Growing up in rural northwest Alabama, Phil, whose father was Milford (a business owner and entrepreneur) and mother Blanche (a beautician and teacher) started performing in church and school, culminating in lead roles in the musicals "Bye Bye Birdie" and "George M" at Minor High School just outside of Birmingham. After working in radio, TV, and video production after college at UAB, life took a strange twist that landed Phil in the FAA as an air traffic controller, initially in Memphis TN and later in Pensacola FL. Since retiring from the FAA in 2013, Phil has worked as a REALTOR®. Even in the FAA years, he had always kept a finger in the entertainment industry, mostly as a voice artist, but the opportunity arose in 2017 for him to participate in acting classes with Jeremy London Arts Acting Studio, which motivated him to start auditioning. His debut film role was with Nicolas Cage in Between Worlds which was filmed in Mobile AL.