“Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek
Credit: © Jeopardy! Productions, Inc.

He was one of history’s most beloved game show hosts.

If you said, “Alex Trebek,” you’re wrong—but only because you didn’t answer in the form of a question!

That’s the way things work on the long-running television quiz show “Jeopardy!” (1984-…). The clues are provided in the form of answers, and the contestants supply the question. The show has become a staple of American television and made a household name of its host, Alex Trebek, who died November 8 at the age of 80. Trebek became known for his calm and charismatic personality and for wryly responding to contestants who missed easy questions. Along the way, in an age of game shows that often involved simple puzzles or silly stunts, “Jeopardy!” gained a reputation as a serious and challenging contest of knowledge.

Trebek was born on July 22, 1940, in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. He attended the University of Ottawa, graduating with a degree in philosophy in 1961. Trebek began his career as a journalist and newscaster with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). He shifted careers when he began hosting the Canadian quiz show “Reach for the Top” (1961-1989) in the mid-1960′s. Trebek began hosting the nationally televised Canadian game show “Jackpot” (1974-1990) in 1970. Trebek’s first role in American television was hosting the game show “The Wizard of Odds” (1973-1974). In 1984, Merv Griffin, the creator of the popular game show “Wheel of Fortune” (1975-…), invited Trebek to host a revival of the 1960′s and 1970′s game show “Jeopardy!”. Trebek ended up hosting more than 37 seasons of the show.

“Jeopardy!” has become an institution of popular culture. The show’s lilting Final Jeopardy theme, played as contestants contemplate each episode’s ultimate question, is widely associated with thinking under pressure. Among the more famous parodies of the show is a series of “Saturday Night Live” sketches in which Trebek, played by the comedian Will Ferrell, tussles with unruly celebrity contestants, most notably Sean Connery.

Trebek won six daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding game show host. In 2011, he won a daytime Emmy for lifetime achievement. In 2014, Trebek achieved the Guinness World Record for the most game show episodes hosted by the same presenter, with more than 8,000 episodes. Trebek wrote a memoir, The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life (2020).

In 2019, Trebek announced that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Despite debilitating pain, he continued to host the show and shared his experience of his illness with viewers in television interviews and specials.