Born
Albert Lincoln Roker, Jr.
August 20, 1954 (1954-08-20) (age 55)
Queens, New York, U.S.
Occupation
Weather presenter, television and radio personality
Years active
1974 – present
Website
www.alroker.com
Height
5' 8" (1.73 m)
Spouse
Deborah Roberts (16 September 1995 - present) 2 children
Alice Bell (22 December 1984 - 1994) (divorced) 1 child
(divorced) 1 daughter
Trivia
Daughter Leila, with wife Deborah Roberts, was born. [November 1998]
Welcomed second child, with wife Deborah Roberts, son Nicholas Albert on July 18, 2002.
Graduated from State University of New York (SUNY) College at Oswego with a degree in communications.
Graduated from the prestigious Xavier High School in New York City, where he was a member of the Cartooning & Illustration club.
Went through stomach by-pass surgery which he chronicled on "Today" (1952) in order to educate other obese people that something can be done to help them.
Initially wanted to be a cartoonist before he got into television.
Double majored in graphic design and broadcasting/journalism in college.
31 August 2005 - Underwent back surgery for a ruptured disc.
Cousin of Roxie Roker and her son, singer Lenny Kravitz.
Biography
Weatherman and television personality. Born Albert Lincoln Roker on August 20, 1954, in Queens, New York. After graduating from Xavier High School in Manhattan, Roker studied communicatons at State University of New York at Oswego, where he got his first shot at weathercasting. He reported the weather in Ohio and D.C. before returning to New York in 1983. There, Roker gradually made his way up the ranks from backup weatherman to chief meteorologist for various networks, eventually landing the job he is best known for, weatherman for NBC’s Today show, in 1996.
In addition to his post at the Today show, the nine-time Emmy winner has produced several programs for PBS, MSNBC and CNBC. He has also recently gained popularity for his Food Network series Roker on the Road. In 2005, he launched Al Roker Productions, Inc., a multimedia production company responsible for the critically acclaimed PBS weather special, Savage Skies, as well as the highly rated travel series Going Places.
In 2002, Roker, a notorious food lover and author of several cookbooks, underwent a much-televised gastric bypass surgery to lose weight, dropping 100 pounds just eight months following the surgery. Roker is married to fellow journalist Deborah Roberts. The couple met in 1990 when Roberts first joined NBC as a reporter. He has two daughters and a son. |
