Regis Philbin: The Bronx’s very own
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Regis Philbin, better known
as the hardest working man in
show business and a man who
also holds the world record for
most hours on TV, has passed
away at the age of 88 last Friday.
Philbin started his life
as an everyday kid from the
Bronx on Tuesday, August 25,
1931. His prolifi c personality
was put on display as the host
of ABC’s morning show, “Regis
and Kelly” along with the
thrilling quiz program “Who
Wants To Be A Millionaire” in
addition to many more broadcast
appearances.
He grew up in northwest
Morris Park by Cruger and
Bronxdale Avenues, an intersection
that was co-named for
the television sensation of the
past two centuries.
Philbin was even quoted
referencing the Bronx while
reminiscing on the start of his
career one time.
“You know, I never knew if
I had any talent when I started
in this business. My fi rst job
was being a page at ‘The Tonight
Show.’ I saw Jack Paar
come out one night and sit
on the edge of his desk and
talk about what he’d done the
night before. I thought, ‘I can
do that!’ I used to do that on
a street corner in the Bronx
with all my buddies.”
Before he played tennis
and earned a sociology degree
from the University of Notre
Dame in the early 1950s, his
Catholic school tenure began
on the Grand Concourse at
Cardinal Hayes High School
in the south Bronx in the class
of 1949.
Philbin had such pride in
his alma mater that he covered
renovation costs for the Cardinal
Hayes auditorium in the
late 1990s, a venue now named
after the iconic personality,
according to Bronx Borough
Historian, Lloyd Ultan.
It was also around that
time when Philbin was one of
the inaugural inductees to the
Bronx Walk of Fame in 1997 —
his plaque placed right next to
Cardinal Hayes on the Grand
Concourse at E. 153rd Street.
Philbin even attended the
formal unveiling at the Bronx
Ball that year, according to the
Bronx Tourism Council.
Locally, Philbin’s memory
was honored by Bronx Borough
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,6 JULY 31-AUGUST 6, 2020 BTR
President Ruben Diaz Jr.
as one of the borough’s most
notable success stories.
“Today we mourn the loss
of Bronxite Regis Philbin. Regis
may have been one of the
most recognizable media personalities
of our time, but he
never forgot his roots and was
in the fi rst class of inductees
honored on the Bronx Walk
of Fame in 1997,” said Diaz on
Twitter.
Governor Andrew Cuomo,
too, made note of Philbin’s
Bronx roots.
“New York lost a TV legend
today. Bronx born and raised,
Regis Philbin greeted us for
years with our morning coffee
and at night after dinner.
His humor and enthusiasm
touched millions of Americans.
My heart goes out to Joy
and his loved ones.”
Philbin was also remembered
fondly throughout the
media world by the many
friends he had made in the
business.
“REGIS. There will never
be another,” said his former
cohost Kathie Lee Gifford.
After Philbin’s passing, his
family released a statement expressing
gratitude for all the
time they had spent together.
“His family and friends are
forever grateful for the time
we got to spend with him –
for his warmth, his legendary
sense of humor, and his singular
ability to make every day
into something worth talking
about,” the statement said.
“We thank his fans and admirers
for their incredible support
over his 60-year career and
ask for privacy as we mourn
his loss.”
FILE PHOTO: Television host Regis Philbin blows a kiss goodbye during his
fi nal show of “Live With Regis and Kelly” in New York, November 18, 2011.
After nearly three decades hosting the show that became “Live With Regis
and Kelly”, Philbin stepped down Friday with a few well wishes to his
colleagues and fans. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo