Pat Sajak

American television host

Born: October 26, 1946

Famous Persons

Who is Pat Sajak?

Patrick Leonard Sajak ( SAY-jak); né Sajdak (); (born October 26, 1946) is an American retired game show host, television personality, and creative consultant. Sajak also served as a consultant for the show, and hosted Celebrity Wheel of Fortune until 2025. Beyond his game show career, Sajak also hosted a late-night talk show on CBS from 1989 to 1990 and became a frequent guest host for CNN's Larry King Live and the syndicated Live with Regis and Kelly. He has made various appearances in films, television series, and game shows, such as Airplane II: The Sequel, Days of Our Lives, and Rugrats.

Sajak in an ad for WSM, for whom he was an afternoon host, c. 1970s

Historical significance

He is best known as the host of the television game show Wheel of Fortune, a position which he held from 1981 to 2024. For his work on Wheel, Sajak has received 19 nominations for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host, winning thrice, and twice nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Game Show, winning in 2024. In 2019, he was recognized by Guinness World Records for having the longest-serving career as a game show host for the same show, surpassing previous record holder Bob Barker.

Sajak with Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune, circa 1986

Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“Pat Sajak.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/pat-sajak/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

APA

Pat Sajak. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/pat-sajak/

Chicago

“Pat Sajak.” thisDay. Accessed October 26, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/pat-sajak/.

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