Philip John "Phil" Keoghan () (born
May 31,
1967) is an
Emmy Award-winning
New Zealand-born
television personality, best known for hosting the
US version of
The Amazing Race on
CBS, since its 2001 debut. He is also the creator and host of
No Opportunity Wasted, which has been produced in the United States, his native New Zealand, and - later in 2007 - in
Canada for the
CBC. He has won four
Emmy Awards for his work.
Biography
Born in
Lincoln, New Zealand, Keoghan spent a considerable part of his childhood in
Antigua and
Canada. He has worked in over 70 countries as a television host, producer, writer, and cameraman. He currently lives with his wife, Louise, and daughter, Elle, in
Los Angeles. They also have a home in
Matarangi, on the
Coromandel Peninsula,
New Zealand. Phil's brother
Andrew Keoghan was a
television reporter on
Television New Zealand's
One News and is a successful jazz singer.
While completing a TV
cameraman apprenticeship, he successfully auditioned for New Zealand children's show
Spot On at age 19. After a series of further presenter work on television in New Zealand television, he set off to further his career abroad. Before joining
The Amazing Race, he was considered as a host for
Survivor, but was unsuccessful partly due to his nationality.
In a 2002 interview, he admitted that his pay for a single episode of
The Amazing Race is more than an entire year on
Spot On.
[:: wickED - Phil Keoghan ::]