Alex Trebek
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| Alex Trebek | |
|---|---|
 Alex Trebek, March 2007 |
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| Born | George Alexander Trebek July 22, 1940 Sudbury, Ontario Canada |
| Occupation | TV presenter, Game show presenter (1966-present) |
| Spouse(s) | Jean Currivan-Trebek |
George Alexander "Alex" Trebek (born July 22, 1940) is an Emmy Award-winning Canadian-American television personality and game show host. He has been the host of the game show Jeopardy! since September 10, 1984. He has hosted numerous game/quiz shows and has appeared in television series, usually as himself. Though a native of Canada, he became a naturalized United States citizen in 1998.[1]
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Trebek was born in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, the son of Lucille (née Lagacé), 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. 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 [2] and horse racing. [3]
Trebek once attended the former Royal Roads Military College, in Victoria, BC, Canada, but did not complete his first year.[4]
[edit] Rise in television
In 1964 he started hosting the high school quiz show Reach for the Top. In 1970 he hosted a Canadian television show called Jackpot!. In 1973, he moved to the United States and worked for NBC as host of a new game show, The Wizard of Odds. A year later, Trebek hosted the popular Merrill Heatter-Bob Quigley game show High Rollers, which had two incarnations on NBC (1974-76 and 1978-80). Trebek's only guest appearance was on an episode of Game Show Week on NBC's, Card Sharks, in the 1980s, where he won over fellow game show host, Bill Cullen, during the finals. He also hosted game shows such as Battlestars, Double Dare and Pitfall before he was chosen to host the revived version of the game show Jeopardy! in 1984. He has been its host ever since, for the past 24 years. After three years of syndicated success with Jeopardy, he was hired by Mark Goodson to host the NBC daytime game show Classic Concentration, and would host both series simultaneously for the next four years.
In 1991, he became the only host in United States TV history to helm three daily national game shows at once — Jeopardy!, Classic Concentration and To Tell the Truth. He is also one of four hosts to emcee a game show in the United States and a game show in Canada at the same time, and he and Jim Perry are the only two known hosts in the industry to host three different game shows at once in North American television.[citation needed]
Having been divorced from his first wife, Elaine Callei, he has been married to his second wife, Jean Currivan-Trebek, a real estate businesswoman and the mother of his two children, since April 30, 1990.[citation needed]
[edit] Honors and awards
Having skillfully guided the series to years of unprecedented success, Alex Trebek has been personally honored with four 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).
Trebek is active with a number of educational organizations and charities, and donates a great deal of his free time to touring overseas with the USO. 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.[5]
In March of 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).
[edit] Parodies
Due to Trebek's long history on television, he is a familiar figure and therefore a popular parody target, which usually emphasize his stoic nature and his attempts at native pronunciation of foreign terms. Parodies of him include Eugene Levy portraying a game show host named 'Alex Trebel' on Second City Television, Ike Barinholtz portraying him on MadTV, and Adam West of Family Guy banishing Trebek "back to the fifth dimension where he belongs" in the episode "I Take Thee Quagmire" by writing down "Kebert Xela" (backwards for Alex Trebek) during the Final Jeopardy! round. Trebek has also played himself, or a version of himself, on Pinky and the Brain, Rugrats and Arthur, as well as being the subject of a practical joke in an episode of TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes, finding himself the subject of a made-up personality cult. Trebek also briefly appears as himself in the 1998 movie Mafia! during a parade in early 20th-century Italy. The most well known parody of Trebek is Will Ferrell's portrayal on Saturday Night Live parody sketches of Celebrity Jeopardy!; Trebek himself appeared in the final such sketch in Ferrell's 2002 finale as a series regular (there has been one more sketch in 2005 when Ferrell later hosted).
[edit] Thoroughbred horse racing
Trebek no longer [6] owns and manages a 700 acre (2.8 km²) ranch near Paso Robles in Creston, California formerly owned by Fred and Helen Sahadi, parents of trainer Jenine Sahadi.[7] The property was known as Cardiff Stud Farm but Trebek renamed it Creston Farms where he breeds, trains and provides state-of-the-art care for Thoroughbred race horses.[8]
Among Thoroughbreds raced by Trebek, his colt, Reba's Gold, was a stakes-winning grandson of Seattle Slew.[9]
[edit] Events
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 and Emily). In an interview with a talk show host, Trebek complained that "I had only been a citizen for two weeks when I received a summons to appear for jury duty!"[10]
In 1996, Trebek ran the Olympic Torch in Jacksonville, Florida through a leg of its journey to Atlanta.[11]
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.
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[12] 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.[13][14]
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 the The 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.
[edit] 2007 heart attack
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.[15] Trebek returned to the production of Jeopardy! as scheduled on January 14, 2008 to tape the Teen Tournament.[16][17][18]
[edit] TV and film appearances
[edit] Shows hosted
- Music Hop (1952–1972) - Host from 1963-1964
- Vacation Time (1964) - Co-host
- Reach for the Top (1966–1973) - Quizmaster
- Strategy (1971) - Host
- The Wizard of Odds (1973) - Host
- Double Dare (1976–1977)
- High Rollers - Host (NBC, 1974–1976, 1978–1980)
- The $128,000 Question (1977–1978)
- Battlestars (1981–1983)
- Pitfall (1981–1982)
- Malcolm (1983 pilot)
- Jeopardy! (1984–present)
- 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 1979
- Barris & Company - Co-host/Announcer
- Outside/Inside - Host
- Pick and Choose - Host
- Stars on Ice - 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)
[edit] Film appearances
- Finding Forrester (2000) playing himself as a quiz show host
[edit] References
- ^ "Who Is Alex Trebek?", CBS Los Angeles biography, Apr 20, 2007. URL retrieved September 21 2007
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.newspaperarchive.com/LandingPage.aspx?type=glpnews&search=mike%20magee%20%26%20alex%20trebek&img=\\na0012\6788226\41909062.html
- ^ "MBA Guide 2007", Norman Gidney, BC Business Magazine April 2007, reproduced in part as "Royal Roads offers flexible schedule and multiple specialties" on the RRMC website royalroads.ca. URL retrieved September 21 2007. Trebek talks about his experiences at RRMC briefly in a 2003 interview in Esquire magazine.
- ^ 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)
- ^ CBC Radio program "Q", interview with Jian Ghomeshi, 2008-05-28
- ^ Jenine Sahadi - NTRA
- ^ http://www.ctba.com/farms01/CRESTONFRMS.pdf
- ^ Rebas Gold Horse Pedigree
- ^ Alex Trebek : Television Newscaster Biography
- ^ J! Archive - Show #5365, aired Friday, December 28, 2007 - Contestant interveiew (2007-12-28). Retrieved on 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.”
- ^ J! Archive - Show #5012, aired Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - Contestant interview (2006-05-30). Retrieved on 2006-12-29. “I got you beat. When I fell asleep at the wheel, my pickup flew 45 feet.”
- ^ "'Jeopardy!' host Trebek in car crash", Associated Press, 2004-01-31. Retrieved on 2006-12-29.
- ^ "'Jeopardy!' host hopes to return Tuesday", Associated Press, 2004-02-02. Retrieved on 2006-12-29.
- ^ Albiniak, Paige (2007-12-16). Alex Trebek Released from Hospital: Jeopardy! Host Heads Home to Recuperate from Heart Attack. Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved on 2008-02-12. “Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek was released from Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Hospital Saturday [December 15]...”
- ^ Jeopardy! official web site Alex Trebek announcement (2007-12-11). Retrieved on 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.”
- ^ Jablon, Robert. "Trebek Hospitalized With Heart Attack", Associated Press, 2007-12-11. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
- ^ "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.”
[edit] External links
- Alex Trebek at the Internet Movie Database
- Alex Trebek at the Notable Names Database
- Alex Trebek's Charity Work
| Preceded by N/A |
Host of High Rollers 1974-1976, 1978-1980 |
Succeeded by Wink Martindale in 1987 |
| Preceded by Lynn Swann |
Host of To Tell The Truth 1991 |
Succeeded by John O'Hurley in 2000 |
| Preceded by Jack Narz |
Host of Concentration 1987-1991 |
Succeeded by Defunct |
| Preceded by Art Fleming 1964-1975, 1978-1979 |
Host of Jeopardy! 1984-Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Bob Barker |
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host 1989 – 1990 tie with Bob Barker in 1990 |
Succeeded by Bob Barker |
| Preceded by Bob Barker |
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host 2003 |
Succeeded by Bob Barker |
| Preceded by Meredith Vieira |
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host 2006 |
Succeeded by Bob Barker |
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