Regis Philbin

Philbin was born in the Manhattan borough of New York City on August 25, 1931. His father, Francis "Frank" Philbin, was a US Marine of Irish descent who served in the Pacific. His mother, Filomena ("Florence"; née Boscia), was a member of an Albanian-Italian immigrant family from Greci. Philbin had a Catholic upbringing. He was supposedly named "Regis" because his father wanted him to attend his alma mater, the prestigious Regis High School. 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. Philbin said his brother had asked not to be mentioned on television or in the press while still alive to protect his privacy. Philbin was raised in the Van Nest neighborhood of the Bronx. He attended Our Lady of Solace grammar school and graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Notre Dame, where he lived in Fisher Hall, and graduated in 1953 with a degree in sociology. He later served in the US Navy as a supply officer Lieutenant Junior Grade and then went through a few behind-the-scenes jobs in television and radio before moving into broadcasting.