Wink Martindale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wink Martindale
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Martindale in a 1964 publicity photo
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| Born |
Winston Conrad Martindale
December 4, 1933 Jackson, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Died | April 15, 2025 (aged 91) |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1951–2025 |
| Spouse(s) |
Madelyn Leech
(m. 1954; div. 1972)Sandy Ferra
(m. 1975) |
| Children | 4 |
Winston Conrad "Wink" Martindale (December 4, 1933 – April 15, 2025) was a famous American disc jockey, radio personality, game show host, and television producer. He was best known for hosting popular game shows like Gambit, Tic-Tac-Dough, High Rollers, and Debt. Wink Martindale had a long and successful career in entertainment, lasting over 70 years.
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Wink Martindale's Career Highlights
Starting in Radio
Winston Conrad Martindale, known as Wink, was born in Jackson, Tennessee. He started his radio career at just 17 years old, working as a disc jockey (DJ) at a local station. He quickly moved to bigger stations, gaining more experience. While studying at Memphis State University, he worked mornings at WHBQ in Memphis. He graduated with a science degree in 1957.
A famous moment in radio history happened on July 10, 1954, when Wink was at WHBQ. His colleague, Dewey Phillips, played a new song that got a huge reaction from listeners. This song was "That's All Right", Elvis Presley's very first record. Wink helped contact Elvis for an interview, and Elvis's parents brought him to the studio. Elvis was so nervous that Dewey interviewed him without Elvis knowing he was live on air!
In 1959, Wink Martindale released a spoken-word song called "Deck of Cards". It became a big hit, selling over a million copies and reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. It also did well in Canada and the UK. After this success, he moved to Los Angeles and worked at several major radio stations throughout the years. In 1967, he even appeared in a short film that predicted future technologies like online shopping.
Moving to Television
Wink Martindale's first TV job was in Memphis, hosting Mars Patrol, a science-fiction show for kids. He also hosted Teenage Dance Party, where his friend Elvis Presley made an appearance in 1956. After Elvis passed away, Wink hosted a special radio tribute for him across the country.
His first game show was What's This Song? on NBC from 1964 to 1965. He hosted a similar show called Words and Music a few years later. His big break came in 1972 when he became the host of Gambit on CBS. He hosted the original show for four years and later a revival in Las Vegas from 1980 to 1981.
Wink Martindale is most famous for hosting Tic-Tac-Dough. He started hosting the revived version in 1978 and stayed until 1985. This show became one of the most popular game shows of its time. While hosting Tic-Tac-Dough, Wink even made a cameo in a TV movie called The Great American Traffic Jam.
Wink decided to start his own company, Wink Martindale Enterprises, to create his own game shows. His first show was Headline Chasers in 1985, but it only lasted one season. He had more success with Bumper Stumpers, a Canadian game show he co-produced, which aired from 1987 to 1990.
Later, Wink worked with The Family Channel to create "interactive" game shows. These shows let viewers play along at home and win prizes. He hosted four of these shows, including Trivial Pursuit, based on the popular board game. Other shows included Shuffle, Boggle, and Jumble. While Trivial Pursuit was popular, the other interactive games didn't last as long.
In 1996, Wink Martindale became the host of Debt on the Lifetime channel. This unique quiz show had contestants compete to pay off their real-life debts. Even though it was very popular on cable TV, the show was canceled in 1998. After Debt, Wink didn't host another game show for over ten years.
Later Career and Recognition
On June 2, 2006, Wink Martindale received a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. This honor recognizes his long and successful career in entertainment. In 2007, he was also one of the first people inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in Las Vegas.
Wink appeared in various TV commercials, including ads for the travel website Orbitz. He also continued his radio work, hosting shows like Music of Your Life and Hit Parade Radio. In 2008, he appeared on GSN Live, a show on the Game Show Network. His last game show hosting job was for the GSN original series Instant Recall, which premiered in 2010.
In 2012, Wink returned to radio to host The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time. He also made a guest appearance on The Eric Andre Show in 2013, showing his fun and playful side.
In 2014, Wink Martindale started his own YouTube channel called "Wink's Vault." On this channel, he shared old episodes of game shows, rare clips, and other content related to game shows. He kept adding videos to his channel for the rest of his life. He also made a special guest appearance on the GSN show The Chase in 2014.
Wink even appeared on the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful in 2016, playing a minister. In 2017, he was part of a KFC advertising campaign with actor Rob Lowe. In 2021, he uploaded a pilot episode for the ABC version of Deal or No Deal to his YouTube channel after reaching a subscriber goal.
From June 2021, Wink Martindale began hosting The History of Rock 'n' Roll. This two-hour weekend radio show looked back at music from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The show included songs, fun facts about the music and artists, and interviews.
Personal Life
Wink Martindale married Madelyn Leech in 1954, and they had four children together. They divorced in 1972. He later married his second wife, Sandy Ferra, on August 2, 1975.
He was known for naming some of his dogs after the different game shows he hosted. Wink Martindale was a Christian and sometimes appeared on religious TV programs. He also held conservative political views. His wife, Sandy, had previously dated Elvis Presley, and both Wink and Sandy were good friends with Elvis. They often shared stories about him on Elvis Radio.
Death
Wink Martindale passed away from lymphoma in a hospital in Rancho Mirage, California, on April 15, 2025. He was 91 years old.
