Alex Trebek is best known as the host of Jeopardy!, a syndicated game show on NBC. The show first aired on March 30, 1964, but Alex Trebek became a host in 1984 and has since gained a wide following of loyal fans. The eccentric TV host has also hosted several other game shows, including “To Tell the Truth”, “Classic Concentration”, “Double Dare”, “The Wizard of Odds”, “Battlestars” and “High Rollers”.
The Canadian and American also appeared in several television shows with a script, in which he mostly always played himself. Alex was born in Canada, where he spent the first years of his life, but was naturalized to the United States in 1998.
Alex Trebek Bio, Age
George Alexander Trebek was born on 22 July 1940 in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, the son of George and Lucille Trebek. His mother was a Franco-Ontarian, while his father was a cook who had immigrated from Ukraine (although he spent his early years in Japan). As a result, the future host of the game show grew up with a mixed ethnic background and in a multilingual household.
Alex Trebek attended the University of Ottawa and graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1961. While studying at the University of Ottawa, he developed an interest in news broadcasting after joining the English Debating Society. After graduating in 1961, he began his career as a news anchor with CBC – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He then specialized in special events and national news coverage.
Career Breakthrough
Alex’s first host job came in 1963 when he hosted Music Hop, a Canadian music program. Shortly thereafter, he hosted Reach For The Top, a high school quiz show. This was the beginning of a long and brilliant career for Alex Trebek.
During his career, he hosted several shows including The Wizard of Odds, Double Dare, High Rollers, Pillsbury Bake-Off, and The $128,000 Question.
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As his resume grew, he became one of two hosts who hosted in both Canada and the United States. His bilingualism was evident in 1978 in the special bilingual episode of Reach for The Top, where he easily switched between French and English throughout the episode.
In 1984 he made a pilot for the revival of the 1964 series, Jeopardy! The pilot was taken up and since then Alex Trebek has hosted Jeopardy to this day. In 1987 he became the host of the NBC game shows Classic Concentration. He hosted both shows simultaneously until 1991, when the Classic Concentration series ended, although reruns were aired until 1993.
In 1991, he also became the host of To Tell The Truth, becoming the first person in the history of broadcasting to host three American game shows simultaneously. He appeared in several commercials, including Colonial Penn Life Insurance. He was also a guest on several shows, including How I Met Your Mother and Hot in Cleveland.
In 2014, Alex Trebek was awarded the Guinness World Record for the most episodes of a game show that had 6,829 episodes under his belt at the time.
Family – Wife & Children
In 1974 Alex Trebek married Elaine Callie, an American businesswoman, former Playboy Bunny, and graduate of Ohio State University. The two were together until their divorce in 1981. Although they had no children together, Alex Trebek had adopted Nicky, Elaine’s daughter from a previous marriage. Elaine currently owns an art gallery in Los Angeles.
After his divorce from Elaine, Alex waited until 1990 before remarrying. This time he married a property manager – Jean Currivan – from New York. The two got married when Jean was only twenty-six years old. They met for the first time at a party and immediately got along well. The host of the game show proposed to Jean on her 26th birthday and surprised her with a 16-carat sapphire ring surrounded by diamonds. Shortly afterward they got married and have been together ever since.
Alex and Jean currently have two children together – Matthew, born in 1990, and Emily, born in 1993. According to Matthew, he is more like his mother Jean – reserved and shy, while Emily is more like Alex – social and outgoing. Matthew is currently the owner of Oso, a Mexican street restaurant in Harlem, New York.
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Alex Trebek Height & WeightÂ
Alex Trebek’s height is given as 5 ft 8 in, while his weight is given as 61 kg (134 lbs). Despite all his years in the entertainment industry, his other body measurements are still unknown.
Is He Retiring From Jeopardy?
Alex Trebek has been a host on Jeopardy since 1984! The show is the main source of his wealth and net worth, which currently stands at $50 million. He is a big part of what makes the show a resounding success. It is therefore not entirely surprising that the Canadian-American talk show host has no plans to retire from Jeopardy! in the foreseeable future. At least his current contract as host of Jeopardy! runs until 2020.