Al Roker - Biography

Last Editor: jenna.m				Al Roker Biography -   Name : Al Roker Profession : television broadcaster Birth Details : born August 20, 1954

Al Roker Trivia -

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Al Roker Detailed Biography -

Albert Lincoln Roker (born August 20, 1954) is an American television broadcaster, best known as the meteorologist for NBC's Today show. He holds American Meteorological Society Television Seal #238. Born in Queens, New York, Roker attended Xavier High School in Manhattan. Later, he began his weathercasting career while he was a student at the State University of New York at Oswego. Roker worked in Syracuse, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; and Washington, D.C., before returning to New York in 1983 where he started as the weekend weather presenter for local station WNBC and backup weatherman for then WNBC chief meteorologist Frank Field. He took over as WNBC's chief meteorologist a year later when Frank Field left to join WCBS-TV. Roker became the weekend weatherman for NBC News's Sunday Today show in 1987 and Saturday Today show in 1992. He also filled in for Joe Witte on the former NBC News program NBC News at Sunrise from 1983 to 1996. He began to appear on the weekday Today show once a week in 1994, when weatherman Willard Scott stopped working on Fridays. Roker began to appear on Mondays as well when Scott's work week was cut down to three days in 1995, before completely replacing Scott in 1996. Up until that point, he had retained his duties at WNBC; with his expanded role on the Today show, he left WNBC's 6pm and 11pm newscasts in 1996, and WNBC's Live at Five broadcast in 2000. He was replaced by Janice Huff in both instances. Alongside his duties as a weather presenter, Roker has hosted numerous events for NBC since 1994, including Christmas at Rockefeller Center since 1997 and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade since 1994, and produced several programs for PBS, MSNBC, CNBC, and the Food Network. Roker has also filled in for Katie Couric and Matt Lauer as co-host of The Today Show. Roker also filled in for Jack Ford as co-host of the Sunday Today show on Father's Day in 1999; it was the first time that Roker acted as anchor of a Today show program. In 2001 Roker had a knee operation. In 2002, in accordance with his late father's wish, Roker underwent gastric bypass surgery to lose weight, which he said he did after failing at numerous diets. Eight months after the surgery, the New York Daily News reported he dropped 100 pounds (45 kg) off his 320-pound figure. In 2005 Roker had a back operation. His wife is fellow journalist Deborah Roberts, who has done reporting for both ABC and NBC where she met Roker when she first joined the network in 1990 as a reporter. They both worked together on Today from 1990-1995 with Roberts filling in for Faith Daniels, Margaret Larson and Matt Lauer at the Newsdesk and Roker filling in for Willard Scott as the weatherman. Al Roker has 3 children.