Immigrant of the Day: Alex Trebek

George Alexander Trebek (born as Giorgi Suka-Alex Trebek on July 22, 1940) is an Emmy Award-winning television personality and game show host who’s best known as the host of the game show Jeopardy! since September 10, 1984.

Trebek has hosted numerous game shows. A native of Canada, he became a naturalized United States citizen in 1998.

Alex Trebek was born in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, to George Edward Trebek, a Ukrainian immigrant father and Lucille Lagacé, a Franco-Ontarian mother.  He was educated by the Jesuits before graduating from Toronto’s Malvern Collegiate Institute in 1958, and later the University of Ottawa with a degree in philosophy.  Interested in a career in broadcast news, he began his broadcasting career working for the CBC as a newscaster.

In 1973, Trebek moved to the United States and worked for NBC as host of a new game show, The Wizard of Odds. He appeared on television and hosted game shows before he was chosen to host the revived version of the game show Jeopardy! in 1984.   Art Fleming, the man whom Trebek was replacing, had retired from television.  He has been its host ever since.

In 1991, Trebek became the only host in United States TV history to helm three daily national game shows at once — Jeopardy!, Classic Concentration and To Tell the Truth.

Trebek became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1998.   In an interview with a talk show host, Trebek complained that “I had only been a citizen for two weeks when I received a summons to appear for jury duty!”  He now lives in Studio City, California. Trebek owns and manages Creston Farms, a 700 acre ranch near Paso Robles, California which breeds thoroughbred race horses.

KJ