Phil Collins

Director & actor · born 30 January 1951 · London, England, UK

Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, drummer, 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).

Where to start: Balto (1995).