• Patrick Leonard Sajak was born on 26 October 1946 in Chicago, Illinois. • As of mid-2018, his estimated net worth is $55 million. • He is best known for hosting the TV game show “Wheel of Fortune” since 1983. • He is married to photographer Lesly Brown Sajak since 1989, and they have two children. • He is a financial supporter of the Young America’s Foundation and a member of the Churches of Christ.
Known for movies
Wheel of Fortune (1983-2017) as Miscellaneous Crew
Wheel of Fortune (2010) as Himself - Host
Pat Sajak Weekend (2003) as Himself / Host
The Sunday Show (1976) as Co-host
Short Info
Short Info
Date Of Birth
October 26, 1946
Spouse
Lesly Brown, Sherrill Sajak
Fact
Wheel of Fortune (1975)'s second full-time host after Chuck Woolery. Succeeded by retired football kicker, Rolf Benirschke, then Entertainment Tonight's Bob Goen,.
Patrick Leonard Sajak was born on 26 October 1946, in Chicago, Illinois USA, of part-Polish descent and is a television personality, host, and former weatherman, best known for his work as the host of the TV game show “Wheel of Fortune”.
How rich is Pat Sajak? As of mid-2018, sources estimate a net worth that is at $55 million, mostly earned through success on television – he made appearances in numerous popular television series throughout the course of his career. As he continues his endeavors, it is expected that his wealth will also continue to increase.
Early Life, Education, and Career Beginnings
Pat’s father was a factory worker. He attended Farragut High School and after matriculating, studied at Columbia College Chicago. During college, he worked as a desk clerk at the hotel called Palmer House, and then in 1968 joined the US Army, and served with the American Forces Vietnam Network, for which he became a disc jockey during the Vietnam War.
He was a part of Armed Forces Radio, serving until 1970. He then moved to a radio station in Murray, Kentucky, working there for a year before moving to be a DJ at the station WSM, which played pop music for most of the day. The radio station had a television sister company – WSMV – which later called him to work in front of the camera. He initially did voiceovers before eventually finding work as an anchor for five minute newscasts held during NBC’s “Today Show”. He then got a job as a weatherman, which led him to work with KNBC-TV, where he stayed full time for many years. https://twitter.com/patsajak/status/1003754133638320129
Wheel of Fortune and Later Work
In 1981, Sajak was asked by Merv Griffin if he was interested in taking over as the host of “Wheel of Fortune”, however, the initial request was rejected as the CEO of NBC felt that he was too local. He was eventually accepted as host when Merv issued a moratorium to stop new tapings until Sajak was hired, subsequently becoming the host of “Wheel” from 1983 to 1989, before continuing on to host the current version of the show.
Aside from his work on “Wheel of Fortune”, he has appearing in numerous films and other television shows. He was a part of “Airplane II: The Sequel” as a newscaster before appearing in shows such as “Super Password” and “Password Plus”, and he also became a guest on “Just Men!’ In 1989, he had a late-night talk show on CBS, which was however short lived but it opened him to becoming a frequent guest host on “Larry King Live” as well as a substitute host on “Live with Regis and Kelley”. In 2003, he started hosting a program entitled “Pat Sajak Weekend” for the Fox News Channel.
Recent Projects
It is known that Pat is the External Director of the publishing house Eagle Publishing and he has also written for the publication “Human Events”. He’s appeared in several sitcoms and other television shows later in his career, including “The King of Queens” and “Days of Our Lives”. In 2010, he began writing for the National Review Online, and he’s also authored several puzzle games. He’s also appeared in “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” and “Highly Questionable”. He is slated to continue being the host of “Wheel of Fortune” until 2020.
Due to his popularity as the host of “Wheel of Fortune”, he’s been referenced several times in popular culture. He was parodied in a sketch of “Sesame Street”, and was often mentioned by Martin Short in “Saturday Night Live” during a sketch in which Short portrayed a pop culture-obsessed man child named Ed Grimley. He’s also been mentioned in shows such as “Animaniacs” and “Brickleberry”.
Personal Life
For his personal life, Sajak was married to Sheryl from 1979-86, and has been married to photographer Lesly Brown Sajak since 1989; they have two children together. The family has homes in Los Angeles, California, and in Severna Park, Maryland. He is also an investor in the Golden Baseball League which is an independent league featuring teams from several parts of the US. He has also tried his hand at calling baseball games in the past. Sajak has supported several political personalities over the course of his career, and it’s been noted that he has donated over $17,000 to election committees and candidates associated with the Republican Party. He is a financial supporter of the Young America’s Foundation, and a member of the Churches of Christ. He also mentioned to the media that he is a climate change skeptic.
General Info
Family
Accomplishments
Social profile links
General Info
Full Name
Pat Sajak
Date Of Birth
October 26, 1946
Height
1.77 m
Profession
Game Show Host, Television producer, Film producer, Talk show host, Actor, Radio personality
Education
Columbia College Chicago
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Lesly Brown, Sherrill Sajak
Children
Maggie Sajak, Patrick Michael James Sajak
Parents
Joyce Backal
Accomplishments
Awards
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host, People's Choice Award for Favorite Game Show Host
Movies
Airplane II: The Sequel
TV Shows
Wheel of Fortune, The Pat Sajak Show, The Price Is Right, Pat Sajak Weekend, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
When a politician begins a sentence with 'What the Anerican people want...' It's time to change the channel.
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[on the death of Richard Dawson]: He was able to inject his unique brand of humor into shows like Family Feud (1976). He could be funny and biting, mischievous and playful, but he always respected the game and treated his players with kindness.
3
[on relaxing with margaritas between tapings of 'Wheel of Fortune'] Vanna and I would have two or three or six and then have trouble recognizing the alphabet.
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Being a conservative in Hollywood is like walking into a shooting range with a bullseye attached to your body. There are more of us than you would believe, but if you want to keep working, you feel like you have to keep quiet.
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It's a stressful place to live. It's nice to leave L.A. for a few months and live somewhere more down to earth and easy going. It's also close to my wife's side of the family, and that's important to her.
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[on the death of Dan Miller]: Dan was an extraordinarily caring and talented man. I will miss him every day for the rest of my life.
7
Working with Merv (Griffin) can be quite the experience. I remember once going out to lunch and the waiter asked, "May I take your order?" Merv then pulls out his notebook and says, "Great idea!" He writes what the waiter said down and turns to me saying, "This will be a great puzzle for the show." He is one of the brightest and smartest men I have ever met.
8
I honestly didn't think the show was going to last much longer when I started in 1981. I thought a year would be lucky, 13 weeks more likely before it was back to forecasting the weather.
Wheel of Fortune (1975)'s second full-time host after Chuck Woolery. Succeeded by retired football kicker, Rolf Benirschke, then Entertainment Tonight's Bob Goen,.
8
Received an Emmy lifetime achievement award on June 19, 2011.
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Pat, along with co-host Vanna White, aired their 5,000th taping of Wheel of Fortune (1983) on Saturday, February 28th, 2009.
10
Accomplished helicopter pilot.
11
A huge hockey fan and his favorite team is the L.A. Kings.
12
Listed in 2001 issue of U.S. pop music magazine "Spin" as a co-composer for group Slayer.
13
Has a Sesame Street Muppet made in his likeness named Pat Playjacks, known on Sesame Street (1969) as the nicest game show host.
14
Hosted a few game show pilots before landing the Wheel of Fortune (1975) hosting job in 1981. He also hosted one other game show, "College Bowl", in 1984.
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Father of two children. Son, Patrick Michael James Sajak, was born Saturday, 22 September 1990. Daughter, Maggie Sajak, was born Thursday, 5 January 1995.
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Did a rendition of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple on stage in Hawaii with Joe Moore.
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Roommate of Joe Moore when they served in Vietnam.
18
Was a disc jockey on the armed forces radio while he served in Vietnam.
19
Sajak got his start as a weatherman at WSM-TV Nashville before moving to KNBC Los Angeles where he got the exposure that landed him a spot on Wheel of Fortune (1975).
