Born of a French mother and English father, Philip has dual nationality and is bilingual in English and French. His first stage performance was in 1965 at primary school from where he obtained a scholarship to The Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree. Here, he made his first TV appearance, as a winner on BBC's "Crackerjack" and, through an RAF Flying Scholarship, learned to fly, aged 17.

Philip then worked as a flying instructor, airline pilot, VIP Handling Agent for the rich and famous, legal interpreter, encyclopaedia salesman and customer service manager before becoming an actor in 1994.