Pat Sajak Is Alive

ORIGIN
Chicago native Pat Sajak is an American game show host and television personality. He became a household name as the longstanding host of the TV game show ‘Wheel of Fortune.’ Sajak is also a talk show host and a former weatherman. His screen credits include Fresh Off the Boat, The King of Queens, The A-Team, Days of Our Lives, Rugrats, and The Larry Sanders Show. His very own television show ‘The Pat Sajak Show’ ran from 1989 to 1990. In 1987, Sajak was honored with the People’s Choice Award for favorite game show host. His star was added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.

Sajak was born Patrick Leonard Sajdak on October 26, 1946, in Chicago, Illinois. He has a brother, David, and a half-brother, William. His late father, Leonard Anthony Sajak, was a factory worker. Following Leonard’s death, his mother, Joyce Helen, married Walter Backal. Sajak attended Farragut High School followed by Columbia College Chicago. He held a job at the Palmer House Hilton hotel while attending college. Prior to television, Sajak served in the US Army (1968-72). He served as a radio DJ for the Armed Forces Radio during the Vietnam War.

CAREER
Sajak kicked off his career in his home city of Chicago. His first official gig was as a newsman for the local Spanish radio station ‘WEDC.’ During his tenure, he was tasked with reading a 5-minute newscast every hour on the hour from midnight to 6:00 AM. After returning for his Army duties in 1972, Sajak scored a job as a disc jockey on a radio station in Murray, Kentucky. He held that gig for a year. He later served as a DJ at the station ‘WSM’ in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1977, Sajak was recruited by ‘KNBC-TV’ in Los Angeles, California. He was hired as a full-time weatherman.

In 1980, Sajak hosted the pilot episodes for the gameshows ‘Press Your Luck’ and ‘Puzzlers.’ The following year, he was hired by Merv Griffin to host ‘Wheel of Fortune.’ The first host of Wheel of Fortune was Chuck Woolery. Chuck hosted the game show from 1975 to 1981. Sajak made his Wheel hosting debut on December 28, 1981. He’s since won 3 Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding game show host (1993, 1997, 1998). The 2018-19 season marked his 38th year hosting the show. It earned him a spot in the Guinness World Records as the longest-running host of any game show.

In addition to Wheel of Fortune, Sajak has hosted or co-hosted several other television programs. Most notably, he hosted The Pat Sajak Show (1989-90) and the Pat Sajak Weekend (2003). He’s served as a guest host on ‘Larry King Live’ and ‘Live with Regis and Kelly.’ He’s made multiple appearances on the game show Super Password (1984-88). Sajak had a small role as a newscaster in Ken Finkleman’s film, Airplane II: The Sequel (1982). He was later cast as “Kevin Hathaway” in a 1983 episode of Days of Our Lives. His television credits also include Rugrats, The King of Queens, The A-Team, and The Commish.

PERSONAL
Pat Sajak is 5ft 10in tall and he’s of Polish descent. His net worth is estimated at $70 million USD. He has residences in Severna Park, Maryland, and Los Angeles, California. Sajak was married to his first wife ‘Sherrill’ from 1979 to 1986. He wed his current wife, Lesley Brown, in December 1989. They have two children, Patrick and Maggie Sajak. He also has a stepson named Mason. Pat Sajak underwent an emergency intestinal surgery on November 8, 2019. The surgery was successful and he returned to hosting Wheel of Fortune on December 5, 2019. During his absence, the show was hosted by Vanna White.

Pat Sajak Bio, Net Worth, Height