• Phil Donahue is a film producer, writer and media personality, best known for his talk show "The Phil Donahue Show"
• His net worth is estimated at $25 million, mainly through his success in television
• He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and attended St. Edward High School and University of Notre Dame
• He won 20 Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award and is an inductee to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame
• He is married to actress Marlo Thomas, and was previously married to Margaret Cooney from 1958 to 1975



Known for movies

Short Info

Net Worth$23.5 Million
Date Of BirthDecember 21, 1935
SpouseMarlo Thomas, Marge Cooney
MarkMostly wears glasses with his white hair.
FactRelease of the book, "That Girl and Phil: An Insider Tells What Life is Really Like in the Marlo Thomas/Phil Donahue Household" by Desmond Atholl and Michael Cherkinian. [1990]


Who is Phil Donahue?

Phillip John Donahue was born on 21 December 1935, in Cleveland, Ohio USA, and is a film producer, writer and media personality, but perhaps still best known for creating and hosting his own “The Phil Donahue Show”, which was the first talk show to include audience participation.

The Net Worth of Phil Donahue

How rich is Phil Donahue? As of late-2018, sources estimate a net worth that is at $25 million, earned through success on television. He was known to focus on issues which divided political groups, tackling topics such as abortion and civil rights. All of his achievements have ensured the position of his wealth.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Phil was born into a middle class Catholic family, and he grew up in Centerville, Ohio, where he attended St. Edward High School, and was one its first graduating class members. After matriculating, he enrolled into the University of Notre Dame which is run by the Congregation of Holy Cross, which also ran his high school. He completed a degree in Business Administration in 1957.

Phil then started his career at KYW radio and television station located in Cleveland, which he served as a production assistant. One day, when one of the regular announcers failed to show up for work, he had his first opportunity to be an on-air announcer. He then briefly tried his hand at a banking career, but soon moved to the Michigan-based station WABJ to be a program director. Afterwards, he served as a stringer for “CBS Evening News”, and an anchor in the Ohio-based station WHIO-TV.

The Phil Donahue Show

Donahue’s next project would be an afternoon talk show for WHIO radio, which ran from 1963 to 1967, talking to various callers, including interviewing numerous high profile personalities, including John F. Kennedy, Johnny Carson and Malcolm X on his show. He then left WHIO and moved his program to television on WDTN (then WLWD) and called the program “The Phil Donahue Show”, which was initially aired through Crosley Broadcasting Corporation stations, but would later earn nationwide syndication. In 1974, he moved the show to Dayton, Ohio, and a decade later to New York City, so that he could be nearer to his wife.

The show would run for a total of 29 years, 26 of which were in syndication. The one hour daily show aired 7,000 times, the final in 1996 making it the longest continuous run of any syndicated talk show in the history of US broadcasting, meantime also serving as a contributor to “The Today Show”. His show aired throughout the Cold War and was responsible for the US-Soviet Space Bridge, the name for two television shows, one from the US and another from a Soviet city airing simultaneously, while audience members asked each other questions.

Later Career

Seven years after the end of his show and his announced retirement, Phil returned to television in 2002 to host the MSNBC show entitled “Donahue” which ran for a year before its cancellation. A memo from MSNBC was subsequently leaked which stated that he was fired because he opposed the imminent invasion of Iraq by the US; because of his opposition, he would become more of a difficulty during a time of war according to the memo.

However, he moved on to other projects, including serving as a co-director of the documentary film entitled “Body of War”, which tells the story of a disabled Iraq War veteran named Tomas Young and his struggle to make adjustments after the war.

Over the course of his career, Phil has been rewarded with 20 Emmy Awards, including 10 for Outstanding Talk Show Host, with his other 10 being for his work with “The Phil Donahue Show”. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Peabody Award, and is an inductee to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

For his personal life, it is known that Donahue married actress Marlo Thomas in 1980, best known for being the star of the sitcom entitled “That Girl”. Prior to their marriage, he was married to Margaret Cooney which lasted from 1958 to 1975, ending in divorce after they had five children. Despite being raised Roman Catholic, he was the first among television programs to reveal widespread child molestation perpetrated by Catholic priests, which caused a lot of controversy. While his television appearances have decreased since his ‘retirement’, he has appeared in several interviews. He was also a featured speaker in the Ralph Nader Breaking Through Power conference held in 2016 at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.

General Info

Full NamePhil Donahue
Net Worth$23.5 Million
Date Of BirthDecember 21, 1935
ProfessionJournalist, Presenter, Film producer, Voice Actor
EducationSt. Edward High School, University of Notre Dame
NationalityAmerican

Family

SpouseMarlo Thomas, Marge Cooney
ChildrenMary Rose Donahue, Michael Donahue, Jim Donahue, Kevin Donahue, Daniel Donahue
ParentsCatherine Donahue, Phillip Donahue

Accomplishments

AwardsDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host, Peabody Award, GLAAD Media Award for Special Recognition, Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host or Hostess in a Talk, Service or Variety Series
NominationsPeople's Choice Award for Favorite Talk Show Host, PGA Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
MoviesBody of War, An Unreasonable Man

Social profile links

Marks

#Marks / Signs
1Often discusses issues that divide liberals and conservatives
2Mostly wears glasses with his white hair.
3His deep smooth authorize voice.

Quotes

#Quote
1[on the death of father-in-law Danny Thomas in 1991] He hit the long ball for such a long time. He would hold an audience for an unprecedented length of time in the imagery of the story he was telling, and suddenly would come the punch line, and the ceiling would crack with laughter. He wove an illusion on the stage with no props, all by himself.
2While being interviewed on Today (1952) by Katie Couric in July 2002: "Don't be afraid of liberals. Some of them are my best friends. You can call us names, you can picket us but you cannot take our flag. We are as proud of America as anyone else".

Facts

#Fact
1Release of his book, "Donahue, My Own Story". [1979]
2Release of the book, "That Girl and Phil: An Insider Tells What Life is Really Like in the Marlo Thomas/Phil Donahue Household" by Desmond Atholl and Michael Cherkinian. [1990]
3Supporting anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan and is protesting the Iraq war. [September 2005]
4Release of his DVD: Body of War" by Phil with Ellen Spiro. [2008]
5Grandfather of Connor Donahue.
6Brother-in-law of producer Tony Thomas and Terre Thomas.
7Son-in-law of actor/producer Danny Thomas and Rose Marie Mantell Thomas.
8His talk show on MSNBC, Donahue (2002), has been canceled [March 2003].
9Graduate of the University of Notre Dame.
101953 graduate of St. Edward High School, located in Lakewood, Ohio.
11In 1994 he succeeded in getting permission from a convicted murderer to film the murderer's legal execution in the gas chamber. The courts, however, refused to give the FCC permission to air the event.
12First met Marlo Thomas when she was a guest on his show during the seventies. Children with his first wife: Michael, Kevin, Daniel, Jim and Mary Rose.

Pictures

Movies

Actor

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Watching the Detectives2008TV SeriesSanta killer
Frasier1999TV SeriesLarry
Danny Thomas: Young & Foolish1978TV Movie

Producer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Body of War2007Documentary executive producer / producer

Director

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Body of War2007Documentary

Writer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Body of War2007Documentary

Soundtrack

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Sesame Street, Special1988TV Movie performer: "Put Down the Duckie Reprise"

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The Eighties2016TV Mini-Series documentaryHimself - The Phil Donahue Show
Traficant: The Congressman of Crimetown2015DocumentaryHimself
Unity2015DocumentaryNarrator (voice)
Skum Rocks!2013DocumentaryHimself
Finding Vivian Maier2013DocumentaryHimself - Talk Show Host
Moyers & Company2013TV SeriesHimself - Host
Project Censored the Movie2013Documentary shortHimself - Talk Show Host
Democracy Now!2013TV SeriesHimself
Talk Stoop with Cat Greenleaf2013TV SeriesHimself
Save KLSD: Media Consolidation and Local Radio2012DocumentaryHimself
Tavis Smiley2008-2012TV SeriesHimself
Piers Morgan Tonight2012TV SeriesHimself
Bob Ross: The Happy Painter2011TV Movie documentaryHimself
Anderson Live2011TV SeriesHimself
Gloria: In Her Own Words2011TV Movie documentaryHimself
Good Riddance2011DocumentaryHimself - Former Talk Show Host
Hibakusha, Our Life to Live2010DocumentaryNarrator (voice)
Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show2010TV SeriesHimself - Guest
The Oprah Winfrey Show2010TV SeriesHimself
Hannity2009TV SeriesHimself
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe2009DocumentaryHimself
Broadcast Blues2009DocumentaryHimself
Entertainment Tonight2009TV SeriesHimself
E! True Hollywood Story2004-2008TV Series documentaryHimself
Sex: The Revolution2008TV Mini-Series documentaryHimself
Real Time with Bill Maher2008TV SeriesHimself
Independent Lens2007TV Series documentaryHimself
The 34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards2007TV SpecialHimself
Godless in America2006TV Movie documentaryHimself
An Unreasonable Man2006DocumentaryHimself
Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith2005TV SeriesHimself
The O'Reilly Factor2004-2005TV SeriesHimself
The Evolution Will Be Televised2005TV Movie documentaryHimself
The Fifth Estate2005TV Series documentaryHimself
Hannity & Colmes2004TV SeriesHimself
Preventive Warriors2004DocumentaryHimself
Helen's War2004TV Movie documentaryHimself
Tinseltown TV2003TV SeriesHimself
Last Call with Carson Daly2003TV SeriesHimself
Donahue2002TV SeriesHost
The Rosie O'Donnell Show2001TV SeriesHimself
The 12th Annual Golden Laurel Awards2001TV SpecialHimself
The Daily Show2000TV SeriesHimself
The 70s: The Decade That Changed Television2000TV Movie documentaryHimself
Ellen1998TV SeriesHimself
Talked to Death1997TV Movie documentaryHimself
The 48th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards1996TV SpecialHimself
The 1996 Annual Lucy Awards1996TV SpecialHimself
Late Night with Conan O'Brien1993-1995TV SeriesHimself
Donahue1967-1995TV SeriesHimself - Host / Himself
The 5th Annual GLAAD Media Awards1994TV SpecialHimself
Intimate Portrait1993TV Series documentaryHimself
Late Show with David Letterman1993TV SeriesHimself
The 20th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards1993TV SpecialHimself
The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom1993TV MovieHimself - Talk show host
Donahue/Pozner1992TV SeriesHost
Late Night with David Letterman1986-1992TV SeriesHimself / Himself - Guest
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno1992TV SeriesHimself
In a New Light: A Call to Action in the War Against AIDS1992TV Movie documentaryHimself
Who's the Boss?1992TV SeriesHimself
Blossom1991TV SeriesHimself
L.A. Law1991TV SeriesHimself - Talk Show Host
Happy Birthday, Bugs!: 50 Looney Years1990TV Movie documentaryHimself
The Howard Stern Show1990TV SeriesHimself
Sing! Sesame Street Remembers Joe Raposo and His Music1990TV Movie documentaryHimself
The 16th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards1989TV SpecialHimself
The Pat Sajak Show1989TV SeriesHimself
Sesame Street, Special1988TV MovieHimself
NBC Investigates Bob Hope1987TV SpecialHimself
The Annual ACLU Honors: A Salute to Michael Douglas1987TV MovieHimself
Sesame Street1985TV SeriesHimself
Bob Hope Buys NBC?1985TV SpecialHimself
First Steps1985TV MovieHimself
Salute!1983TV SeriesHimself
Today1978-1982TV SeriesHimself / Himself - Guest
Donahue and Kids1981TV SpecialHimself - Host
Bozo's Circus1978TV SeriesHimself
The Mike Douglas Show1978TV SeriesHimself - TV Talk Host
The 5th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards1978TV SpecialHimself
The 1978 Annual Iris Awards1978TV SpecialHimself - Presenter

Archive Footage

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The Making of Trump2015TV Movie documentaryHimself
The O'Reilly Factor2005-2015TV SeriesHimself
Sunshine Superman2014DocumentaryHimself
Killer Legends2014DocumentaryHimself
Our Nixon2013DocumentaryHimself
Lovelace2013Himself (uncredited)
American Masters2012TV Series documentaryHimself
GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling2012DocumentaryHimself
Ayn Rand: In Her Own Words2011Video documentaryHimself
Secrets from Another Place: Creating Twin Peaks2007Video documentaryHimself (uncredited)
War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death2007DocumentaryHimself
Manufacturing Dissent2007DocumentaryHimself
The Barbara Walters Summer Special2006TV SeriesHimself
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story2006TV Movie documentaryHimself (uncredited)
Inside Deep Throat2005Documentary Himself - Talk Show Host uncredited
Princess Diana: The Uncrowned Queen2001Video documentaryHimself
Biography1997TV Series documentaryHimself
Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life1997DocumentaryHimself - Interviews Ayn Rand (uncredited)
Man of the Year1995Himself (uncredited)
One Nation Under God1993DocumentaryHimself
Sex Violence & Values: Changing Images1986TV MovieHimself
Cathode Fuck1986Video documentaryHimself - Talk Show Host
Captain Kangaroo and His Friends1985VideoHimself

Awards

Won Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
2007Audience AwardHamptons International Film FestivalBest DocumentaryBody of War (2007)
1996Lifetime Achievement AwardDaytime Emmy Awards
1993Special Recognition AwardDaytime Emmy Awards
1988Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Talk/Service Show HostThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1986Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Talk or Service Show HostThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1985Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Host in a Talk or Service SeriesThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1983Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Host or Hostess in a Talk or Service ShowThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1982Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Host or Hostess in a Talk or Service SeriesThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1982Golden AppleGolden Apple AwardsDaytime Star of the Year
1981Personal AwardPeabody Awards
1980Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Host or Hostess in a Talk, Service or Variety SeriesThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1979Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Host or Hostess in a Talk, Service or Variety SeriesThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1978Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Host or Hostess in a Talk, Service or Variety SeriesThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1977Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Host or Hostess in a Talk, Service or Variety SeriesThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)

Nominated Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
2008PGA AwardPGA AwardsOutstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion PicturesBody of War (2007)
1996Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Talk Show HostThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1995Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Talk Show HostThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1994Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Talk Show HostThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1993Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Talk Show HostThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1992Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Talk/Service Show HostThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1991Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Talk/Service Show HostThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1990Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Talk/Service Show HostThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1989Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Talk/Service Show HostThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1987Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Talk or Service Show HostThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1984Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Host or Hostess in a Talk or Service SeriesThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)
1981Daytime EmmyDaytime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Host or Hostess in a Talk or Service ShowThe Phil Donahue Show (1967)

3rd Place Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
2007People's Choice AwardToronto International Film FestivalBody of War (2007)

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia

Write A Comment

Pin It