Biography

As the seemingly omniscient host of the long-running quiz show Jeopardy!, this Canada-born personality has drawn both admiration and ire. Although his detractors dub him pretentious and robotic, his fans love his consistently mild-mannered demeanor. The fact that he has appeared as himself (or some version thereof) in a number of projects, including Wrestlemania and the first Charlie's Angels movie, seems to imply that Trebek actually doesn't take himself that seriously. After graduating from college with a philosophy degree, Trebek became a TV and radio news correspondent in his homeland. He segued to hosting in the 1960s and took his first Stateside gig on The Wizard of Odds in 1973. Myriad game-show gigs followed, but Jeopardy! made him a star. During his tenure, he hosted an array of other shows and specials, including (for a brief period) three game shows---Jeopardy!, Classic Concentration and To Tell the Truth---simultaneously. Except for shaving off his moustache in 2001, neither Trebek nor his signature series (which he was forced to leave briefly following a 2007 heart attack) have changed much over the years, which may just be the key to the series'---and the man's---success.