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, 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.

[13] It was long believed that he was an only child, but he announced on Live with Regis and Kelly in February 2007 that he had a brother named Frank (March 1, 1951 – January 27, 2007), who had died from non-Hodgkin lymphoma several days earlier.

[15] He later served in the US Navy as a supply officer Lieutenant Junior Grade[20] and then went through a few behind-the-scenes jobs in television and radio before moving into broadcasting.

For budget reasons, he had no writing staff, so he began each show with what became his hallmark, the "host chat" segment influenced by Jack Paar, where he engaged his audience (and later his co-host) in discussions about his life and the day's events.

[25] In 1964, Westinghouse Broadcasting picked up Philbin's talk show for national syndication in the late night time slot (replacing Steve Allen).

[28] The audience did not accept Philbin as a replacement for Allen's zany antics and the appearance lasted slightly more than four months because of dismal ratings, especially compared to Johnny Carson in the same time slot.

[32] A 1978 book called The Great 1960s Quiz, authored by Dan Carlinsky (published by Harper & Row), asked: "Who was Regis Philbin?"

From 1975 to 1981, he co-hosted A.M. Los Angeles, a local morning talk show on KABC-TV,[34] where Philbin was already working reviewing movies for newscasts on the station.

After Garvey left Los Angeles in 1982 and moved to New York City,[34] Philbin rejoined her on The Morning Show,[34] on WABC-TV starting on April 4, 1983.

After Garvey left 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.

[46] When Millionaire was honored on GSN's Gameshow Hall of Fame special, Philbin's tenure as the show's host was praised.

He flew between New York City and Los Angeles during that time period to participate in both Live with Regis and Kelly and AGT.

Because of his difficulty with commuting cross country and his health problems, he was replaced in 2007 by talk show host Jerry Springer.

Philbin (who was a year and a half younger than Clark) lightheartedly claimed to have interrupted his previously planned vacation to do the show.

[52] The following year, Philbin hosted a competing special for Fox, replacing Clark's new co-host and eventual successor Ryan Seacrest.

[53] Philbin was also the host of The Apprentice 2 finale on December 16, 2004,[54] and the official 30-minute red carpet arrivals at the 80th Academy Awards ceremony on February 24, 2008.

[59] In 1991, Philbin was a celebrity guest at WrestleMania VII in Los Angeles, commenting on the main event between Hulk Hogan and Sgt.

[77] Philbin was a crooner in the styles of his favorite singers: Dean Martin, Perry Como, and Frank Sinatra.

[79] It features several duets, with friend Donald Trump ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"), Steve Tyrell ("Marshmallow World"), and wife Joy ("Baby, It's Cold Outside" and "Winter Wonderland").

[86] He was an avid fan of the New York Yankees and a proud supporter of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the sports teams of his alma mater.

[87] He narrated the two audio CDs that accompanied Joe Garner's book Echoes of Notre Dame Football: Great and Memorable Moments of the Fighting Irish, and he was unwilling to waver even when St. John's basketball coach Steve Lavin asked Regis to trade his allegiance.

[88] After graduating from Notre Dame in 1953, he returned to campus often for football games, concerts, pep rallies, banquets, and other events, and donated $2.75 million to the university to build the Philbin Studio Theatre for performance arts productions.

Notre Dame football coaches such as Charlie Weis, Tyrone Willingham, and Lou Holtz have appeared on Live.

[91] In March 1984, Philbin opened a Ford dealership in Gilbert, Arizona, as a side investment during his career in television.

[99] Philbin died from a heart attack due to coronary artery disease at a hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut, on July 25, 2020 at the age of 88.

[6][100][101][102] His funeral was held at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and he was buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery,[103] both on the campus of his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame.

During the successful first run of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Philbin popularized the monochromatic look in men's formal wear that emphasizes color rather than pattern in ties and dress shirts.

[110] In August 2009, Philbin returned to host a two-week miniseries of new Millionaire episodes celebrating the American primetime show's 10th anniversary.

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.