Alex Trebek is the uncrowned king of the television game show. A winner of five Emmy Awards for outstanding game show host, he is the first person ever to host three American game shows at the same time —"Jeopardy!," "Classic Concentration" and "To Tell the Truth."
Fluent in English and French, and known for his cool, rather stoic demeanor, Trebek has hosted TV game shows in Canada and the United States for more than 40 years. Trebek's greatest achievements involve "Jeopardy!," the long-running trivia test ranked by TV Guide magazine as No. 2 on the list of the 50 greatest game shows of all time. After taking over in 1984 for original host Art Fleming, Trebek guided the show to new heights, including a 13-week run of "Super Jeopardy!" that aired in 1990, featuring past champions and a grand prize of $250,000.
Bob Murphy, president of Merv Griffin Enterprises, which created the show, once said of Trebek: "As a host, he's perfect. He does everything, he's as bright as they come. And he's so damn suave."
Born in Sudbury, Canada, in 1940, Trebek began his education at a Jesuit school and went on to earn a philosophy degree at the University of Ottawa, where he became interested in broadcasting. A naturalized U.S. citizen, he now lives in Studio City with his wife and two children. In 2002, to mark Trebek's 4,000th "Jeopardy!" episode, past champions played for a $1-million prize in "Jeopardy! Million Dollar Masters" taped at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Trebek suffered a minor heart attack in 2007.
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