1. George Alexander Trebek was a Canadian and American game show host and television personality.
66 Facts About Alex Trebek
1. 2.
Alex Trebek made appearances, usually as himself, in numerous films and television series.
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Alex Trebek died on November 8,2020, at the age of 80, after a 20-month battle with stage IV pancreatic cancer.
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Alex Trebek had roots in Renfrew County, Ontario, where his maternal grandmother was born in Mount St Patrick near Renfrew.
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Shortly after, Alex Trebek attended a military college in Quebec but dropped out when he was asked to cut his hair.
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Alex Trebek attended Sudbury High School and then attended the University of Ottawa.
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Alex Trebek graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in philosophy in 1961.
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Alex Trebek's first hosting job was on a Canadian music program called Music Hop in 1963.
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From 1967 to 1970, Alex Trebek was a host for the CBC, introducing classical music programs including performances by Glenn Gould.
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In 1971, Alex Trebek was one of several to have been shortlisted to succeed Ward Cornell as host of Hockey Night in Canada.
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In 1973, Alex Trebek moved to the United States and worked for NBC as host of a new game show, The Wizard of Odds.
12.
In between stints as host of High Rollers, Alex Trebek hosted the short-lived CBS game show Double Dare.
13.
Since the second incarnation of High Rollers premiered while The $128,000 Question was still airing and taping episodes, Alex Trebek became one of two hosts to emcee shows in both the United States and Canada, joining Jim Perry, who was hosting Definition and Headline Hunters in Canada and Card Sharks, which coincidentally premiered the same day as High Rollers in 1978 in the United States.
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Alex Trebek appeared as a celebrity teammate on the NBC game show The Magnificent Marble Machine in 1975, and the Tom Kennedy-hosted NBC word game To Say the Least in 1978.
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Alex Trebek was a contestant on Celebrity Bowling in 1976, teamed with Jim McKrell.
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In September 1981, Alex Trebek took the helm of the syndicated Pitfall, which taped in Vancouver and forced him to commute, as Alex Trebek had done while hosting High Rollers and The $128,000 Question in 1978.
17.
Alex Trebek hosted both shows simultaneously until September 20,1991, when Classic Concentration aired its final first-run episode.
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In 1991, he made broadcast history by becoming the first person to host three American game shows at the same time, earning this distinction on February 4,1991, when Alex Trebek took over from Lynn Swann as host of NBC's To Tell the Truth for Goodson-Todman, which Alex Trebek hosted until the end of the series' run on May 31,1991.
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In 1994, Alex Trebek returned to the CBS network for the first time since hosting Double Dare to host the Pillsbury Bake-Off, which he hosted until 1998.
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Alex Trebek appeared on Celebrity Poker Showdown in 2005 and came in second place in his qualifying game, losing to Cheryl Hines.
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On June 24,2018, Alex Trebek returned as a panelist on the ABC revival of To Tell the Truth.
22.
Alex Trebek was a guest star in season 3 of The X-Files, playing one of two "Men in Black" opposite Jesse Ventura, in the episode "Jose Chung's From Outer Space", which first aired on April 12,1996.
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On October 1,2018, Alex Trebek moderated the only debate in the Pennsylvania governor's race, between Democrat Tom Wolf and Republican Scott Wagner.
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Alex Trebek later apologized for his performance, stating that he was "naive" and "misunderstood" the role of a moderator.
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In 1996, Alex Trebek ran the Olympic torch in Jacksonville, Florida, through a leg of its journey to Atlanta.
26.
Alex Trebek became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1998.
27.
On January 30,2004, Alex 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.
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Alex Trebek owned and managed a 700-acre ranch near Paso Robles in Creston, California, known as Creston Farms, where he bred and trained thoroughbred racehorses.
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Alex Trebek sold the operation in 2008 and the property is an event center called Windfall Farms.
30.
On December 10,2007, Alex Trebek experienced a minor heart attack at his home, but returned to work as scheduled in January 2008.
31.
Early in the morning on July 26,2011, Alex Trebek injured his Achilles tendon while chasing a burglar who had entered his San Francisco hotel room, requiring six weeks in a cast.
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Alex Trebek experienced another mild heart attack on June 23,2012, but was able to return to work the following month.
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Alex Trebek underwent surgery to remove blood clots from his brain the following day.
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Alex Trebek required a short medical leave and returned to regular hosting duty in mid-January 2018.
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Alex Trebek added that he might continue if he is "not making too many mistakes" but would make an "intelligent decision" as to when he should give up the emcee role.
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In October 2018, Alex Trebek signed a new contract to continue as host through 2022, stating in January 2019 that although he was beginning to slow down due to his age, the show's work schedule, consisting of 46 taping sessions each year, was still manageable.
37.
On March 6,2019, aged 78, Alex Trebek announced that he had been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer.
38.
Alex Trebek had been experiencing a persistent stomach ache before the diagnosis but did not recognize it as a symptom of the disease.
39.
Alex Trebek updated the situation in May 2019, stating that he was responding exceptionally well to treatment and that some of the tumors had shrunk to half their previously observed size; he credited the prayers and well wishes of his fans for the better-than-usual results and planned to undergo several more rounds of chemotherapy.
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Alex Trebek finished that round of chemotherapy treatments in time to resume taping of the show in August 2019.
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Alex Trebek stated that he had already prepared an on-air farewell statement before his cancer diagnosis.
42.
In March 2020, Alex Trebek announced he had survived one year of cancer treatment and that, though the chemotherapy treatments were often worse than the cancer symptoms themselves, he was confident that he would survive another year, saying that ending treatment would be a "betrayal" to his family, supporters, and to the God in whom he had faith.
43.
On July 16,2020, Alex Trebek gave an update regarding his cancer.
44.
On July 21,2020, Alex Trebek published his memoir: The Answer Is.
45.
Alex Trebek returned to the show two weeks after the surgery but was unable to handle his full workload due to pain from the surgery and had to split his usual five-episode taping session over two days; these five episodes would be his last.
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Alex Trebek taped his final episode on October 29,2020, just 10 days before his death.
47.
Alex Trebek's remains were cremated and his ashes were given to his wife.
48.
Alex Trebek's estate was liquidated in an estate sale in April 2022 as his daughter prepared to sell his home in Studio City.
49.
Alex Trebek loved this show and everything it stood for.
50.
Alex Trebek was active with multiple charities, including World Vision Canada, United Service Organizations and the United Negro College Fund.
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For World Vision, Alex Trebek travelled to many developing countries with World Vision projects, taping reports on the group's efforts on behalf of children around the world.
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Alex Trebek donated 74 acres of open land in the Hollywood Hills to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy in 1998.
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Alex Trebek hosted the annual The Great Canadian Geography Challenge in Canada.
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Alex Trebek hosted the National Geographic Bee in the United States for 25 years, stepping down in 2013.
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Alex Trebek served on the advisory board of US English, an organization that supports making English the official language of the United States.
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In March 2020, Alex Trebek donated $100,000 to Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter in Los Angeles.
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Alex Trebek owned his own wardrobe, consisting of dozens of outfits and hundreds of neckties.
58.
Alex Trebek received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto.
59.
Alex Trebek was awarded eight Outstanding Game Show Host Emmy Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
60.
On November 4,2010, Alex Trebek received the Royal Canadian Geographical Society's gold medal for his contribution to geographic education and the popular study of geography.
61.
In 2016, Alex Trebek was named the Honorary President of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society; in that capacity, he was present at the opening of the RCGS's new headquarters in 2018.
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In 2011, it was announced that Alex Trebek would be one of the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmy Awards.
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In May 2016, Alex Trebek was given the Key to the City by the City of Ottawa.
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On January 7,2020, Alex Trebek was awarded along with his wife Jean, the Fordham Founder's Award at Fordham University.
65.
In December 2019, Alex Trebek was named the winner of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's Icon Award for the 8th Canadian Screen Awards in 2020.
66.
On June 21,2024, the US Postal Service announced that it will issue a first-class Forever stamp honoring Alex Trebek, set for release on July 22,2024.