Dr Phil Biography | Dr Phil Television Presenter | Dr Phil News

Dr Phil Bio

Dr. Phil

"Get real!"

This is the famous catchphrase of the relationship expert who achieved status as a high-profile celebrity, and achieved international recognition with his own television talk show after he appeared a number of times as a recurring guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Dr. Phil, born in Oklahoma on September 1, 1950, as Phil McGraw, is a psychologist and noted relationship expert and "guru," a popular daytime talk-show host, as well as a highly successful published author.

After graduating from Shawnee Mission North School in Kansas, Dr. Phil attended Midwestern State University in Texas, and received his BA in psychology, and then pursued his masters in experimental psychology and finally, his doctorate in clinical psychology.

After Dr. Phil was hired by Oprah Winfrey in 1996 to help her prepare for (and ultimately win) the Amarillo, Texas beef trial, which also involved one of her guests, Howard Lyman, she invited him onto her popular talk show and ended up as a regular—the weekly Relationship and Life Strategy Expert.

Then, in 2002, Dr Phil started his own daytime talk show, Dr. Phil, in which he gave his invited guests advice for their personal, family, work, and relationship-related problems. The show immediately became enormously popular and successful, and in 2005 Dr. Phil signed a contract extending his syndication deal, which will reportedly pay him $15 million USD and keep him on the air until the end of the 2013 to 2014 television season.

Dr. Phil has also enjoyed a side career as an author, having published several self-help books on subjects, mostly surrounding the hot topics of relationship issues, as well as weight loss, such as Relationship Rescue in 2000 and The Ultimate Weight Solution in 2003. He also helped to establish the Dr Phil Foundation in 2003 in order to do research for, raise money for, and create awareness of childhood obesity.

In 2004, Dr. Phil played himself in the horror movie spoof Scary Movie 4, and was featured in the opening scene as a prisoner opposite basketball superstar Shaquille O Neal, another prisoner who also played himself. The scene spoofs James Wan’s thriller movie Saw, which starred Leigh Whannell, Cary Elwes, and Danny Glover. In an attempt to free himself from his chains, Dr. Phil accidentally saws off the wrong foot. The movie also starred Anna Faris, Regina King, Craig Bierko, Bill Pullman, and Carmen Electra.

From 1970 to 1973, Dr. Phil was married to Debbie Higgins McCall, and in 1976 he married Robin Jameson. Together they have two sons: Jay, born in 1979, and Jordan, born in 1986. On August 12, 2006, Jay married 1998 Playboy Playmate Erica Dahm, a triplet with her Playboy Playmate sisters Nicole Dahm and Jaclyn Dahm.

There have been countless pop culture references made to Dr. Phil and his work since he became famous in 2002, especially in popular television shows, such as David Letterman’s The Late Show with David Letterman, Sesame Street, MADtv, Sex in the City, and Friends. He also had parts in various movies, such as the 2006 hit animation Over the Hedge, featuring the voice talents of Bruce Willis and Steve Carell, among others, as well as in Red Eye in 2005, starring Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy.

YUDDY