Peter Sagal
Encyclopedia
Peter Sagal is an American
playwright
, screenwriter
, actor
, and host of the National Public Radio game show
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
He is originally from Berkeley Heights
, New Jersey
, although he currently resides in Oak Park, Illinois
. Sagal attended Harvard University
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. He also was a contestant on Jeopardy in April 1988, but finished second in his only game.
Sagal is a regular contributor to The New York Times Magazine
' s "True-Life Tales" column, beginning with a column entitled "He Goes Down Looking," which appeared in the August 6, 2006 issue. He was also a guest movie critic on the television show Ebert & Roeper in the December 2, 2006 episode. He has a column about running equipment in Runner's World
and has also written for the Chicago Tribune
, Houston Chronicle
, and other publications. His book The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them) was published in October 2007 by HarperCollins
.
In April 2007, his play Denial received its New York premiere at the Metropolitan Playhouse on the Lower East Side. Peter is also credited as co-writer of the movie Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
.
Sagal is a marathon
er who completed the 2007 Boston Marathon
and ran a portion of the Chicago Marathon
in 2011 without registering.
Sagal was also an extra in a Michael Jackson
music video.
Sagal is married to Beth Albrecht Sagal; they have three daughters.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, and host of the National Public Radio game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is an hour-long weekly radio news panel game show produced by Chicago Public Radio and National Public Radio. It is distributed by NPR in the United States, internationally on NPR Worldwide and on the Internet via podcast, and typically broadcast on weekends by member...
He is originally from Berkeley Heights
Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
Berkeley Heights is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 13,183....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, although he currently resides in Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
. Sagal attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. He also was a contestant on Jeopardy in April 1988, but finished second in his only game.
Sagal is a regular contributor to The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
Runner's World
Runner's World is a globally circulated monthly magazine for runners of all skills sets, published by Rodale Press in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
and has also written for the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
, and other publications. His book The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them) was published in October 2007 by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
.
In April 2007, his play Denial received its New York premiere at the Metropolitan Playhouse on the Lower East Side. Peter is also credited as co-writer of the movie Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
# "Dance Like This" - Wyclef Jean featuring Claudette Ortiz # "Dirty Dancing" - The Black Eyed Peas# "Guajira " - Yerba Buena# "Can I Walk By" - Jazze Pha featuring Monica# "Satellite " - Santana featuring Jorge Moreno...
.
Sagal is a marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
er who completed the 2007 Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
and ran a portion of the Chicago Marathon
Chicago Marathon
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race...
in 2011 without registering.
Sagal was also an extra in a Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
music video.
Sagal is married to Beth Albrecht Sagal; they have three daughters.
External links
- PeterSagal.com
- Peter Sagal's Weekly Column at AMCtv.com
- "He Goes Down Looking"
- New York Times Review of "Denial"
- Peter Sagal Interview on Fresh AirFresh AirFresh Air is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States. The show is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its longtime host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 450 stations and claimed 4.5 million listeners. The show...
. - An interview with Peter Sagal on The Marketplace of Ideas