Biography

Was a disc jockey on the armed forces radio while he served in Vietnam.

Accomplished helicopter pilot.

Has a Sesame Street Muppet made in his likeness named Pat Playjacks, known on 1, rue Sésame (1969) as the nicest game show host.

Along with co-host Vanna White, Pat aired their 5,000th taping of Wheel of Fortune (1983) on February 28, 2009.

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).

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.

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.

[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.

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.

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.