Collins has been married three times and has five children. His third wife, whom he divorced in 2006, is 22 years younger than he is.
As a child actor, he played the role of The Artful Dodger in the London production of Oliver. He also appeared in the movies A Hard Day's Night and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
He played congas at the sessions for George Harrison's first solo album, All Things Must Pass (1970). His part didn't make the cut, but he became known for working with Harrison and soon became the drummer for Genesis.
He joined
Genesis in 1970 as their drummer when he answered an ad they placed in
Melody Maker magazine. The group's lead singer was Peter Gabriel; when he left in 1975, Collins added lead vocals to his duties.
As a result of a viral infection he got in 2000, he is deaf in his left ear.
In 1964, he was paid to scream in the Beatles' movie A Hard Day's Night in a scene where he joins throngs of the group's teenage fans.
In addition to drums, he can play piano, and even the bagpipes. In 1996 he played a bagpipe version of "
Amazing Grace" on
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.
Phil Collins' transition from Genesis' drummer to lead singer wasn't planned - it happened because he kept outperforming the auditioning vocalists. When Peter Gabriel left in 1975, the band held open tryouts for a new singer. Collins, who had been providing backing vocals, was tasked with teaching auditionees the band's material. As he demonstrated the parts, his voice naturally fit the songs better than any of the hopefuls. After a failed attempt with another singer in the studio, Collins casually suggested, "I'll have a go," and the band instantly knew that, like the Scarecrow's brain, what they were looking for was there all along.
He played a drug-dealing con artist on a season 2 episode of
Miami Vice ("Phil The Shill" - December 13, 1985). His song "
In The Air Tonight" was famously used on the first episode of the show.
Collins doesn't read music, he plays by ear.
He knew he wanted to be a drummer ever since he received a toy drum for Christmas at the age of 5.
He appears in the 1991 movie Hook as the Scotland Yard detective searching Granny Wendy's house after Hook kidnaps Peter's (Robin Williams) children.
Phil Collins is one of only three recording artists (along with
Paul McCartney and
Michael Jackson) to have sold over 100 million albums globally both as part of a band and solo.
Collins has collected hundreds of artifacts related to the Alamo. In 2012 he wrote a book, The Alamo and Beyond: A Collector's Journey, about the famous 1836 battle in San Antonio, Texas.
Citing dodgy hearing, a dislocated vertebra in his neck and nerve damage in his hands, Collins announced on March 7, 2011, that he was quitting the music industry to focus on his family life. He announced his return in 2015, and in 2017 embarked on his Not Dead Yet Tour.
Phil Collins did double duty at Live Aid, performing a morning set at London's Wembley Stadium with Sting and Branford Marsalis before hopping on the Concorde in time to play in Philadelphia with both Eric Clapton and the reunited Led Zeppelin.
When Collins sat in with Led Zeppelin at Live Aid, he was so frustrated with the band's poor performance, he considered getting up and leaving. "It was a disaster, really," he told Q magazine. "Robert (Plant) wasn't match-fit with his voice and Jimmy (Page) was out of it, dribbling. It wasn't my fault it was crap. If I could have walked off, I would have. But then we'd all be talking about why Phil Collins walked off Live Aid - so I just stuck it out."
Phil Collins composed and recorded songs integrated with a score by Mark Mancina for the 1999 Disney animated adventure film Tarzan. He also sang all his own songs for the Spanish, French, Italian, and German translations of the soundtrack.
He feels his 1993 album Both Sides is his best work, with the standout track being "Can't Turn Back the Years."
