Appeared on the local stage in three Town and Gown productions at the Clark Theatre before going to New York to audition for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).
Attended Ramsay High School in Birmingham, Alabama.
Long after moving back to Birmingham, Alabama after his film career was over, Philip was inducted in 1989 into the Alabama Walk of Fame for his role in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).
Philip's sister, Eugenia, became the stand-in actress for child actress Mary Badham, who played Jem's sister, Scout, in the classic film To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Philip, who played Jem, and Mary were known to be antagonistic towards each other on the set.
Son of a Gadsden, Alabama brickmason.