Alex Trebek is best known for being the host of the Jeopardy!, a syndicated game show on NBC. The show first debuted on the 30th of March, 1964 but Alex Trebek became the host in 1984 and from that time, he has garnered a wide fan base of loyal supporters. The eccentric TV host has also hosted some other game shows including, To Tell the Truth, Classic Concentration, Double Dare, The Wizard of Odds, Battlestars, and High Rollers.
The Canadian-American has also appeared in several scripted television shows, mostly always playing himself. Alex was born in Canada, where he spent his early years; however, he became a naturalized United States citizen in 1998.
Alex Trebek’s Bio, Age
George Alexander Trebek was born on the 22nd of July, 1940 in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada to George and Lucille Trebek. His mother was Franco-Ontarian while his father was a chef who immigrated from Ukraine (although he spent his early years in Japan). As a result of this, the future game show host grew up with a mixed ethnicity and in a multilingual household.
Alex Trebek attended University of Ottawa and graduated in 1961 with a degree in Philosophy. While at the University of Ottawa, he developed an interest in broadcast news after he joined the English Debating Society. After graduating in 1961, he got his career started by working as a newscaster for the CBC – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He then specialized in covering special events and national news.
Career Breakthrough
Alex’s first hosting job came in 1963 when he hosted Music Hop, a Canadian music program. Shortly after, he hosted Reach For The Top, a high school quiz show. This was the beginning of what would become a long and lustrous career for Alex Trebek.
Over the course of his career, he has hosted several shows including The Wizard of Odds, Double Dare, High Rollers, Pillsbury Bake-Off and The $128,000 Question.
With his résumé growing, he became one of two hosts who were active in both Canada and the United States. His bilingual ability was displayed on the 1978 special bilingual episode of Reach for The Top where he easily alternated between French and English all through the episode.
In 1984, he shot a pilot for the revival of the 1964 series, Jeopardy! The pilot got picked up and since then, Alex Trebek has hosted Jeopardy till now. In 1987, he became the host of the NBC game show Classic Concentration. He hosted both shows simultaneously until 1991 when Classic Concentration ended its run, although reruns continued to air until 1993.
In 1991, he also became the host of To Tell The Truth, becoming the first person in broadcast history to host three American game shows at the same time. He has starred in several commercials including Colonial Penn Life Insurance. He has also guest starred in several shows including How I Met Your Mother and Hot in Cleveland.
In 2014, Alex Trebek was presented with the Guinness World Record for the most episodes of a game show hosted with 6,829 episodes under his belt at the time.
Family – Wife & Children
In 1974, Alex Trebek got married to Elaine Callei, an American businesswoman, former Playboy Bunny, and graduate of Ohio State University. The two were together until their divorce in 1981. While they had no children together, Alex had adopted Nicky, Elaine’s daughter from a previous marriage. Elaine currently owns an art gallery in Los Angeles.
After his divorce from Elaine, Alex waited until 1990 before he got remarried. This time, he married a real estate manager – Jean Currivan – from New York. The two got married when Jean was only twenty-six. They first met at a party and immediately hit it off. The game show host proposed on Jean’s twenty-sixth birthday by surprising her with a 16-carat sapphire ring surrounded by diamonds. They got married shortly after and have been together ever since.
Alex and Jean currently have two children together – Matthew, who was born in 1990 and Emily, who born in 1993. According to Matthew, he is more like his mother, Jean – reserved and shy, while Emily is more like Alex – social and outgoing. Matthew is presently the owner of Oso, a Mexican street food restaurant in Harlem, New York.
Alex Trebek’s Height & Weight
Alex Trebek’s height is recorded to be 5 ft 8 in while his weight is listed at 61 kg (134 lbs). Despite all his years in the entertainment industry, his other body measurements are still not known.
Is He Retiring From Jeopardy?
Alex Trebek has been a host on Jeopardy! since 1984. The show is the primary source of his wealth and net worth which is currently $50 million. He is a huge part of what makes the show a smashing success. As a result, it is not entirely surprising that the Canadian-American talk show host has no plans from retiring from Jeopardy! any time soon. At least, his current contract as the host of Jeopardy! will run until 2020.