Alex Trebek's French-Canadian Ancestry
Did you know that Alex Trebek had French-Canadian roots? His mother was a Lagacé, a common French name in Québec and French Canada. Explore the Jeopardy! host's genealogy all the way to France.
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Alex Trebek
Last month we learned the sad news that Alex Trebek, the beloved host of Jeopardy!, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 80. A household name to millions of television viewers around the world, Trebek hosted Jeopardy! for a whopping 37 seasons—over 7,500 episodes.
A native of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, Alex Trebek was born in 1940 to George Trebek and Lucille Lagacé. After completing high school, Trebek attended the University of Ottawa, where he graduated in 1961 with a degree in philosophy. He chose a different career path, however, and decided to pursue journalism instead. His first job was at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), where he was dubbed the "youngest CBC permanent staff announcer in Canada." In the mid-1960s, Trebek became the host of Canadian game shows Reach for the Top and Jackpot. In the 1970s, he moved to Hollywood, California, where he hosted four more game shows before finally landing the top job on Jeopardy! in 1984. Fun fact: Lucille Ball urged her friend Merv Griffin to hire Trebek as the new Jeopardy! host.
Ukrainian and French-Canadian Roots
Trebek grew up in a multilingual household. His father, George Trebek, was of Ukrainian origin, possibly born in Siberia. His mother, Lucille Lagacé, came from a long line of French Canadians. Between the two of them, they spoke English, French, Ukrainian, Polish, and Russian.
A Soldier and a Fille du roi
Interestingly, when we trace Lucille Lagacé's patrilineal line back in time (from her father to his father to his father and so on), we learn that her first ancestor to come to New France in the 17th century wasn't a Lagacé but a Mignier (or Migné). Lagacé was a dit name (click here for an explanation on dit names).
André Mignier was born in 1651 in present-day Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré, Charente-Maritime, France. He came to New France in 1665 as a 14-year-old soldier in the Carignan-Salières regiment. At the end of his service in 1668, he decided to settle in Québec. At the age of 17, he married Fille du roi Jacquette Michel (or Michaud) on 23 Nov 1668 at Notre-Dame in Québec. She was 14 years his senior.
Author's note: because of this age difference, as well as André's very young age at his wedding and during his years as a soldier (and several other documents implying an earlier date of birth), some have questioned whether the baptism record found in 1651 truly belongs to André (even though his parents' names match that on his marriage record). It is possible that he was born much earlier than 1651.
Are you related to Alex Trebek? See if you can spot any relatives you may have in common. Trebek and yours truly, The French-Canadian Genealogist, are 7th cousins, once removed (click here for a handy family relationship chart).
Sources and further reading:
Biography.com Editors, "Alex Trebek Biography", 2 Apr 2014 (updated 8 Nov 2020), The Biography.com website (https://www.biography.com/personality/alex-trebek)
CNN Editorial Research team, "Alex Trebek Fast Facts", updated 8 Nov 2020, CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/08/us/alex-trebek-fast-facts/index.html).
Équipe du Fichier Origine, "MIGNIER / MIGNÉ / LAGACÉ, André", entry 242918, Fichier Origine (https://www.fichierorigine.com/recherche?numero=242918).
Lottie Elizabeth Johnson, Alex Trebek opens up about politics, swearing and cancer", 12 Sep 2020, DeseretNews (https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2020/9/12/21432959/alex-trebek-jeopardy-new-season-cancer).
James Poniewozik, "O Captain, My ‘Jeopardy!’ Captain", 8 Nov 2020, The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/08/arts/television/alex-trebek-jeopardy.html).
Doreen St. Félix, “The Rare Authority of Alex Trebek”, 11 Nov 2020, The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/postscript/the-rare-authority-of-alex-trebek).
"Ontario, Canada, Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1802-1967", digital images, Ancestry.ca (https://www.ancestry.ca/), baptism record for J George Alexander Trebek, 11 Aug 1940, Sudbury, St-Jean-de-Bréboeuf; citing original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin.
"Ontario, Canada, Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1802-1967", digital images, Ancestry.ca (https://www.ancestry.ca/), marriage record for George Trebek and Lucille Lagacé, 16 Dec 1939, Sudbury, St-Jean-de-Bréboeuf; citing original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin.