Wink Martindale, one of the most recognized game show hosts in television history, died Tuesday died in Rancho Mirage, California. He was 91. Martindale passed away surrounded by family and his wife of 49 years, Sandra Martindale, according to a news release from his publicity firm.
Through the course of his career, Martindale hosted 15 game shows, with his three greatest successes Tic-Tac-Dough, High Rollers and Gambit. Including his later role as a producer, the number of game shows on his resume rose to 21.
Born Winston Conrad Martindale on December 4, 1933 in Jackson, Mississippi, Martindale started his career as a disc jockey at age 17 at WPLI in his hometown. While attending Memphis State University, Martindale hosted of morning show Clockwatchers on radio station WHBQ. An early segue into television came at WHBQ-TV in Memphis, where he hosted Mars Patrol, a science-fiction themed children’s television series. Next as a host at the station was Teenage Dance Party, which featured an appearance by Elvis Presley, who was a personal friend, in 1956.
Martindale also had a hit record in the 1950s with the spoken-word country song, Deck of Cards.
Nicknamed “Wink” by a neighborhood friend, Martindale’s first break on television came at age 31 as host of the game show What’s This Song? on NBC from 1964 to 1965. Next on NBC was another musical-themed game show, Words and Music, from 1970 to 1971. But it was the original Gambit from 1970 to 1974 on CBS (and later the Las Vegas-based revival from 1980 to 1981) that brought him national recognition.
Martindale’s greatest success as a game show host came courtesy of the revival of Tic-Tac-Dough beginning in 1978. He exited in 1985 to host the one season Headline Chasers through his newly formed production company, Wink Martindale Enterprises. Next under his production banner was the three season game show Bumper Stumpers, which aired on both American and Canadian television from 1987 until 1990.
Prior to Bumper Stumpers, and in a partnership with producer Jerry Gilden, Martindale/Gilden Productions secured the licensing rights from Parker Brothers to develop game shows based on Parker-owned properties.
After hosting the short-lived revival of High Rollers and the Canadian game show The Last Word, Martindale moved into a producer’s role on The Great Getaway Game on Travel Channel in 1990. He also produced and hosted a series of interactive game shows for the old Family Channel, including Trivial Pursuit in 1993.
Martindale then headed to Lifetime to host game show Debt, which ran from 1996 to 1998.
Additionally, Martindale was active doing commercials for Orbitz and KFC, among other outlets, and made guest appearances on such programs as Most Outrageous Game Show Moments, The Chase, and The Bold and the Beautiful.
In 2006, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And he was one of the first inductees into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame, amopng other career honors.
Beginning in 2014, Martindale had started his own YouTube channel, called Wink’s Vault, featuring episodes of game shows, game show pilots, rare clips from various game shows, among other clips.
Martindale is survived by his wife, Sandra; sister Geraldine; his daughters Lisa, Lyn and Laura; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.