Stone Phillips
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
Possessing a cool, calming voice, Stone Phillips became host of four primetime hours per week when "NBC Dateline" added Sunday to its three weeknight broadcasts in 1996. He had served as co-anchor of the program alongside Jane Pauley since the show's premiere in March 1992.
Stone Phillips began his career in news soon after his 1977 graduation from Yale as a newsroom assistant at the ABC affiliate WXIA-TV in Atlanta, Georgia, soon moving up to producer for local news programs. In 1979, he moved to Washington, DC, to become an assignment editor at ABC's News Bureau and three years later was convinced to audition for an on air spot. He won the job and became a general assignment correspondent for ABC News covering stories around the world (including Beirut and India). Phillips also was on the team covering both the 1984 Winter and Summer Olympics. He joined the network's primetime newsmagazine "20/20" in June 1986 delivering insightful reports on everything from a mental institution in Greece to rapes on college campuses. Phillips also served as a substitute host on "Good Morning, America" and was sports anchor of ABC's "World News Sunday."
Phillips moved to NBC at the start of 1992 and was named as co-anchor of "Dateline NBC" in March. He has scored his share of news coups: in a 1992 interview with then President George Bush, Phillips asked several questions on abortion which led to national news headlines when Bush admitted he would let a daughter make her own decision on the issue. During an interview with Phillips, Russian President Boris Yeltsin admitted that some American POWs were sent by the Vietnamese to Russian labor camps and might still be alive. In 1994, Phillips conducted an exclusive jailhouse interview with convicted murderer Jeffrey Dahmer and his father Lionel and, in 1995, Phillips filed a series of reports on the O.J. Simpson trial from Los Angeles. Phillips has also served as a substitute anchor for Tom Brokaw on the "NBC Nightly News" and, on occasion, has stepped in for Bryant Gumbel as host of "Today" as well. He was named as a contributing correspondent to the network's joint cable venture with Microsoft, MSNBC, in 1996.
Filmography
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1977
Began career as news assistant at WXIA in Atlanta, Georgia
1979
Was assignment editor at ABC News Washington Bureau
1986
Landed his first major on-air role as a correspondent for "20/20" (ABC)
1992
Joined Jane Pauley as co-anchor on "Dateline NBC"
1996
Named as contributing correspondent for MSNBC
1998
Signed six-year deal with NBC for a reported $5 million annually
2007
Due to "cost-cutting" moves, NBC decided not to renew Phillips' contract after it expired in June of 2007
Family
Companions
