Phil Collins Bio, Age, Family, Spouses, Children and Net Worth

<strong>This article will answer every question you have about Phil Collins. Below are some of the frequently asked questions about him.

  1. What does Phil Collins do for a living?
  2. Who are Phil Collins’s parents and siblings?
  3. What are Phil Collins’s interests and hobbies?
  4. Is Phil Collins married or does he have a Girlfriend?
  5. Does Phil Collins have any children?
  6. Where is Phil Collins now?
  7. How tall is Phil Collins?
  8. How much money does Phil Collins earn?
  9. What is Phil Collins’s net worth?

N/B: Please read the entire post to have all your questions answered.

Who is Phil Collins?

Phill Collins (Philip David Charles Collins) is an English drummer, singer, producer, songwriter, and actor. He is usually recognized as a drummer and a singer of the Genesis rock band. He won three UK and 7 US number-one singles in his profession between 1982 and 1990. Among other successful singles include “In the Air Tonight”, “I Don’t Care Anymore”, “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)”, “One More Night”, “Sussudio”, “Take Me Home”, “Two Hearts”, “A Groovy Kind of Love”, “I Wish It Would Rain Down”, and “Another Day in Paradise”. Having grown up in West London, He started playing drums at the tender age of five years. Phill completed drama school training earning him roles as a child actor. Phil started his acting profession lessons at the age of 14 years at the Barbara Speake Stage School. This is a non-selective but fee-paying independent school in East Acton. Its talent agency was started by Phil’s mother.

Collins performed as a solo artist at an Amnesty International benefit show in London in September 1981. He additionally worked with John Martyn later in 1981 and produced his album Glorious Fool.”Hello, I Must Be Going”, his second solo album was released in November 1982. Genesis released Abacab. Collins released the third solo album, Something’s Going On, in 1982. Later in October the same year, Collins participated in one of the band’s reunion concerts Six of the Best which marked the return of Gabriel on lead vocals. Collins released “Against All Odds” in February 1984. The launch earned him the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal male Performance.

Collins signed a contract with Warner Music Group to remaster his albums and reissue them with new materials in May 2015. All his albums were reissued by mid-2016, with artwork updated to display him with a new cover. Collins’s autobiography Not Dead Yet was posted in October 2016. In March 2020 Collins and his colleagues announced the reformation of Genesis. They were to take The Last Domino? Tour in November 2020. This was rescheduled to April 2021 and later to September 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A photo of Phil Collins
A photo of Phil Collins

How Old is Phil Collins?

Collins was born on the 30th of January 1951. He is 70 years of age as of 2021. He shares his birthday with celebrities such as Biggy Norris, Brooke Hyland, Phil Lester, Danielle Campbell, Becky Lynch, Christian Bale, Wilmer Valderrama, Vanessa Redgrave Peter Crouch among others.

Phil Collins Family

Who Are Phil Collins’ Parents?

Greville Philip Austin Collins, his father was an insurance agent. Winifred June Collins, his mom worked as a theatrical agent.

Does Phil Collins have Siblings?

Carole his sister competed as a professional ice skater. Clive his older brother is best recognized as a cartoonist.

Phil Collins Education

Collins started playing drums at the age of five years in a drama school training. At the age of 14, Collins began acting lessons at Barbara Speake Stage School. Collins pursued a music career by becoming a member of Genesis as their drummer. He later attended East Acton stage school. He learned drums and drum rudiments in his teenage. Phil first learned basic rudiments under Lloyd Ryan and later studied under Frank King. He never learned to read or write conventional music notation which he later regretted.

Phil Collins Spouse

Phill has been married and divorced 3 times. He was married to Canadian-born Andrea Bertorelli from 1975 to 1980. They had met as college students in a London drama class and later met when Genesis performed in Vancouver. The couple got married in England when they were both 24 years old. Phill married his second wife American Jill Tavelman in 1984. Their marriage encountered problems due to Phil’s unfaithfulness. Collins twice had an affair with Lavinia Lang while journeying with Genesis in 1992. Lang was a former drama schoolmate. Both were previously engaged but they broke up before they got married.

In 1994, Phil openly stated he was no longer in love with Tavelman and filed a divorce which was finalized in 1996. As part of the settlement, Phil paid Tavelman £17 million. Phil married Orianne Cevey, his third wife a Swiss national. They met on a tour in 1999 and Cavey worked as Phil’s translator. The couple lived in the former house of Jackie Stewart in Switzerland. The couple divorced in 2006 with Collins paying a settlement of £25 million to Cevey. This was the largest settlement in a British celeb divorce.

Phil Collins Children

When Phil married Andrea, his first wife, he adopted Joely, Andrea’s daughter. She was born in 1972. Joely later became an actress and a film producer. The couple had a son, Simon Collins, who was born in 1976. Simon is the former drummer and vocalist of the progressive rock band Sound of Contact. With the second wife, Jill Tavelman, the couple had one daughter, Lily Collins, in 1989. Lilly Collins is currently an actress. With the third wife, Orianne Cevey, the couple had two sons, Nicholas and Matthew.

Phil Collins Height

Adding to his well-built body, Collins stands to a height of 1.68 meters.

Phil Collins Career

 Phil Collins Acting Roles

Collins’ first major role was in 1964 as the Artful Dodger in West End runs of the musical Oliver!. Phil was unique in the Beatles’ film A Hard Day’s Night in 1964 among the screaming teenagers. His second role was in 1967 in the Calamity the Cow, which was produced by the Children’s Film Foundation. Phill decided to quit after an argument with the director. He was supposed to appear in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 1968 as among those who storm the castle but his scene was cut. In Romeo and Juliet, Phil auditioned for the role of Romeo however he lost to Leonard Whiting in 1968.

Phil’s first film role after embarking on the music profession was in 1988 with the British romantic comedy drama-crime movie Buster. He starred as Buster Edwards, a criminal convicted for his role in the Great Train Robbery. The film contributed to his songs turning into hits in both the United Kingdom and the US. Collins and Lamont Dozier won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song. They additionally acquired an Oscar nomination.

Collins shifted to music despite his start in acting career although his father was against music. Collins performed in John Walker’s backing band for a European tour in 1969. It also consisted of Ronnie Caryl and Gordon Smith on guitar and Brian Chatton on keyboards. After the tour, they stuck together and formed the rock band, Hickory. The four later renamed their band the Flaming Youth. The band recorded their first album, Ark 2 in 1969. This is a concept album that was influenced by the media interest in the 1969 moon landing. It features each member sharing lead vocals.

The band split in early 1970. By the time of the split, Collins had played in the Cliff Charles Blues Band, auditioned for Vinegar Joe and Manfred Mann Chapter Three. He had also played percussion at a session for George Harrison’s song “Art of Dying”. However, his contribution was omitted from the version issued on Harrison’s All Things Must Pass album in November 1970. Years later they both discussed the omission and Collins apologized for his poor performance.

Phil Collins and The Genesis

Genesis, the rock band decided to become a full-time band in the mid-1970. They advertised for a drummer and a guitarist following the departure of John Mayhew and Anthony Phillips. Collins recognized Charisma Records owner Tony Stratton-Smith’s name in the advert. Phil and Caryl auditioned for the jobs advertised. The audition was held at the home of singer Peter Gabriel’s parents in Chobham, Surrey. Collins succeeded and joined the band in August 1970. The band took a week-holiday and Collins earned cash as an exterior decorator. Mike Rutherford thought Carly was not the best and they enlisted Steve Hackett in 1971. Between 1970 and 1975, Phil played drums and percussion and sang (mostly backing) vocals on Genesis albums and also in their live shows.

His first album, Nursery Cryme, was recorded with the band was launched in 1971. The first Genesis song with Phil on lead vocals is “For Absent Friends”. This acoustic track was written by Collins and Hackett. Collins sang “More Fool Me” on their 1973 album Selling England by the Pound. Collins and Hackett were among the musicians who performed on the solo debut of ex-Yes guitarist Peter Banks in 1973. During the recording of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, in 1974, Collins played drums on Brian Eno’s second album Taking Tiger Mountain. This was after Eno had contributed electronic effects known as “Enossification” on “In the Cage” and “Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging”.

Collins sang and played drums, vibraphone, and percussion on Hackett’s first solo album, Voyage of the Acolyte in1975. He replaced Phil Spinelli drummer of jazz fusion group Brand X. Collins time with Brand X gave him an opportunity to use a drum machine and a home 8-track tape machine. Gabriel left Genesis in August 1975 following The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour. The band advertised for a replacement and received over four hundred replies. After auditioning process during which Collins sang backup vocals for applicants, he became the band’s lead vocalist during their recording of A Trick of the Tail album. The album was successful and was ranked number 3 in the UK charts and 31 in the US.

Phil Collins Outside The Genesis

For the album’s 1976 tour, Phil accepted an offer from drummer Bill Bruford to play drums and for him to sing vocals. He played percussion on the album Johnny the Fox by Thin Lizzy. In 1977, after recording Wind & Wuthering, Hackett left the band. He was replaced by Chester Thompson who has stayed in the band ever since. Collins, Banks, and Rutherford decided to continue the band in 1977 as a trio. By the end of that decade, the band started shifting from their progressive rock roots to a more radio-friendly pop-rock sound. The 1978 album …And Then There Were Three… featured their first UK Top 10 and US Top 40 single, “Follow You Follow Me”.

In 1978 the band was on hiatus due to collins’s visit to Vancouver, to fix his family issues. He returned to the United Kingdom in April 1979. By that time his colleagues were recording solo albums. Phil played on the Brand X album Product. He also began working on his solo album, Face Value, at his home. After he was rejoined by his colleagues, they worked on the band album, Duke, and launched it in 1980.

Phil Collins Solo Album

His solo album, Face Value, was launched in February 1981. He sang and performed keyboards and drums. Phil cited his divorce as his motivation for his release. He stated, “I had a wife, children, dogs, and the next day I didn’t have anything”. This album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, number one in six different countries, and 7 in the US. The album went on sell to 5 million copies. The album single lead, “In the Air Tonight”, was a success and reached second in the UK charts.

In early 1985, Collins arranged his touring schedule, the possibility of appearing at the Academy Awards. In February 1985, Phil launched his most successful album, the Diamond-certified No Jacket Required. It was number one in both US and the United Kingdom. The album won 3 Grammy Awards which include the Album of the Year. It earned him the first of his six Brit Awards, winning Best British Male and Best British Album. Collins traveled to places like Philadelphia to perform.

In October 1985, the band recorded another album, Invisible Touch. Its title track was released as a single attaining number one in the US charts. The band received Grammy Award for MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year in 1987. In 1989, Phil recorded his 4th album, But Seriously. This album was a tremendous hit in the US and the United Kingdom. In March 1966, Collins left Genesis to focus on his solo profession.

Phil Collins Departure from Genesis

After his departure, he formed his own band, Phil Collins Big Band. The band came together following an invitation to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival. It featured Quincy Jones as conductor and Tony Bennett on vocals. Their 1st date was at the Royal Albert Hall for a Prince’s Trust concert with Queen Elizabeth II and Nelson Mandela in attendance. Collins launched his sixth solo album in Octomber1996, Dance into the Light. The album was not a hit as the others. In 1998, he released another album …Hits. It contained new music, a cover of “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. It was a commercial success worldwide achieving number one in the UK chart and selling 3.4 million copies in the US by 2012.

In mid-90s Phil was recruited to write and perform songs for Tarzan. He sang songs in French, Italian, German, and Spanish for the dubbed versions of the film’s soundtrack. Collins was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999. He additionally received the Disney Legend award in 2002. Collins launched his seventh album, Testify, on 11th November 2002. Together with Tina Turner, they were invited by Disney to perform on the soundtrack to its animated feature Brother Bear. Collins was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003.

Between June 2004 and November 2005, he performed his First Final Farewell Tour. Collins worked with Disney on the musical production of Tarzan in 2006. Together with his colleagues, Banks, and Rutherford, collins announced the Turn It On Again tour. It was said that Collins was to record a Motown covers album in October 2009. Collins was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis at a ceremony in 2010. He later stated to German media that he intended to return to music.

Phil Collins Net Worth

Due to his success in his music career, Collins has an anticipated net worth of $300 million dollars.