Look Back at Beloved ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Alex Trebek’s Life and Career Through the Years

We’ve loved Alex Trebek for his warm demeanor, soothing voice, handsome good looks and engaging personality ever since he began his Hollywood career more than five decades ago. The beloved Jeopardy! host remained a living room TV staple on weekday nights over the years until his death on November 8, 2020.

“Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex,” the show’s verified Twitter account confirmed at the time.

The iconic TV personality got his start working part-time at the Canadian Broadcasting Company until he was offered a full-time gig as a staff announcer after his college graduation in 1961. It wasn’t until 1969 when Alex got hired on the game show Reach for the Top. There, he excelled in his first big-time hosting gig.

After feeling more ambitious about his career, Alex — who has been married to his wife Jean Currivan Trebek since 1990 — yearned for a change. Thanks to his exceptional performance on hosting gigs such as The Wizards of Odds, CBS’s Double Dare, The $128,000 Question, NBC’s The New High Roller, as well as many others, Jeopardy! came along.

Alex was introduced to the trivia game show in 1984 after it previously ran for a little over 11 years. CNN once reported that the show — which was created by game show legend Merv Griffin in 1964 but canceled in 1975 — was given “absurd” time slots. The outlet also noted that the show was pulled from several stations. The award-winning star and show producers were even pressured to make the questions easier so that viewers wouldn’t feel bad, according to Mental Floss.

Since then, Alex has turned Jeopardy! into a big deal. Throughout his career, he has appeared in nearly 8,000 episodes of the game show and holds the Guinness World Record for Most Game Show Episodes Hosted by the Same Presenter, according to Good Housekeeping. Alex has also racked up a whopping six Emmy Awards including a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The TV personality was on a roll until he revealed he was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer in March 2019. Although many fans worried about his health, Alex said he was “near remission” two months after he made that first announcement. He also planned on hosting Jeopardy! until it’s time for him to retire.

Scroll through the gallery below to see Alex through the years.

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