Phil Collins is one of the world’s most successful musicians with a career that has lasted for five decades.
Whether you got to know Phil Collins through hit songs like ‘In The Air Tonight’ and ‘Sussudio’ or first heard his work in the soundtrack to DIsney’s Tarzan, here’s everything there is to know about Phil…
How old is Phil Collins and where is he from?
Phil Collins was born on January 30, 1951. He celebrated his 74th birthday in 2025.
Phil Collins and Genesis perform in Berlin in 2022.
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The singer was born in Chiswick, Middlesex. His father, Greville Philip Austin Collins (1907–1972), was an insurance agent. His mother, Winifred June Collins (née Strange, 1913–2011), was a theatrical agent.
His sister Carole was a professional ice skater, and his older brother Clive is a successful cartoonist.
What are Phil Collins’ biggest songs?
Phil Collins scored three UK and seven US number-one singles in his solo career in the 1980s.
His biggest hits include ‘In the Air Tonight’, ‘Against All Odds’, ‘One More Night’, ‘Sussudio’, ‘Two Hearts’ and ‘Another Day in Paradise’.
He has sold an estimated 150 million records worldwide.
As the drummer and eventual lead singer of Genesis, Phil also released hits including ‘That’s All’, ‘Invisible Touch’ and ‘In Too Deep’.
Who is Phil Collins’ wife?
Phil Collins with first wife Andrea Bertorelli and daughter Joely.
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Phil Collins was married to Andrea Bertorelli from 1975 to 1980. They met as 11-year-old students in a London drama class, but her family moved to Canada when she was 18. They reconnected when Genesis performed in Vancouver, and they married in England when both were 24.
He met his second wife, Jill Tavelman, in 1980. They were married from 1984 to 1996.
Phil Collins with second wife Jill Tavelman.
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Collins married his third wife, Orianne Cevey, a Swiss national with Mexican ancestry, in 1999.
Phil Collins and third wife Orianne Collins.
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They divorced in 2008, with Collins paying £25 million, which became the largest settlement in a British celebrity divorce at the time. In January 2016, Collins said he had reunited with Cevey and they were living together in Miami, but this did not last after Cevey was revealed to be married to another man.
How many children does Phil Collins have?
Phil Collins’ son Simon Collins.
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Phil Collins and his first wife Andrea Bertorelli have one son together, Simon Collins, born in 1976, who became the singer and drummer of the progressive rock band Sound of Contact.
He also adopted Bertorelli’s daughter Joely, who became an actress and film producer.
Joely Collins in 2014.
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He had one daughter with second wife Jill Tavelman, actress Lily Collins, born in 1989.
Lily Collins has gone on to become a successful actress and model, most recently starring in the Netflix series Emily in Paris.
Phil Collins and daughter Lily Collins.
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In 2017, Lily opened up about her relationship with her busy father, writing in a series of essays: “I forgive you for not always being there when I needed and for not being the dad I expected.
“I forgive the mistakes you made. And although it may seem like it’s too late, it’s not. There’s still so much time to move forward.”
With Orianne Cevey, he has two sons, Nicholas and Matthew.
Phil Collins with third wife Orianne Cevey and their sons Matthew (left) and Nicholas (right).
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Nicholas has since started playing drums like his dad, and has even played alongside his father at live concerts.
Phil is now also a grandfather to two children.
His first grandchild, a daughter called Zoe, was born to his daughter Joely in 2009.
Phil welcomed his second grandchild, a daughter called Tove, after Lily Collins and her husband welcomed a child via surrogate in 2025.
Lily Collins plays with baby Tove
What films has Phil Collins been in?
Buster Official Trailer #1 – Ralph Brown Movie (1988) HD
Phil Collins began his career as a child actor, and played the Artful Dodger in the London stage production of Oliver! He was also an extra in the Beatles’ film A Hard Day’s Night in 1964, and he later had a role in Calamity the Cow.
He appeared in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as one of the children who storm the castle, but his scene was cut. He auditioned for the role of Romeo in 1968’s Romeo and Juliet but the role went to Leonard Whiting.
He later played the title role in the 1988 movie Buster and had a cameo in Steven Spielberg’s film Hook.
What health problems has Phil Collins had?
In recent years Phil has struggled with his health.
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In September 2009, it was reported that Collins could no longer play the drums, due to a recent operation on a dislocated vertebrae in his neck. A year later, he spoke of feelings of depression and low self-esteem.
In October 2014, Collins told the BBC that he still could not play the drums, and that his problem was an undiagnosed nerve issue where he was unable to “grip the sticks”. He confirmed in 2016 that he was still unable to drum with the left hand.
In June 2017, he announced that he suffered from ‘drop foot’ as a result of a back operation, which makes it difficult to walk. He slipped in his hotel room and hit his head in the fall on a chair. He was taken to hospital to have stitches for a severe gash on his head close to his eye.
In 2018, it was reported that Collins walked with the assistance of a cane, and had to perform concerts while sitting in a chair. He retired from live performing in 2022 following Genesis’ final tour.
In 2025, Phil admitted that his ongoing health problems had let to him not feeling “hungry” to work on new music anymore, and he described himself as having been “very sick” in recent years.
Phil Collins does a duet with his son
However, his team spoke out when rumour mills online incorrectly began to report that the singer had been admitted to hospice care.
In January 2026, Phil revealed in a BBC interview that he now has 24-hour live-in nurse care to deal with his health trouble.
“Everything that could go wrong with me, did go wrong with me,” he reflected.
But in the interview, Phil also expressed a rejuvenated interest in making new music.
“You tend to sort of feel: ‘That’s it, I’ve done that.’ But you’ve gotta start doing it to see if you can do it, otherwise you don’t do it. So that is something on my horizon,” he shared.
“I’ve got some things that are half formed or were never finished, and a couple of things that were finished, which I like, so you know, maybe life in the old dog.”
What is Phil Collins’ net worth?
Phil Collins has an estimated net worth of around $350 million (£300m).
Has Phil Collins won an Oscar?
Yes, Phil Collins has picked up an Oscar for his songwriting.
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In 1999, Phil Collins performed the soundtrack to the Disney movie Tarzan. The film’s lead song, ‘You’ll Be in My Heart’, spent 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart—the longest ever up at the time. He also sang German, Italian, Spanish and French versions of the Tarzan soundtrack.
The song won him an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and was performed at that year’s ceremony and a Disney-themed Super Bowl halftime show.