Wink Martindale

Winston Conrad "Wink" Martindale (December 4, 1933 – April 15, 2025) was an American disc jockey, radio personality, game show host and television producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he was known for his outgoing and jovial demeanor and his booming voice, who was also well-known for hosting the game shows: Gambit from 1972 to 1976 (and again from 1980 to 1981), Tic-Tac-Dough from 1978 to 1985, High Rollers from 1987 to 1988, and Debt from 1996 to 1998. He also presented Wink's Vault, on his YouTube Channel, from 2014 until his death in 2025.

Early life

Winston Conrad Martindale was born on December 4, 1933, in Jackson, Tennessee, the fourth of five children. His mother, Frances Mae (née Mitchell), was a housewife, and his father, James ("Auzie") Martindale, was a lumber inspector, and later worked for Life magazine. Martindale grew up in humble circumstances in a deeply religious household. When speaking of his childhood, Martindale said that "There were five of us in our small house, and my three brothers, one sister, and I lived with our parents in a two-bedroom, one-bath house with no shower. All of our water had to be heated. We poured water into a tub to take a bath. My parents bought our groceries on credit at Woody's Grocery Store. We used to go to church every Sunday morning and evening and on Wednesday nights we went to Bible study. When school was out in the summer, we attended Vacation Bible School."