Regis Philbin

Regis Philbin guest stars on Hot in Cleveland in the role of Pierre-Elka's (Betty White) flamboyant hairdresser and on-again, off-again boyfriend.

Regis Philbin was born on August 25th, 1931 in New York City, and has been given the nickname, "the hardest working man in show business." He graduated from Notre Dame with a sociology degree in 1953, and following graduation served in the navy.

After successful completion of military service, Philbin began his television career in Hollywood. His natural personality and charisma landed him reporting jobs in radio and television, and he was quickly hired by San Diegos KGTV to host The Regis Philbin Show. As host of his own talk show, Philbin honed his talents and revolutionized the concept of talk show television with his own proprietary blend of unique quips, side notes, and audience interaction.

His big national break came when Philbin was tapped to serve as a cohort to Joey Bishop on The Joey Bishop Show. He then returned to daytime television as the host of A.M. Los Angeles, and transformed the struggling morning program into top-rated show.

A move east and several co-hosts later, and Philbin found himself alongside Kathie Lee Johnson (later Gifford) for New York's The Morning Show. A ratings success, the show was nationally syndicated in 1988 and renamed Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. When Gifford departed in 2000, Kelly Ripa was tapped as Gifford's permanent replacement, and the show was renamed Live! With Regis and Kelly. In addition to his hosting duties on Live! Regis hosted ABC's massively successful Who Wants To Be a Millionaire.

Philbin tearfully retired from Live! in 2011, but not before logging a Guinness world record breaking 16,343 hours on television. His other on screen credits include guest roles on Seinfeld, Spin City, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and numerous memorable late night appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

Philbin is married to Joy Philbin, and currently splits his time between homes in Greenwich, Connecticut, and New York City.

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