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Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek, April 2009
Born	George Alexander Trebek (1940-07-22) July 22, 1940 (age 84) Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)	Television personality Game show host
Years active	1963–present
Spouse(s)	Elaine Callei (1974-1984) Jean Currivan-Trebek (1990-present)

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

Early life

Trebek was born in Sudbury, Ontario, the son of Lucille (née Lagacé, which was the name of the street he grew up on), a Franco-Ontarian, and George Edward Trebek, a Ukrainian-Canadian immigrant. He was educated at a Jesuit school before graduating from Toronto's Malvern Collegiate Institute in 1958, and later the University of Ottawa with a degree in philosophy. 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 and horse racing.

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

Suck it tribeck

Personal life

Divorced from his first wife, Elaine Callei, who was married to Trebek from 1974–1981, he has been married to Jean Currivan Trebek, a real estate businesswoman and the mother of his two children, since April 30, 1990.

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!"

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

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.

On Friday, 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 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.

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 owned and managed a 700-acred (2.8 km²) ranch near Paso Robles in Creston, California previously owned by Fred and Helen Sahadi, parents of trainer Jenine Sahadi. 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. Among Thoroughbreds raced by Trebek, his colt, Reba's Gold, is a stakes-winning son of Slew O'Gold.

Health problems

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. Trebek returned to the production of Jeopardy! as scheduled on January 14, 2008 to tape the Teen Tournament.

Honors and awards

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.

In 1995, Trebek and the entire Jeopardy! crew became involved with the USO, 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 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. Previous recipients of this award include the author and anthropologist Wade Davis (2009), Peter Gzowski (1997), and Mary May Simon (1998), among others.

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)
• 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 1981
• 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!
• Cheers (1990) - himself as the host of Jeopardy!
• Predator 2 (1990) - himself as the host of Jeopardy! (voice)
• Wrestlemania 7 (1991) - himself as a ring announcer and interviewer
• The Golden Girls (1992) - himself as the host of Jeopardy!
• White Men Can't Jump (1992) - himself as the host of Jeopardy!
• Short Cuts (1993) - himself as the host of Jeopardy!
• Rugrats (1993) - as Alan Quebec, the host of Super Stumpers, on which Didi Pickles is a contestant
• 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")
• The Simpsons (1997) - himself as the host of Jeopardy! in Miracle on Evergreen Terrace (Voice)
• 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)

References

1. "Who Is Alex Trebek?", CBS Los Angeles biography, Apr 20, 2007. URL retrieved September 21, 2007
2. TVArchive.ca - CBC Championship Curling
3. NewspaperARCHIVE.com - Search old newspaper articles online
4. CBC Podcast, "Q" with Jian Ghomeshi, Interview originally broadcast 2008-05-28 (relevant content is at end of interview), URL retrieved October 10, 2008.
5. A. J. Jacobs (March 2003). "What I've Learned: Alex Trebek". Esquire. Retrieved 2009-11-15. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
7. Alex Trebek : Television Newscaster Biography
8. "J! Archive - Show #5365, aired Friday, December 28, 2007 - Contestant interveiew". 2007-12-28. Retrieved 2007-12-31. I'm sure there were as many heartwarming stories as there were wacky adventures associated with the carrying of the torch. I carried it in Florida.
9. "J! Archive - Show #5012, aired Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - Contestant interview". 2006-05-30. Retrieved 2006-12-29. I got you beat. When I fell asleep at the wheel, my pickup flew 45 feet.
10. "'Jeopardy!' host Trebek in car crash". Associated Press. 2004-01-31. Archived from the original on 2007-03-22. Retrieved 2006-12-29.
11. "'Jeopardy!' host hopes to return Tuesday". Associated Press. 2004-02-02. Archived from the original on 2006-11-29. Retrieved 2006-12-29. See also .
12. CBC Radio program "Q", interview with Jian Ghomeshi, 2008-05-28
13. Jenine Sahadi - NTRA
14. http://www.ctba.com/farms01/CRESTONFRMS.pdf
15. Rebas Gold Horse Pedigree
16. Albiniak, Paige (2007-12-16). "Alex Trebek Released from Hospital: Jeopardy! Host Heads Home to Recuperate from Heart Attack". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2008-02-12. Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek was released from Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Hospital Saturday ...
17. "Jeopardy! official web site Alex Trebek announcement". 2007-12-11. Archived from the original on 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2007-12-11. Alex Trebek, host of Jeopardy!, has had a minor heart attack. He is resting comfortably in a Los Angeles hospital, and he will be back in the studio for the next scheduled tapings in January.
18. Jablon, Robert (2007-12-11). "Trebek Hospitalized With Heart Attack". Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
19. "Interview with Alex Trebek". The Ellen DeGeneres Show. 2008-01-18. We've got our Teen Tournament coming up in two weeks. We just taped that. I went back to work, felt great doing it. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
20. World Vision's website says Trebek has been a sponsor of the charity since the early 1980s ("Bid on the Jeopardy set!", World Vision website, 2002). His travels publicizing the charity's work include trips to Zambia ("Alex Trebek to Visit Zambia with World Vision" World Vision website, June 21, 2007) and Uganda ("Celebrities Supporting World Vision", World Vision Canada website). World Vision's website says that Trebek "been regularly involved with World Vision and is often seen on the organization's television shows" (World Vision Canada website, ibid)
21. "2010 Royal Canadian Geographical Society Gold Medal". rcgs.org. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
22. "All winners of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society Gold Medal". rcgs.org. Retrieved 2011-05-03.

External links

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

Template:Persondata

• 1940 births
• American game show hosts
• American racehorse owners and breeders
• American people of Canadian descent
• Canadian horse racing announcers
• Canadian game show hosts
• Canadian immigrants to the United States
• Canadian people of Ukrainian descent
• Curling broadcasters
• Daytime Emmy Award winners
• Franco-Ontarian people
• Living people
• Naturalized citizens of the United States
• People from Greater Sudbury
• People from Ottawa
• University of Ottawa alumni
• American horse racing announcers
• American television sports announcers