Alex Trebek

Host

With five Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host, Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek is poised to lead the blockbuster series into its 26th season—firmly establishing Jeopardy! as America’s Favorite Quiz Show®. Trebek has challenged and entertained millions of viewers worldwide with nearly 6,000 exciting shows since Jeopardy!’s debut in 1984.

After celebrating 25 years on the air, Trebek is enthusiastic about how the Jeopardy! contestant pool continues to grow in strength and diversity. “When we first started, far fewer women, minorities and young people tried out for the show,” said Trebek. “Today, I’m happy to see a wide variety of contestants auditioning and appearing on Jeopardy! thanks in part to the success of our online testing which has been taken by more than half a million people.”

When traveling on behalf of Jeopardy!, Trebek enjoys personally delivering “clues” from locales around the world including Machu Picchu, Israel, Japan and his native homeland of Canada. In the fall of 2009, 25 winners and their guests will embark upon a first-ever travel expedition with Trebek. The trip-of-a-lifetime will be aboard the National Geographic Endeavour for a 10 day/9 night voyage, touring the Gálapagos Islands, the “Land of Darwin.”

A native of Ontario, Canada, Trebek graduated from the University of Ottawa with two degrees in philosophy.  Interested in a broadcast news career, he joined the Canadian Broadcasting Company, Canada’s premier network.  While there, he specialized in national news and covered a wide range of special events for CBC’s radio and television divisions. Trebek was first noticed by American viewers when he hosted the game show, “Wizard of Odds.”  After several hosting roles, Trebek was chosen as host of Jeopardy!.  Today, he is a genuine audience favorite and a pop culture icon. He has been honored with a coveted star on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the prestigious Canadian Walk of Fame, making him one of only a handful of people honored by both the U.S. and Canada.

Trebek is active with a number of educational organizations and charities. With World Vision, he has traveled to many Third World countries taping reports on the group’s efforts on behalf of children around the world.  He traveled with his family to Zambia where he adopted a village and helped build a school, three homes for teachers and a medical facility. Trebek also supports Smile Train, an international charity organization which has provided free cleft palate surgery for more than half a million poor children in developing countries.

In conjunction with the USO, Trebek visits military bases around the world to audition prospective contestants.  Since 1987, Trebek has done 12 USO tours, and his efforts were recognized with the group’s Bob Hope Entertainment Award.

Another favorite assignment of Trebek’s is annually hosting the National Geographic Bee in Washington D.C.. In 2009, he traveled to Mexico City to host the National Geographic World Championship.

Outside of his traditional hosting duties, Trebek enjoys participating in a variety of public appearances. In spring 2009, Trebek competed in the Toyota PRO/Celebrity Race for charity. Additionally, he was the honorary Grand Marshall for The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in Washington, D.C..

Trebek and his wife, Jean, live in Studio City, Calif. They have two teenaged children, Emily, a junior in high school, and Matthew, a freshman at Fordham University in New York. The family recently enjoyed a summer vacation traveling together in Alaska.

Photo Courtesy of Jeopardy Productions, Inc.