bibliography
NNDB
This is a beta version of NNDB
Search: for

Pat Sajak

Pat SajakAKA Patrick Leonard Sajdak

Born: 26-Oct-1946
Birthplace: Chicago, IL

Gender: Male
Religion: Roman Catholic
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Game Show Host
Party Affiliation: Republican

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Wheel of Fortune

Military service: US Army (1968-70)

In high school, Pat Sajak's name was drawn at random in a radio station's contest, making him "guest disk jockey" for a night. He liked it, and took broadcasting-related courses at Columbia College in Chicago, where he landed a job reading news off the wire on a local radio station. In the Army, he was sent to Vietnam, where his served as a morning disc jockey on Armed Forces Radio. When Sajak left the Army, he worked as disc jockey when he could, and as a hotel desk clerk when he couldn't. He jumped from radio to TV with the NBC affiliate in Nashville, where he did station breaks, commercials, and was promoted to weatherman. Sajak looked good on camera and pronounced words like "cumulus" properly, and soon he was the weatherman at KNBC, the NBC-owned station in Los Angeles.

In 1981, Chuck Woolery, host of Wheel of Fortune, demanded a bigger raise than Merv Griffin was willing to give. Griffin turned on the TV, saw Sajak predicting sunshine and smog, and offered Sajak the show. In 1989, CBS handed Sajak a late-night talk show, hoping to compete with Johnny Carson's Tonight. The Pat Sajak Show lasted a year and a half. It's most memorable moment came toward the end, when Sajak wasn't there: Rush Limbaugh guest-hosted and infuriated the studio audience so much that the auditorium was empty before Limbaugh could finish the show. In 2003, Pat Sajak Weekend began on Fox News, with Sajak interviewing celebrities. It was axed after one season. He's also talked baseball on the weekly internet Pat Sajak Baseball Hour, and his PAT Productions makes kiddie videos like Leo the Late Bloomer.

Father: Sajdak
Mother: Joyce Backal
Father: Walter Backal (stepfather)
Brother: David Sajdak
Brother: Bill Backal (half brother)
Wife: Sherrill (m. 1979, div. 1986)
Wife: Lesly Brown Sajak (m. 31-Dec-1989)
Son: Patrick Michael James Sajak (b. 22-Sep-1990)
Daughter: Maggie Marie (b. 5-Jan-1995)

    High School: Farragut High School, Chicago, IL
    University: Columbia College Chicago
    Administrator: Trustee, Hillsdale College

    Member of the Board of Eagle Publishing
    Campaign America Inc.
    Claremont Institute Board of Advisors
    Dole-Kemp '96
    Fred Thompson PAC
    Friends of George Allen
    Friends of Giuliani Exploratory Committee
    Steele for Maryland
    Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame 2003
    Daytime Emmy 1993 for Wheel of Fortune
    Daytime Emmy 1997 for Wheel of Fortune
    Hollywood Walk of Fame 6200 Hollywood Blvd.
    Polish Ancestry
    Parodied As A Muppet Pat Playjacks
    Global Warming Skeptics

    TELEVISION
    Wheel of Fortune Host (1981-)
    Days of Our Lives Kevin Hathaway (1983)

    FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
    Airplane II: The Sequel (10-Dec-1982) · Buffalo Anchorman

Official Website:
http://www.patsajak.com/


New!
NNDB MAPPER
Create a map starting with Pat Sajak
Requires Flash 7+ and Javascript.

Do you know something we don't?
Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile



Copyright ©2019 Soylent Communications