This article will answer every question you have about Alex Trebek. Below are some of the frequently asked questions about him.
- What does Alex Trebek do for a living?
- Who are Alex Trebek’s parents and siblings?
- What are Alex Trebek’s interests and hobbies?
- Is Alex Trebek married or does he have a girlfriend?
- Does Alex Trebek have any children?
- Where is Alex Trebek now?
- How tall is Alex Trebek?
- How much money does Alex Trebek earn?
- What is Alex Trebek’s net worth?
N/B: Please read the entire post to have all your questions answered.
Who is Alex Trebek?
Alex Trebek was a Canadian-American host of a game show as well as a television personality. Trebek was also the host of Jeopardy which was a syndicated game show that ran for 37 seasons from the time it was revived in 1984 until he died in 2000.
In addition, he hosted several other game shows including High Rollers, Classic Concentration, Battlestars, Double Dare, The Wizard of Odds and To Tell the Truth. Trebek has also appeared in some television series in which he normally played his own role as himself. He is a native Canadian but took on American citizenship in 1998. For his work on the game show, Jeopardy, Trebek won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show, actually, seven times. His contract to host Jeopardy was to last until 2022. Trebek passed away on November 8, 2020, while 80 years old after fighting pancreatic cancer for nearly 2 years.
Alex Trebek’s Career
Career At CBC
Trebek started his career in 1961 after concluding his degree where he went to work for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He used to go to school during the mornings and work at night. Trebek eventually worked his way to reading the CBC national radio news. He also started to cover more events for CBC Television and CBC Radio which included horse racing and curling. In 1963, Trebek landed his first hosting gig on Music Hop which is a Canadian music program. Later in 1966, he hosted Reach for the Top that was a high school quiz show.
Trebek was also the host from 1967 to 1970, of CBC, introducing classical music programs that featured performances by Glenn Gould. He also hosted a skating program that ran weekly for two seasons. Early in 1969, Trebek hosted a weekday afternoon game show called Strategy. Additionally, he hosted I’m Here Til 9, a local radio show for morning drives on CBC Toronto from 1971 until 1972. Trebek became one of the many who got shortlisted to take over after Ward Cornell’s hosting role on Hockey Night in Canada in 1971.
Game Show Career
Trebek moved to the U.S in 1973 where he was the host of The Wizard of Odds, a new game show on NBC. He later became the host of High Rollers, the popular Merrill Heatter-Bob Quigley game show that incarnated twice, on NBC from 1974 to 1972, and an accompanying syndicated season from 1975 to 1976. While still working as the host of High Rollers, Trebek worked in between as hosted the game show Double Dare that was, however, short-lived. Double Dare became the only game show he hosted with CBS as well as the first show he hosted under the Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions.
After the 2nd incarnation of High Rollers and while “The $128,00 Question” was being aired, Trebek became one of two people to host shows in both the U.S and Canada. He, therefore, joined Jim Perry who was hosting Card Sharks in the United States and Headline Hunters and Definitions in Canada. Trebek also made many appearances as a player or panelist on a number of other game shows. In 1980, he became one of the guests who appeared on a special week of Card Sharks on NBC.
Tournaments
Trebek also competed in a round-robin tournament that lasted for a week for charity alongside other game show hosts like Bill Cullen, Allen Ludden, and Jack Clark. He also made an appearance as a celebrity teammate on The Magnificent Marble Machine game show on NBC in 1975 and on NBC’s word game show, To Say the Least in 1978. After the cancellation of High Rollers in 1980, he moved to NBC’s Battlestars. Trebek revived Jeopardy which he started hosting in 1984 and remained the host until his death in November 2020.
While still hosting Jeopardy, Trebek returned to CBS in 1994 for the first time since the end of Double Dare. He returned to the network to become the host of the Pillsbury Bake-Off until 1998. Trebek traded placed with the host of Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak in 1997 on April Fools’ Day. Trebek hosted the Wheel of Fortune alongside Pat Sajak’s wife while Pat Sajak hosted Jeopardy. Later in 2005, Trebek made an appearance on the Celebrity Poker Show. Also, Trebek reappeared as a panelist on ABC’s rived show, To Tell the Truth.
How Old is Alex Trebek?
Trebek was born on July 22, 1940, in Sudbury, Ontario, and died on November 8, 2020, at the age of 80 years.
Alex Trebek ‘s Family
Who are Alex Trebek‘s parents?
Trebek’s parents are George Edward Trebek who was a chef born Terebeychuk and emigrated from Ukraine as a child, and Lucille Marie who was a Franco-Ontario.
Does Alex Trebek have siblings?
Trebek does not have any sblings.
Alex Trebek‘s Education
Trebek went to Sudbury High School which is now Sudbury Secondary School. He then attended The University of Ottawa where he graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1961. In fact, Trebek participated in a debate while in university where he was a member of the English Debating Society.
Alex Trebek‘s wife
Trebek married Ellaine Callei who was a broadcaster in 1974. They had no children as a couple but Trebek adopted Callei’s daughter named Nicky. However, they got divorced in 1981. Later in 1990, he married a New York real estate manager named Jean Currivan. The couple had three children named Matthew and Emily.
Alex Trebek’s Net Worth
Trebek’s net worth at his death was $75 million.
Height/Measurements
Trebek stood at 5 ft 8 in and weighed around 163 pounds.