- Daniel Philbin is the late son of television legend Regis Philbin and his first wife Catherine Faylen.
- Many of you may recognize him as Regis’s son, but until his death in 2014, Daniel had established his own identity.
- Daniel was born in 1967 to their father Regis Philbin, and mother Catherine Faylen.
- Danny had three siblings one biological sibling and two half-siblings.
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Who is Daniel Philbin?
Daniel Philbin is the late son of television legend Regis Philbin and his first wife Catherine Faylen. Many of you may recognize him as Regis’s son, but until his death in 2014, Daniel Philbin had established his own identity.
Details About Daniel Philbin’s Birth And Parents
As previously stated, Daniel Philbin was born in 1967 to their father Regis Philbin, and mother Catherine Faylen.
Meanwhile, websites such as Radar Online have said that Daniel was born in 1965.
His precise birthday has not yet been established.
Francis “Frank” Philbin and Filomena “Florence” Bashia were Danny’s paternal grandparents.
His maternal grandparents, on the other hand, were Frank Faylen and Carol Hughes.
His maternal grandparents were both well-known actors.
Daniel is the son of late actor Regis Philbin and his first wife, Catherine.
Daniel was an American citizen with a mixed ethnic heritage.
His grandparents were of Caucasian descent.
Carol Huges’ maternal grandmother’s grandparents came from Germany.
Similarly, his paternal grandfather, Francis, had Irish ancestors, and his grandmother, Filomena, was from an Albanian-Italian immigrant family from Greci.
Daniel Philbin Was Born With A Serious Spinal Cord Defect
Many of you may be unaware that Daniel Philbin was born with legs.
However, because of the serious spinal cord damage, he had to have his legs severed using knives.
To mitigate the effects of the spinal cord defect, both of his legs had to be amputated.
Danny spent the majority of his boyhood days at the Angel View Crippled Children’s Foundation in California after his amputation.
Daniel Philbin had three siblings: one biological sibling and two half-siblings
Daniel Philbin was the second child of late actor Regis Philbin and his first wife Catherine.
Amy Philbin, his older sister, was roughly nine years his senior.
His parents divorced shortly after his birth in 1968.
While Danny’s mother kept her love affairs and romances covert after her divorce, his father openly married his second wife Joy Sense.
Daniel has two half-sisters from his father’s second marriage, Joanna and J.J. Philbin. Regis and Joy welcomed their first child, Joanna, on March 19, 1973, and their second daughter, J.J. Philbin, a year later on August 30, 1974.
J.J. is a producer and screenwriter, while her older sister Joanna is a writer.
Daniel Philbin’s father, stepmother, and two half-sisters are Regis Philbin and his daughters
Joanna received a BA from Brown University before going on to acquire a JD and an MFA from the University of Notre Dame. J.J. also completed her studies at the University of Notre Dame.
Daniel Philbin’s Educational Activities
Daniels’ physical impairment most likely inspired him to aim high in life.
He was resolved to step out of his father’s shadow and accomplish something significant on his own, and he succeeded.
He was a learned man.
Initially, he graduated from Quartz Hill High School in Los Angeles.
Danny then went on to study political science at California State University.
Philbin then went on to get his master’s degree at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Daniel went on to work for the US government after finishing his education, which proved a watershed moment in his life.
His Career in the United States Government—Extensive Work at the Department of Defense
Following the completion of his master’s degree, Daniel Philbin began working for the government.
Danny was a writer-editor in the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs Office’s Directorate of Public Inquiry and Analysis, according to a 2002 article (now missing) from The Department of Defense.
Daniel’s involvement with the DoD was not made public until he was honored by the department in 2002 for his brave actions during the terrorist attack on the Pentagon in 2001.
According to reports, Daniel, aged 37, was at his desk when the hijackers slammed the Boeing 757 into the building’s western facade.
He dashed outside and then assisted the department in dealing with the media response.
He pushed himself a mile away to the command post at the Navy Exchange gas station, where he maintained the public affairs division running.
Daniel Philbin was honored for his braver
Philbin won a bravery award in 2002 for his assistance to the Department of Defense during the attack.
According to the award,
“That evening, when the building was still burning, he returned to the Pentagon to assist with the defense secretary’s press conference.”
On September 12, he returned to complete extra duties.
This bravery and dedication did not come cheaply, as he was hospitalized for several days later.”
Danny is pictured with Charles S. Abell, chief deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, and F. Du Bois, director of administration and management.
In addition to Philbin, the Department of Defense recognized 16 additional people with disabilities for their dedication following the September 11th attacks.
Danny Philbin died several years before his father, Regis Philbin
Danny Philbin died on November 7, 2014, at the age of 49, according to Radar Online.
Danny died of natural causes, according to the outlet and several other sources. Meanwhile, Danny’s family did not report his death until March 2015.
Meanwhile, Danny passed away five years before his actor father, Regis Philbin. Philbin passed away on July 24, 2020.
The late actor’s family verified that he died of natural causes, despite reports that he died of heart failure.
Regis Philbin passed away in 2020.
Daniel Philbin’s father Regis Philbin passed away in 2020.
Regis, Danny’s father, had previously struggled with a variety of health concerns.
Regis had an angioplasty in 1993, followed by triple bypass surgery more than a decade later in 2007.
Furthermore, in December 2009, the former Who Wants to Be a Millionaire host underwent hip transplant surgery.
What about his private life? Daniel Philbin was married?
Danny Philbin’s personal life is one of the least discussed aspects of his life.
But we do know a little bit about his romantic life. Danny had been married and divorced.
He was married to Judy Philbin, but the couple divorced about four years before his death.
We discovered a photograph that several websites believe is of Danny and his ex-wife Judy.
Even though we have no verification that the photo depicts the former couple, it appears to be genuine – take a look.
The cause behind Danny and Judy Philbin’s divorce is unknown.
But, for the time being, it looks to be Philbin’s financial situation.
Judy came forward years after Danny’s murder, blasting her former father-in-law Regis Philbin for his neglect of his children from his first wife Catherine.
Daniel’s Ex-Wife Discussed His And Father Regis’ Relationship
Judy described Regis and his second wife Joy to Radar Online as “evil.”
What Joy and he did to those two kids because they weren’t hers was heinous!”
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Judy went on to say: “They didn’t want to be responsible for a defective child, so they put Danny in a home for mentally challenged children!”
Meanwhile, she claimed that she and her then-husband Danny were in such dire straits in 2009 that they had to borrow money just to eat.
Regis and Danny were not on good terms for a long time before his death because of Regis’ actions toward Danny.
Even though the actor and his managers claimed they had reconciled prior to Danny’s death, Judy called it a “public relations trick to make Regis look like a devoted father.”
“They never bonded, and he never came to see us,” Judy continued.