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Phillip John Donahue, who has owned a home in Westport, turns 78 on Saturday. The media personality, writer, and film producer was born Dec. 21, 1935, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Donahue began his career in 1957 as a production assistant at KYW radio and television in Cleveland and became program director for WABJ radio in Adrian, Mich.
He moved on to become a stringer for the CBS Evening News and later an anchor of the morning newscast at WHIO-TV in Dayton, Ohio.
He is best known as the creator and host of "The Phil Donahue Show." The television program was the first talk show format that included audience participation. The show had a 29-year run on national television that began in Dayton and ended in New York City in 1996. In 1996, he was ranked #42 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time. His shows have often focused on issues that divide liberals and conservatives in the United States, such as abortion, consumer protection, civil rights and war issues. He also briefly hosted a talk show on MSNBC from July 2002 to March 2003.
He was awarded nine Emmy Awards during his broadcasting career, and was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame on Nov. 20, 1993.
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