Age, Biography, and Wiki
Phil Collins was born on January 30, 1951, in Chiswick, London, England. He began his career as a child actor before transitioning to music. Collins joined Genesis in 1970 as a drummer and later became the lead vocalist after Peter Gabriel's departure in 1975. His versatility and talent have made him a legendary figure in the entertainment industry. Collins has also pursued a successful solo career, releasing chart-topping albums like "Face Value," "Hello, I Must Be Going," and "No Jacket Required."
| Occupation | Autobiographer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 30 January 1951 |
| Age | 74 Years |
| Birth Place | London, England |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Country | England |
Height, Weight & Measurements
- Height: 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm)
- Weight: 154 lbs (70 kg)
- Body Measurements: Not publicly disclosed in detail.
| Height | 5 feet 6 inches |
| Weight | 154 lbs |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Phil Collins has been married three times: to Andrea Bertorelli (1975–1980), Jill Tavelman (1984–1996), and Orianne Cevey (1999–2008, remarried in 2016 but separated again). He has five children, including actress Lily Collins.
His mother, Winifred June (Strange, 1913–2011), worked in a toy shop and later as a booking agent at the Barbara Speake Stage School, an independent performing arts school in East Acton, while his father, Greville Philip Austin Collins (1907–1972), was an insurance agent for London Assurance. Collins is the youngest of three children; his sister, Carole, competed as a professional ice skater and followed her mother's footsteps as a theatrical agent, while his brother, Clive, was a cartoonist. The family moved twice by the time Collins had reached the age of two; they settled at 453 Hanworth Road in the Municipal Borough of Brentford and Chiswick (now the London Borough of Hounslow).
Collins was given a toy drum kit for Christmas at the age of five, and later, his two uncles made him a makeshift set with triangles and tambourines that fitted into a suitcase. These were followed by more complete sets bought by his parents as he grew older. Collins practised by playing along to music on the television and radio. During a family holiday at Butlin's, a seven-year-old Collins entered a talent contest, singing "The Ballad of Davy Crockett"; he stopped the orchestra halfway through to tell them they were in the wrong key. The Beatles were a major early influence on him, including their drummer Ringo Starr. Collins followed the lesser-known London band the Action, whose drummer he would copy and whose work introduced him to the soul music of Motown and Stax Records. He was also influenced by the jazz and big band drummer Buddy Rich, whose opinion on the importance of the hi-hat prompted him to stop using two bass drums and start using the hi-hat.
Collins received basic piano and music tuition from his father's aunt at around the age of 12. He studied drum rudiments under Lloyd Ryan and later under Frank King, and considered this training "more helpful than anything else because they're used all the time. In any kind of funk or jazz drumming, the rudiments are always there." Collins never learned to read or write musical notation and devised his own system, which he regretted in later life. "I've always felt that if I could hum it, I could play it. For me, that was good enough, but that attitude is bad."
Collins attended Nelson Primary School until the age of 11. He was accepted into Chiswick County Grammar School, where he took to football and formed the Real Thing, a school band that had Andrea Bertorelli, his future wife, and friend Lavinia Lang, as backup singers. Both women would have an impact on his personal life in later years. Collins's next group was the Freehold, with whom he wrote his first song, "Lying, Crying, Dying", and played in a group named the Charge. He was childhood friends with Jack Wild, who would become famous for playing the Artful Dodger in the film Oliver! (1968). June spotted Wild when he and Collins were playing football together in the park, and the boys both attended the Barbara Speake Stage School.
In July 1970, the rock band Genesis had signed with Charisma Records and recorded their second album Trespass (1970), but suffered a setback following the departure of guitarist Anthony Phillips. They decided that their drummer John Mayhew, though talented, was not of the high calibre they wanted, and placed an advert in the Melody Maker for a drummer "sensitive to acoustic music" and a 12-string acoustic guitarist. Collins recognised Charisma owner Tony Stratton Smith's name on it, who he had been acquainted with for years, and he and Caryl went for the auditions. The group, who had been a full-time working band for less than a year, consisted of school friends from Charterhouse School, a private boarding school: singer Peter Gabriel, keyboardist Tony Banks, and bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford. Collins and Caryl arrived early, so Collins took a swim in the pool at Gabriel's parents' house and memorised the pieces the drummers before him were playing. He recalled: "They put on 'Trespass', and my initial impression was of a very soft and round music, not edgy, with vocal harmonies, and I came away thinking Crosby, Stills and Nash." Gabriel, a former drummer, said he could tell just by the way Collins sat in front of the drum kit that he knew what he was doing, and was also impressed when Collins mentioned the session with George Harrison. On 8 August 1970, Collins became their fourth drummer. Genesis then took a two-week holiday, during which Collins earned money as an exterior decorator. Rutherford thought Caryl was not a good fit, and for over a month Genesis wrote songs, rehearsed, and toured as a four-piece. In January 1971, the band enlisted Steve Hackett.
In August 1975, Gabriel's departure from the band was publicly announced. Genesis advertised for a replacement in Melody Maker and received around 400 replies. After a lengthy auditioning process, during which he sang backup vocals for applicants, Collins became the band's lead vocalist during the recording of their album A Trick of the Tail. The album was a commercial and critical success, reaching number 3 in the UK charts and 31 in the US. Rolling Stone wrote that Genesis "has managed to turn the possible catastrophe of Gabriel's departure into their first broad-based American success." For the tour, former Yes and King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford played drums on sections where Collins sang. In 1976, Collins brought in American drummer Chester Thompson, formerly of Frank Zappa and Weather Report, who became a mainstay of Genesis's and Collins's backing bands until 2010. When Collins, Banks, and Rutherford decided to continue Genesis as a trio in 1977, they recorded ...And Then There Were Three.... This included the band's first UK Top 10 and US Top 40 single, "Follow You Follow Me". The level of commercial success that Genesis had reached by this time allowed Collins and his wife to move into Old Croft, a home in Shalford, Surrey, in the spring of 1978.
After Genesis finished touring in December 1978, the group went on hiatus after Collins went to Vancouver, Canada to try to save his failing marriage. The attempt failed, leaving his wife to return to England with their children while living apart. Collins returned to Old Croft, their home in Shalford, Surrey, and their divorce was finalised in 1981. Banks and Rutherford were recording their first solo albums during this time, so Collins rejoined Brand X for their album Product and its accompanying tour, played on John Martyn's album Grace and Danger, and started writing demos of his own at home. This was followed by Genesis resuming activity and recording and touring through 1980 with their album Duke (1980). The three members contributed two tracks each; Collins put forward "Please Don't Ask" and "Misunderstanding".
In February 1981, Collins released his debut solo album Face Value. He signed with Virgin Records and WEA for American distribution in order to distance himself from the Charisma label, and oversaw every step of its production; he wrote the liner notes himself and by hand. His divorce was the focus of its lyrical themes and song titles: "I had a wife, two children, two dogs, and the next day I didn't have anything. So a lot of these songs were written because I was going through these emotional changes." Collins produced the album in collaboration with Hugh Padgham, with whom he had worked on Peter Gabriel's self-titled 1980 album. Face Value reached number one in seven countries, including the UK Albums Chart, and number seven in the US where it went on to sell 5 million copies. "In the Air Tonight", the album's lead single, became a hit and reached number two in the UK charts. The song is known for the gated reverb effect used on Collins's drums, a technique developed by Padgham when he worked as an engineer on Gabriel's song "Intruder", on which Collins played drums.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Andrea Bertorelli (m. 1975-1980) Jill Tavelman (m. 1984-1996) Orianne Cevey (m. 1999-2006) |
| Sibling | |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Phil Collins' net worth is estimated at $350 million, primarily from his successful music career with Genesis and as a solo artist. Additionally, he earns an annual income of approximately $45 million from various sources, including music sales, royalties, and occasional performances.
Business and Investments:
- Phil Collins' extensive music catalog and his role as a prolific songwriter have contributed to his wealth.
- Real Estate and Collectibles: Collins owns several luxurious properties and has an impressive collection of Alamo artifacts, which he has sold in recent years.
Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis and had a successful solo career, achieving three UK number-one singles and seven US number-one singles as a solo artist. In total, his work with Genesis, other artists and solo resulted in more US top-40 singles than any other artist throughout the 1980s. His most successful singles from the period include "In the Air Tonight", "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)", "One More Night", "Sussudio", "Another Day in Paradise", "Two Hearts" and "I Wish It Would Rain Down".
Born and raised in west London, Collins began playing drums at the age of five. During the same period he attended drama school, which helped secure various roles as a child actor. His first major role was the Artful Dodger in the West End production of the musical Oliver!. As an accomplished professional actor by his early teens, he pivoted to pursue a music career, becoming the drummer for Genesis in 1970. He took over the role of lead singer in 1975 following the departure of Peter Gabriel. During the second half of the 1970s, in between Genesis albums and tours, Collins was the drummer of jazz rock band Brand X. While continuing to perform and record with Genesis, Collins began a successful solo career in the 1980s, initially inspired by his marital breakdown and love of soul music, releasing the albums Face Value (1981), Hello, I Must Be Going (1982), No Jacket Required (1985) and ...But Seriously (1989). Collins became, in the words of AllMusic, "one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond". He became known for a distinctive gated reverb drum sound on many of his recordings. He played drums on the 1984 charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and, in July 1985, he was the only artist to perform at both Live Aid concerts. He resumed his acting career, appearing in Miami Vice and subsequently starring in the film Buster (1988).
Collins's enthusiasm for music grew during his acting years. He frequented the Marquee Club on Wardour Street so often that eventually the managers asked him to set out the chairs, sweep the floors, and assist in the cloakroom. It was here where Collins saw The Action and newcomers Yes perform, which greatly influenced him. When auditions for Vinegar Joe and Manfred Mann Chapter Three were unsuccessful, Collins secured a position in the Cliff Charles Blues Band and toured the country. This was followed by a stint in The Gladiators, a backing band for a black vocal quartet, which included Collins's schoolmate Ronnie Caryl on guitar. Around this time, Collins learned that Yes were looking for a new drummer and spoke to frontman Jon Anderson, who invited him to an audition the following week. Collins failed to turn up.
Collins wrote and performed on "Against All Odds", the main theme for the romantic film of the same name, which demonstrated a more pop-orientated and commercially accessible sound than his previous work. Released in February 1984, it was the first single of his solo career to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; it peaked at number two in the UK. Collins won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male. The song earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, and he arranged his 1985 tour to accommodate the possibility of performing it at the awards ceremony. However, a note to Atlantic Records from show producer Larry Gelbart explaining a lack of invitation stated: "Thank you for your note regarding Phil Cooper [sic]. I'm afraid the spots have already been fil
Social Network
Phil Collins is not highly active on social media platforms, but his official accounts are managed by his team, which updates fans on his projects and legacy.
Collins left Genesis in 1996 to focus on solo work; this included writing songs for Disney's animated film Tarzan (1999), for which he wrote and performed the songs "Two Worlds", "Son of Man", "Strangers Like Me" and "You'll Be in My Heart", the last of which earned him the Academy Award for Best Original Song. He rejoined Genesis for their Turn It On Again Tour in 2007. Following a five-year retirement to focus on his family life, Collins released his memoir in 2016 and conducted the Not Dead Yet Tour from 2017 to 2019. He then rejoined Genesis in 2020 for a second and final reunion tour, which ran from 2021 to 2022.
In 1969, Collins and Caryl joined John Walker's backing band for a European tour, which included guitarist Gordon Smith and keyboardist Brian Chatton. The tour finished, and the quartet formed a rock band, Hickory, which recorded one single ("Green Light"/"The Key"). Still in 1969, they were renamed Flaming Youth. They signed to Fontana Records and recorded Ark 2 (1969), a concept album written and produced by Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley that tells the story of man's evacuation from a burning Earth and its voyage into space. Each member sings a lead vocal.
From 1970 to 1975, Collins played drums, percussion, and backing vocals on Genesis albums and concerts. Rutherford commented that "on drums Phil was immediately a huge lift. We had never had that kind of energy from the engine room before; it was just a whole different level." Rutherford and Banks continued to contribute vocal harmonies to songs like "Harlequinn", but before long Collins became the group's primary backing vocalist, since they found multi-tracking Collins and Gabriel's vocals was faster and produced better results than all four of them singing. They also discovered that Collins and Gabriel's singing voices were so similar that when they sang a part together, it sounded like one exceptionally strong voice rather than two voices. This technique was employed on the band's first hit single, "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)".
Education
Collins attended Barbara Speake Stage School in London, which helped him develop his acting skills. He later honed his musical talents through his work with Genesis and other musical projects.
Collins quit school at fourteen to become a full-time pupil at Barbara Speake. He had an uncredited part as an extra in the Beatles' film A Hard Day's Night (1964), where he is among the screaming teenagers during the television concert sequence. Later in 1964, Collins was cast as the Artful Dodger in two West End runs of the musical Oliver! He was paid £15 a week, and called the role "the best part for a kid in all London". His days as the Dodger were numbered when his voice broke during a performance and had to speak his lines for the rest of the show. Collins starred in Calamity the Cow (1967), a film produced by the Children's Film Foundation. After a falling out with the director, Collins decided to quit acting to pursue music. He was to appear in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) as one of the children who storm the castle, but his scene was cut. Collins auditioned for the role of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (1968), but the role went to Leonard Whiting. In 1967, he travelled the UK teaching people the "crunch" dance made popular by a Smith's crisps advertising campaign.
