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More about Phil Collins

Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English retired singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist.

Collins sang the lead vocals on several chart hits in the United Kingdom and the United States between 1978 and 1994, either as a solo artist or with Genesis. His singles, often dealing with lost love, ranged from the drum-heavy "In the Air Tonight", dance pop of "Sussudio", piano-driven "Against All Odds", to the political statements of "Another Day in Paradise".

Collins's professional music career began as a drummer, first with Flaming Youth and then more famously with Genesis. In Genesis, Collins originally supplied backing vocals for front man Peter Gabriel, singing lead on only two songs: "For Absent Friends" from 1971's Nursery Cryme album and "More Fool Me" from Selling England by the Pound, which was released in 1973. Following Gabriel's departure in 1975, Collins became the group's lead singer.

His solo career, heavily influenced by his personal life, brought both him and Genesis commercial success. According to Atlantic Records, Collins's total worldwide sales as a solo artist, as of 2000, were 150 million. Collins has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including seven Grammy Awards, five Brit Awards—winning Best British Male three times, an Academy Award, and two Golden Globes for his solo work. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010.

Collins is one of only three recording artists who have sold over 100 million albums worldwide both as solo artists and as principal members of a band. When his work with Genesis, his work with other artists, as well as his solo career is totalled, Collins had more top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the 1980s than any other artist. In 2008, Collins was ranked the 22nd most successful artist on the "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists".

More about Stephen Collins

American actor Stephen Collins was born on October 1, 1947 in Des Moines, Iowa. As a student of Amherst College, he played bass guitar and rhythm guitar for several bands. He eventually graduated with cum laude honors. He started acting for the screen in 1974, when he took on a supporting role in the television movie The Michele Lee Show. He has played guest roles in many television shows, including The Waltons, Barnaby Jones, Good Heavens, Great Performances and Charlie’s Angels. He also starred in a number of movies, including All the President’s Men, The Promise, Loving Couples and Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Collins snagged his first regular television role in 1982, when he signed on for the lead in Tales of the Gold Monkey. His character, Jake Cutter, is a former pilot who now owns a cargo delivery service. Despite being well received, it did not last beyond a season, partly because of expensive production costs. His next starring role was in the short-lived series Tattingers, where he played a co-owner of a posh Manhattan restaurant who is having a second go at running it. The program failed in the ratings and was quickly cancelled, although NBC relaunched it as the sitcom Nick & Hillary, which was cancelled after two episodes.

After a role in the final season of the drama series Sisters, Collins took on what is perhaps his most memorable television role. In the long-running family drama 7th Heaven, he plays the head of the family, Eric Camden, an involved church pastor who deals with the problems of the members of the community, as well as the members of his own family. The series lasted for 11 seasons, and was well received by audiences and critics.

Collins also acted for the stage, appearing in Broadway productions such as The Ritz, No Sex Please, We’re British, and most recently, Spamalot. He has also written two novels, both released in the 1990s.

When 7th Heaven ended, he continued his career on television. In 2006, he starred on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He followed it up with a role on Brothers & Sisters and Private Practice. In 2010, he starred as Dr. Dayton King on No Ordinary Family.