Philip John Donahue was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 21, 1935. Phil was the son of Irish Catholic parents. In 1953, Donahue graduated from St. Edwards High School. He then went on to a all-boys college prep school before attending the University of Notre Dame. In 1957, he received a B.B. A. from the university.  One year later he married his first wife, Marge Cooney, who he divorced in 1975. Cooney and Donahue had five children. In 1980, he married his current wife, Marlo Thomas.

Phil Donahue’s career began in 1957 at KYW radio and television in Cleveland. He became an announcer when the regular announcer did not show up. Phil went on to become the he became the program director for WABJ radio in Adrian, Michigan.

Phil then took a job as a stringer for The CBS Evening News, in Dayton, Ohio. While in Dayton he became an anchor of the morning newscast and had a talk show on WHIO radio. On his radio show he interviewed Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.

On November 6, 1967, Donahue left the WHIO stations and started his TV talk show, The Phil Donahue Show. When it first started the show aired only aired on a handful of stations. In January 1970, The Phil Donahue Show was aired in nationwide syndication.

The show ran for a total of 29 years with 26 of them in syndication. To this day, it is the longest running talk show in syndication. Although I am pretty sure Oprah may over take him. While doing the show, Phil also contributed to The Today Show, on NBC and from 91 to 94, he co-hosted Pozner/Donahue, on CNBC.

In July 2002, Phil returned to television to host Donahue on MSNBC. The show lasted less than a year before it was canceled. Phil took his fame and stared producing movies. In 2007, he was the executive producer of Body of War. The film tells the story of a disabled Iraq War veteran and his turbulent postwar adjustments.

Phil has won 19 Emmy Awards and many other broadcasting awards.