Winston Conrad "Wink" Martindale was born on December 4, 1933 and passed away on April 15, 2025 at the age of 91. Wink was a pop culture icon, most broadly known for hosting game shows, including Gambit, Tic-Tac-Dough, High Rollers, and Debt.

Wink grew up in a deeply religious household in Jackson, Tennessee. Though his mother wanted him to be a preacher, Wink started his career as a disc jockey when he was 17 years old. It was through these line of work that he discovered just how popular Elvis Presley would be.

After radio, Wink moved onto television. His first role was the host of Mars Patrol, a science-fiction themed children's TV series. He then became the host of the teenage TV series Dance Party before stepping into the world of game shows. His first gig was hosting the show What's This Song, and then moved on to Words and Music, Gambit, and Tic-Tac-Dough. This was perhaps his most successful endeavor.

While he was hosting these game shows, he also made a few film cameos, notably in The Great American Traffic. Wink then decided to form his own production company, Wink Martindale Enterprises, so he could produce his own game shows. His first show was Headline Chasers, but unfortunately it was canceled after just one season. His next venture, Bumper Stumpers, was more successful. Then, in 1988, he secured the licensing rights from Parker Brothers to develop game shows based on board games, like Boggle.

Getting into the later days of his career, Wink received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. In 2007, he was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame. He did a few television commercials, and in 2014, Wink started a YouTube channel that featured episodes of game shows, game show pilots, rare clips from the various shows he hosted, and other game show content.

Wink married Madelyn Leech in 1954 and they had four children together before divorcing in 1971. His second wife was Sandy Ferra, and they married in 1975. They had a few dogs, which Wink named after the various game shows he hosted.