Alex Trebek
Details
- Height:
- 5' 8"
- Hometown:
- Sudbury
Bio:
Alex Trebek (born George Alexander Trebek on July 22, 1940 in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian-American television personality. Alex grew up in Ontario, attending Toronto’s Malvern Collegiate Institute before graduating from the University of Ottawa with a degree in philosophy in 1961. Interested in pursuing a broadcast news career, Alex began as a newscaster for the CBC. He found his true calling in 1963, when Alex hosted his first game show, called Music Hop. Alex continued to host Canadian game shows until he moved to the United States in 1973 to host The Wizards of Odds. Over the next ten years, Alex hosted a wide range of shows, including High Rollers, The $128,000 Question, Card Sharks, Battlestars and Pitfall. In 1984, Alex shot a pilot for the revival of Jeopardy! The show was picked up and Alex has been the host of the show ever since. While hosting Jeopardy!, Alex appeared at the host of other game shows, like Classic Concentration and To Tell The Truth. In addition to his hosting duties, Alex has made guest appearances on shows How I Met Your Mother, Hot In Cleveland and on the series finale of The Colbert Report.
Best Known For:
Alex Trebek is best known as a game show host, having helmed Jeopardy! since 1984.
Personal Life:
Alex married his wife, Jean Currivan, in 1990 and they have two children together – Matthew and Emily. Before Jean, Alex was married to Elaine Callei. Alex bred thoroughbred racehorses on his Creston, California ranch. Alex donated 74 acres of land to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy in 1998. For his work in promoting education and knowledge, Alex received the Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s Gold Medal in 2010. Alex underwent surgery in Dec. 2017 to remove blood clots from his brain after suffering from a subdural hematoma following a bad fall in October.