Alex Trebek

Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek in April 2009
Born	George Alexander Trebek (1940-07-22) July 22, 1940 (age 71) Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Television personality Game show host
Years active	1963–present
Spouse	Elaine Callei (1974–1981) Jean Currivan-Trebek (1990–present)
Children	2
Signature

George Alexander "Alex" Trebek (pronounced /trɨˈbɛk/; born July 22, 1940) is a Canadian American television personality. He has been the host of the syndicated game show Jeopardy! since 1984, and prior to that, he hosted such other game shows as Pitfall and High Rollers. He has made appearances in numerous television series, usually portraying himself. A native of Canada, he became a naturalized United States citizen in 1998.^[1]

Early life

Trebek was born in Sudbury, Ontario, the son of Lucille (née Lagacé, which was the name of the street on which he grew up), a Franco-Ontarian, and George Edward Trebek, a Ukrainian immigrant. He graduated from the University of Ottawa High School (Oblates of Mary Immaculate - OMI) in 1957 before graduating from Toronto's Malvern Collegiate Institute in 1958, and later the University of Ottawa with a degree in philosophy in 1961. As a student at the University of Ottawa, he was a member of the English Debating Society. Interested in a career in broadcast news, he began his broadcasting career working for the CBC as a newscaster and sportscaster. Trebek specialized in national news and covering a wide range of special events for the CBC's radio and television divisions, including curling^[2] and horse racing.^[3]

Trebek once attended Collège Militaire Royal de Saint-Jean, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada, but for only six days.^[4] Trebek briefly talked about his military school experiences in a 2003 interview in Esquire magazine:^[5]

Rise in television

Trebek's first hosting job was on a Canadian music program called Music Hop in 1963. In 1966, he hosted high school quiz show Reach for the Top. In 1973, he moved to the United States and worked for NBC as host of a new game show, The Wizard of Odds. A year later, Trebek hosted the popular Merrill Heatter-Bob Quigley game show, High Rollers, which had two incarnations on NBC (1974–76 and 1978–80) and an accompanying syndicated season (1975–76). In between stints as host of High Rollers, Trebek hosted the short-lived CBS game show, Double Dare (not to be confused with the 1986 Nickelodeon game show of the same name), which turned out to be both the only CBS network show Trebek hosted and the first show he hosted for what was then Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions, as well as the second season of the syndicated series The $12 Question, which taped in Toronto. Since the second incarnation of High Rollers premiered while The $12 Question was still airing and taping episodes, Trebek became one of two hosts to emcee shows in both the United States and Canada, joining Jim Perry, who was hosting Definition and Headline Hunters in Canada and Card Sharks, which coincidentally premiered the same day as High Rollers in 1978, in the United States. Trebek's Francophone side was put on display in 1978, in a special bilingual edition of Reach for the Top and its Radio-Canada equivalent Génies en herbe. In this show Trebek alternated smoothly between French and English throughout.^[6]

Like other hosts of the day, Trebek made several guest appearances as panelist or player on other shows; one of his guest appearances was on a special week of NBC's Card Sharks, in 1980, where he and several other game show hosts (including Allen Ludden, Bill Cullen, Wink Martindale, Jack Clark, Gene Rayburn, and Jim Lange) competed in a week-long round robin tournament for charity. Trebek won the tournament, defeating Bill Cullen in the finals. Trebek also appeared as a celebrity teammate on the NBC game show The Magnificent Marble Machine in 1975, as well as the Tom Kennedy-hosted NBC word game To Say the Least in 1978. Both of those shows were produced by Merrill Heatter-Bob Quigley Productions, which also produced High Rollers, the show Trebek was hosting during both of those guest appearances.

After High Rollers was canceled in 1980, Trebek moved on to Battlestars for NBC. The series debuted in October 1981 and was canceled in April 1982 after only six months on the air. In September 1981 Trebek took the helm of the syndicated Pitfall, which taped in Vancouver and forced him to commute as he had while hosting High Rollers and The $128,000 Question in 1978. Pitfall was canceled after the production company responsible, Catalena Productions, went bankrupt, and as a result, he was never paid for that series. After both series ended, Trebek hosted a revival of Battlestars called The New Battlestars that ended after thirteen weeks, then shot a series of pilots for other series for producers Merrill Heatter (who he had worked for on High Rollers and Battlestars) and Merv Griffin. The Heatter pilots were Malcolm, an NBC-ordered pilot featuring Trebek with an animated character as his co-host, and Lucky Numbers, an attempt at a revival of High Rollers that didn't sell. For Griffin he shot two pilots for a revival of Jeopardy!, which he began hosting in 1984 and has done ever since.

In 1987, while still hosting Jeopardy!, Trebek returned to daytime television as host of NBC's Classic Concentration, his second show for Mark Goodson. He hosted both shows simultaneously until September 11, 2001, when Classic Concentration aired its final episode. In 2001 Trebek made broadcast history by becoming the first person to host three American game shows at the same time, earning this distinction on February 4, 2001, when he took over for Lynn Swann as host of NBC's To Tell the Truth, which he hosted until the end of the series' run on May 31, 1991.

In August 1995, Trebek filled in for Charles Gibson for a week on Good Morning America.

Trebek also appears in many Colonial Penn Life Insurance commercials, and reprises his role as host of To Tell the Truth Jordan Zwerk in a 2010 advertisement for DirecTV.

Alex Trebek at Kadena Air Base, Japan on March 31, 2007.

In December 2010, Trebek guest-starred on How I Met Your Mother.^[7]

Personal life

Trebek was married to his first wife Elaine Callei Trebek from 1974 until their divorce in 1981. He helped raise her daughter Nicola "Nicky" Trebek and gave his last name to her.^[8][9] He has been married to Jean Currivan Trebek, a real estate businesswoman and the mother of their two children Matthew and Emily, since April 30, 1990.^[10]

Trebek became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1998. He now lives in Studio City, California with his wife, Jean, and two children, Matthew (born 1990) and Emily (born 1993). In an interview with a talk show host, Trebek joked that "I had only been a citizen for two weeks when I received a summons to appear for jury duty!"^[11]

In 1996, Trebek ran the Olympic Torch in Jacksonville, Florida, through a leg of its journey to Atlanta.^[12]

In late 2001, during Jeopardy!'s 18th season, Trebek shaved the mustache that he had worn for over 30 years. He wore a fake mustache for the first half of the April 1, 2008, episode as an April Fools' joke.

Trebek and Pat Sajak, host of Wheel of Fortune, traded places on April Fools' Day 1997. Sajak hosted Jeopardy!, and Trebek hosted Wheel of Fortune with Sajak's wife, Lesly, as Trebek's co-host. Sajak and Wheel of Fortune co-host Vanna White played contestants at the Wheel, with winnings going toward charities.

Trebek appeared on Celebrity Poker Showdown in 2005. He came in second place in his qualifying game, losing to Cheryl Hines. On May 9, 2008, Trebek was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live, on which he discussed his 24-year career as the host of Jeopardy! Kimmel's other guest was Kelsey Grammer, who had won an episode of Celebrity Jeopardy 17 years earlier. The segment included a video clip from that episode.

Trebek formerly^[13] owned and managed a 700-acre (2.8 km²) ranch near Paso Robles in Creston, California previously owned by Fred and Helen Sahadi, parents of trainer Jenine Sahadi.^[14] The property was known as Cardiff Stud Farm but Trebek renamed it Creston Farms where he bred, trained and provided state-of-the-art care for Thoroughbred race horses.^[15] Among Thoroughbreds raced by Trebek, his colt, Reba's Gold, is a stakes-winning son of Slew o' Gold.^[16]

Health and personal incidents

On January 30, 2004, Trebek escaped major injury after falling asleep behind the wheel of his pickup truck while driving alone on a rural road in the Central Coast town of Templeton, California, returning from a family home in Lake Nacimiento. The truck sideswiped a string of mailboxes, flew 45 feet^[17] over an embankment, and came to rest against a utility pole in a ditch. Trebek was not cited for the accident and returned to work taping Jeopardy! the following Tuesday.^[18][19]

On December 11, 2007, Trebek was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after suffering a minor heart attack in his home. He was released on December 15, 2007.^[20] Trebek returned to the production of Jeopardy! as scheduled on January 14, 2008, to tape the Teen Tournament.^[21][22][23]

Mugshot of Lucinda Moyers, who was the convicted Burglar.

On July 27, 2011, Trebek was robbed in a hotel room in San Francisco. While hosting the National Geographic World Championship he told a crowd at Google's HQ that he "snapped an Achilles tendon early Wednesday morning, while chasing a burglar at a San Francisco hotel." He woke up to sounds of a woman in his room, going through his things. He said he then got out of bed, put on his underwear and chased the robber down the hall. During the chase, Trebek was injured, but he hobbled back to his room to call security, and the woman was apprehended. The convicted burglar was Lucinda Moyers, whom records show she had been convicted of four burglaries since 1990.^[24] Trebek says all was recovered except cash and a bracelet (a gift from his mother). He was expected to be in a cast for close to six weeks.^[25]

Honors and awards

The handprints of Alex Trebek in front of Hollywood Hills Amphitheater at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park

Alex Trebek has been awarded five Outstanding Game Show Host Emmy Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (located at 6501 Hollywood Boulevard, near those for Ann-Margret and Vincent Price).

He hosts the annual National Geographic Bee in the U.S. and The Great Canadian Geography Challenge in Canada. Active with the World Vision charitable organization, he has traveled to many third world countries with World Vision projects, taping reports on the group's efforts on behalf of children around the world.^[26]

Trebek and the entire Jeopardy! crew became involved with the USO in 1995 and have appeared on several military bases throughout the world, both in an attempt to find contestants and as a morale booster for the troops.

The American Federation for the Blind in 2001 awarded Trebek with one of six Access Awards for his role in accommodating notable Jeopardy! champion Eddie Timanus.

In the 2003 film S.W.A.T starring Samuel L Jackson, Michelle Rodriguez, Colin Farrell & LL Cool J, Alex Trebek's Star on the Hollywood walk of fame is shown when a convict (Olivier Martinez) is handcuffed after being pinned down by the S.W.A.T team.

In March 2006, it was announced that he would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. He is the second game show host to be inducted (the first being Monty Hall of Let's Make a Deal and the third being Howie Mandel of Deal or No Deal). His star is located on King Street West near those of the Crazy Canucks and Eugene Levy.

On November 4, 2010, Trebek received the Royal Canadian Geographical Society's Gold Medal, for his contribution to geographic education and the popular study of geography.^[27] Previous recipients of this award include the author and anthropologist Wade Davis (2009), Peter Gzowski (1997), and Mary May Simon (1998), among others.^[28]

In 2011, it was announced that Trebek would be one of the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmy Awards.

Television and film appearances

Shows hosted

• Music Hop (1962–1972) - Host from 1963–1964
• Vacation Time (1964) - Co-host
• Reach for the Top (1966–1973) - Quizmaster
• Strategy (1969) - Host
• The Wizard of Odds (1973) - Host
• Double Dare (1976–1977)
• High Rollers - Host (NBC, 1974–1976, 1978–1980)
• Stars on Ice (CTV, 1976–1980) - Host
• The $128,000 Question (1977–1978)
• Wall $treet (1980–1981)
• Battlestars (1981–1983)
• Pitfall (1981–1982)
• Starcade (1983 pilot)
• Malcolm (1983 pilot)
• Jeopardy! (1984–present)
• Lucky Numbers (1985 Pilot)
• VTV-Value Television (1987) - Co-host with Meredith MacRae
• Classic Concentration (1987–1991)
• Super Jeopardy! - Host (1990)
• To Tell the Truth (1990–1991) - Host from February to May 1991
• Wheel of Fortune - Host for April Fools' Day episode in 1997, also a substitute host in August 1980
• Barris & Company - Co-host/Announcer
• Outside/Inside - Host
• Pick and Choose - Host
• T.G.I.F. - Announcer
• Live from the Hollywood Bowl - Host of annual live broadcasts.
• The Red Badge of Courage / Heart of Courage - Canadian-produced show highlighting brave individuals
• The National Geographic Bee national finals - Host (1989–present)
• The Pillsbury Bake-Off - Host (1996–1998)

Cameo appearances

• Mama's Family (1987) - himself as the host of Jeopardy!
• For Keeps (1988) - himself as the host of Jeopardy!
• Rain Man (1988) - himself as the host of Jeopardy
• Cheers (1990) - himself as the host of Jeopardy!
• Predator 2 (1990) - himself as the host of Jeopardy! (voice)
• WrestleMania VII (1991) - himself as a ring announcer and interviewer
• The Golden Girls (1992) - himself as the host of Jeopardy! (Season 07, Episode 16 - Questions and Answers)
• White Men Can't Jump (1992) - himself as the host of Jeopardy!
• Short Cuts (1993) - himself as the host of Jeopardy!
• Groundhog Day (1993) - himself as the host of Jeopardy!
• Larry Sanders Show (1993) - himself as the minister who marries Hank Kinsley
• Rugrats (1993) - as Alan Quebec, the host of Super Stumpers, on which Didi Pickles is a contestant (Season 2 Episode 37 - Game Show Didi)
• The Nanny (1995) - himself as the host of Jeopardy!
• Beverly Hills, 90210 (1995) - himself as the host of Jeopardy!
• The X-Files - himself as a Man in Black with Jesse Ventura (1995-96 season: episode "Jose Chung's From Outer Space")
• Seinfeld (1996) - himself as the host of Jeopardy! (Season 8 Episode 9 - The Abstinence)
• The Magic School Bus (1996) - Announcer (voice) (Season 2 Episode 6 - Shows and Tells)
• The Simpsons (1997) - himself as the host of Jeopardy! in Miracle on Evergreen Terrace (Voice)
• The Weird Al Show (1998) - himself, as the Host of Jeopardy! (Voice)
• Mafia! (1998) - himself, riding on a parade float
• Finding Forrester (2000) - himself as the host of Jeopardy!
• Saturday Night Live (2000) - himself
• Arthur (2000) - as Alex Lebek, the host of Riddle Quest, on which Arthur is a contestant
• Pepper Ann (2001) - as himself in the 2001 finale. His character was to have married the title character's mother Lydia Pearson sometime during the fifteen year span between the events of the series and the futuristic final episode.
• Family Guy (2006) - himself as the host of Jeopardy! (voice)
• The Bucket List (2008) - himself as the host of Jeopardy! (voice)
• How I Met Your Mother (2010) - himself, as the host of Million Dollar Heads or Tails

References

External links

• Alex Trebek at the Internet Movie Database
• Alex Trebek at the Notable Names Database
• Alex Trebek's Charity Work
• Q&A with Alex Trebek