin

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	Actors - Regis Philbin

Regis Francis Xavier Philbin (born August 25, 1931), is an experienced American talk show host whose career has included stints as a game show host and all-purpose television personality. Appearing on television since at least the 1960s, and confirmed by his Guinness World Record, he is consistently called "the hardest working man in show business." Regis' nicknames include Reege or Rege, and Big Daddy .

Early life and career

Philbin was named after his father's alma mater Regis High School, a Manhattan Jesuit private school. His father was Irish and his mother Arbëreshë. Philbin grew up as an only child in the Van Nest/Morris Park section of the Bronx. He attended The University of Notre Dame, living in the infamous Zahm House, until graduating in 1953 with a degree in sociology. He later served in the Navy and went through a few behind-the-scenes jobs in television and radio before moving into broadcasting.

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, where he engages his audience (and later on, his cohost) in discussions about his life and the events of the day.

Philbin gained his first national exposure in 1967 as Joey Bishop's sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show (1967-1969). Bishop liked to tease Philbin, but the teasing stopped after Philbin walked off the set during a live broadcast, and stayed away for several days.

Talk show success

Philbin continued in several hosting and other television roles; by the late 1970s Philbin was a fixture on morning television in Los Angeles. From 1975 to 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 number one.

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, on WABC-TV. At the time, the 9:00am time slot for WABC suffered from low 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. Ironically, Regis and Kathie Lee would replace A.M. Los Angeles when the latter was cancelled in 1991.

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

When Gifford departed in 2000, the show was named Live with Regis. Philbin would always have a guest co-host until an official replacement was found. Philbin won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host, in 2001; as of 2006 his only such award.

When Kelly Ripa was chosen as the permanent co-host in 2001, the show was renamed Live with Regis and Kelly. Philbin's and Ripa's chemistry has been proven successful, as the show continues today and enjoys high ratings.

Philbin set a Guinness World Record on his August 20 2004 show, which gave him a total of 15,188 hours on television. The previous record holder for Most Hours on Camera was Hugh Downs.

The National Enquirer has published stories that fuel rumors of feuds between Philbin and Ripa, often casting Ripa as an aggressor of Philbin's displeasure. The tabloid has a bias in favor of Philbin in these stories, as they put him at odds with Ripa, co-executive producer Michael Gelman, and the upper management of The Walt Disney Company. The Enquirer even has a "Keep Regis" campaign purported to help him. After a first round of rumors in 2002, Philbin told Larry King on Larry King Live, "I think Kelly is terrific. I get along with her fine. But you know, the gossip thing is so big these days. And it happens, I guess, to every show business duo, Martin and Lewis, to go back a long time." In 2005, a new round of rumors surfaced, including rumors that Ripa's appearance and personality are affecting Live and her relationship with Philbin. One rumor in July 2005, stated that Philbin was fired because he had asked to be let out of his contract. In actuality, when his contract ran out in September, he signed a new contract immediately. That new four-year contract would allow for him to have one day off per week (Fridays) and an option to leave Live after two years. The contract also stipulates that Philbin give Disney one year's notice before he decides to quit.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Regis Philbin ]

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Actors - Regis Philbin

Early life and career

Talk show success

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