Born in Vinita, Oklahoma, McGraw attended high school at Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park, Kansas. He was given a football scholarship to attend the University of Tulsa, but was injured and forced to transfer to Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. McGraw graduated from the Midwestern State University in 1975 with a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) in psychology, and then went on to get a Masters in experimental psychology and a Doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of North Texas. [1]

In 1996, Oprah Winfrey hired Phil McGraw to prepare her for the Amarillo Texas beef trial. Winfrey was so impressed with McGraw that she credited him for her victory in that case, which ended in 1998. Soon after, she invited him to appear on her show. His appearance proved so successful that he began appearing weekly as a "Relationship and Life Strategy Expert." In 2002, he was given his own syndicated daily TV show, Dr. Phil, produced by Winfrey's Harpo Studios. The format is an advice show, where he tackles a different topic on each show, offering advice for his guests' troubles. McGraw has authored a number of self-help books on topics such as relationships and weight loss.

McGraw is noted for his Texas accent. His celebrity is largely attributed to his behavioral approach to psychology. Many critics regard advice given by him to be at best simplistic and, at worst, invective. However, the style of McGraw's advice is said to prompt the person to "get real," and to confront the issues at hand. In 2005, he signed a five-year extension of his syndication deal with his show's distributors, King World Productions, Inc. The deal will pay McGraw a reported USD$15 million and keep him on the airwaves through the 2013–2014 TV season.

In September 2005, McGraw called for Americans to boycott Aruba in response to the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway. A taped segment was shown on McGraw's show in which one of the suspects in the case made incriminating statements. However, the tape's authenticity has been disputed by experts. [2]

McGraw announced the formation of the Dr. Phil Foundation, which raises funds to fight childhood obesity[3], on October 22, 2003.

McGraw was married to Debbie Higgins McCall from 1970 to 1973. He married Robin Jameson in 1976, and they have two sons, Jay (1979) and Jordan (1986). Jay McGraw has partially followed in his father's footsteps, publishing books aimed at teenagers based on Dr. Phil's books and working for his father's production company, Stage 29. Jordan is currently a sophomore at the University of Southern California and is pursuing his interests in music.

Credit: en.wikipedia.org