Alex Trebek

As the seemingly omniscient host of the long-running quiz show Jeopardy!, this Canada-born personality has drawn both admiration and ire. Although his detractors dub him pretentious and robotic, his fans love his consistently mild-mannered demeanor. The fact that he has appeared as himself (or some version thereof) in a number of projects, including Wrestlemania and the first Charlie's Angels movie, seems to imply that Trebek actually doesn't take himself that seriously. After graduating from college with a philosophy degree, Trebek became a TV and radio news correspondent in his homeland. He segued to hosting in the '60s and took his first Stateside gig on The Wizard of Odds in 1973. Myriad game-show gigs followed, but Jeopardy! made him a star. During his tenure, he hosted an array of other shows and specials, including (for a brief period) three game shows Jeopardy!, Classic Concentration and To Tell the Truth simultaneously. Except for shaving off his moustache in 2001, neither Trebek nor his signature series have changed much over the years, which may just be the key to the series' and the man's  success.