Overview (3)

Mini Bio (1)

Born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, Trebek graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Philosophy. After his first decision to become a newscaster, he joined the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company), Canada's premier network in 1961. As he was working, he helped organize national news and covered a variety of special events for CBC's radio and television divisions, receiving high praise as a broadcaster who retained his poise and composure in the toughest places. Then, in 1966, he became a Canadian game show host on Reach for the Top (1965), and stayed there for the first seven years until he migrated to the United States to host his very first game show in that country, The Wizard of Odds (1973), for NBC.



Prior to being selected as the host of Jeopardy! (1984), for syndication, he came back to NBC and hosted the revamped version of Classic Concentration (1987), which was also his second hit in his almost 30 year career. On this show, he received 4 Emmy nominations, but didn't win. It was cancelled in 1991, when the network stopped making game show for daytime TV.



On May 17, 2002, Jeopardy! (1984) celebrated a milestone, the show celebrated its 4000th episode and at the same time, it received another Daytime Emmy for "Outstanding Game Show/Audience Participation", making it its 21st Emmy. Like Bob Barker, Alex Trebek had broken the world record as host of TV's #1 quiz show in the country, and he won 2 Emmy Awards and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and, this year, was described as one of the Top 10 Canadians on U.S. Television. Today, as Alex began his 19th year as the host, he remains as popular as any other quizmaster.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Richard Collins II (hugsarealwaysinorder@yahoo.com)

Spouse (2)

Trade Mark (3)

(until 2001) His mustache.



His glasses.



Heavy Canadian accent.



Trivia (89)

Game show host



Owns a Creston, California vineyard, "Creston Vineyards."



Became a US citizen in 1998.



Graduated University of Ottawa with a degree in Philosophy



A large oak tree smashed into the garage of Trebek's Studio City, California home during a fierce wind storm. (5 January 2003)





Two children: daughter Emily Trebek and son Matthew Trebek.

Hosts the National Geography Bee in the U.S. and Canada.



Owns 700-acre Thoroughbred horse farm, Creston Farms.



Sits on the boards of the National Geographic Society Education Foundation and the National Advisory Council for the Literary Volunteers of America.





Won the Bob Hope Entertainment Award in 1998 for his work with the USO.

He has framed a bounced check for $49,000, which he received from a game show he worked at in the 1980s that failed.





It was Trebek's idea to include separate competitions for teenagers, seniors, and celebrities on Jeopardy! (1984).



When he married Jean Currivan, at the ceremony he gave his wedding vow as a joke on the Jeopardy! (1984) rule of phrasing an answer as a question by saying, "The answer is ... yes".

Is fluent in English and French and speaks some German, Italian, Spanish, and Russian.



His parents were Lucille (Lagacé), who was of French-Canadian, and approximately 1/8th British Isles (including Irish), ancestry, and George Edward Trebek, a Ukrainian immigrant.



When young, Trebek thought about becoming a priest, but changed his mind after spending a summer at a Trappist monastery. He said in an interview for the New York Sunday News, "I took a vow not only of poverty but of silence. And I'm not one to keep my big mouth shut. I enjoy talking." [February 24, 1974]



Before he was a successful game show host, he was a newscaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Network.



Is the current moderator for the annual National Geographic Bee in Canada and The United States.



After having a confrontation at a Los Angeles International Airport, he sued an airline employee who said he left her with serious hand injuries. [23 March 2000]



Lived in the U.S. since 1973.



While driving alone on a country road near Templeton, California, where he owns a horse farm, he lost consciousness at the wheel which led him to his car crash. [30 January 2004]





Received a phone call from Regis Philbin for his final answer on Philbin's talk show and Trebek said he refused to be tested for his "brains" on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1999).



Every day he reads the movie book by Roger Ebert



Had 2 biggest winners in Jeopardy! (1984) history with more than $80,000 cash and an automobile. One was Doug Lach, who won $85,400 in cash and car in Season 16, and the other one was: Travis Troyer, who won $83,100 in cash and car in Season 19.



Sang a couple of lines from one of The Bee Gees ' songs.



Has hosted two game shows that made it big in his 35+ year run, all three behind Bob Barker Wink Martindale and Bob Eubanks , making him one of the youngest game show hosts in history. He's still hosting Jeopardy! (1984), which is a ratings bonanza in syndication, for 25+ years. The other show was Classic Concentration (1987) for NBC, which he hosted for five years.

As a teenager, he was a garbage man in Cincinnati, but moved back to his native Canada in 1961 to finish college and to become a newsanchor.



His father, George Edward, was an alcoholic.





His hosting duties on Jeopardy! (1984) were carried on most of the CTV networks in Canada but it still ranks #2 behind Wheel of Fortune (1983), in ratings in most U.S. markets where both programs are often in tandem. (2003)

Is a spokesman for World Vision.





He purchased a house so he could use its tennis court. In the 1990s it was rented by Pete Rose and his wife Carol, who had to get him to fix the house's electrical and plumbing problems.

Proposed to wife Jean Currivan on her birthday, 12 September.





His friend Wayne Brady appeared on Jeopardy! (1984), a year after Trebek appeared on Brady's own talk show, just before both were nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award. Brady has won more Emmys than Trebek, for Outstanding Daytime Talk Show Host. Trebek was nominated for Audience Participation in a Game Show and Outstanding Game Show Host.



After Merv Griffin created Jeopardy! (1984), 20 years ago, he wanted to create the show's "think" music, including that of "Final Jeopardy!", and Trebek was among the candidates to host the show during its taping.

Is a frequent traveller.



Though he's good at pronouncing words in many different languages, he has had difficulty with Welsh and Hawaiian.



Owns two different homes, one in Beverly Hills and the other in the San Fernando Valley.



Enjoys collecting and drinking wine, training and bred thoroughbred racing, golfing and hosting quiz shows.





Shaved his infamous mustache during the 2000-2001 season of Jeopardy! (1984). He had the mustache for over 30 years.

Graduated from Malvern Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.



Hospitalized after suffering a minor heart attack at his home on December 10, 2007. Is resting comfortably.





On Jeopardy! (1984), he had 3 biggest winners: one was college graduate, Brad Rutter , who won $3,270,102, in the Tournament of Champions, including $55,102 during Brad's 5 appearances on the show, software engineer, comic book and movie collector, and game show contestant, Ken Jennings , who won $3,022,700, also in the Tournament of Champions, including $2,520,700, during his 74 appearances on the show, and college graduate and author, David Madden , who won $442,400, including $432,400, during his 19 appearances on the show.



Appeared on the final week of Family Feud (1976), which was hosted by Richard Dawson

Broke his leg on July 27, 2011 as he was chasing a female burglar who had broken into his San Francisco hotel room. Suspect was later apprehended by police.





Was a fan of Julie London 's music.

Suffered a mild heart attack on June 23, 2012 and was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for observation.



Is a registered Republican.





Best known by the public as the host of Jeopardy! (1984) and Classic Concentration (1987).

Ranked #3 as GSN's Top 10 Game Show Hosts of All Time.



Graduated from University of Ottawa High School (Oblates of Mary Immaculate - OMI) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1957.



As a student at the University of Ottawa, he was a member of the English Debating Society.



Was employed at Mark Goodson Productions from 1976 to 1977 and again from 1987 to 1991.





Attended Monty Hall 's 90th birthday party attended at the Los Angeles Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles, California, on 25 August 2011.



Long before Brian Haley would be a stand-up comedian, he was one of Trebek's contestants on Classic Concentration (1987).



Had missed two episodes of To Tell the Truth (1990), because he was rushed to the hospital, where Jean gave birth to a baby boy, Matthew, early in 1991, hence, he asked Mark Goodson to substitute for him.



Trebek is also one of four game show hosts to have emceed a game show in the United States and another in Canada, the other three were Howie Mandel Geoff Edwards and Jim Perry

Was employed by Heatter-Quigley Productions (later Merrill Heatter Productions) from 1974 to 1983.



His mother, Lucille (Lagace) Trebek, celebrated her 90th birthday in 2011.



Formerly the member of the National Advisory Council for Volunteers of America.





Attended the funeral of Merv Griffin when his producer died in 2007.

His mother, Lucille (Lagace) Trebek, had Alex, when she was 19 years old.





The American Federation for the Blind in 2001 awarded Trebek with one of six Access Awards for his role in accommodating notable Jeopardy! (1984) champion Eddie Timanus

Revealed on an episode of "Jeopardy" that he doesn't ski, after a contestant recounted his terrifying experience hanging upside down from a chairlift.





His favorite author is Mark Twain

Is a spokesperson for Colonial Penn Life Insurance for over 18 years and it's based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.



Ranked #10 on Life's 15 Best Game Show Hosts.



Had underwent successful knee surgery. [20 December 2015].





Was the second choice to host the revamped version of Classic Concentration (1987) for NBC, when unfamiliar game show host/comedian Ray Combs , who was Mark Goodson 's first choice to emcee the show, had auditioned and lost the job. Combs would later host the revamped version of Family Feud (1988) for CBS, the following year, which was also produced by Goodson.

He has 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 many others. [4 November 2010].



His alma mater, the University of Ottawa, named its alumni hall in his honour, as a benefactor to the university. [4 May 2015].





He has held a Guinness World Record for "the most gameshow episodes hosted by the same presenter (same program)" for having hosted 6,829 episodes of Jeopardy! (1984), overtaking previous record holder Bob Barker . [13 June 2014].

Is an avid ice skater.



On March 6, 2019, Trebek has announced on its social media video posts from the Facebook, Twitter and YouTube sites that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.



He is most widely known to be a very private man.



Became an American citizen in 1998.



Personal Quotes (3)

We are trying to entertain the audience. We happen to do it by enlightening and educating them. [January 10, 1988]



"I have learned quite a bit, but it's not like you know enough about the topics to lead a discussion at a cocktail party." - On the question if hosting the show has expanded his knowledge.





[When asked if he missed Bob Barker 's final show in 2007]: I was doing some electrical work in an attic today.

Salary (1)