Wink Martindale, host of game shows “Tic-Tac-Dough” and “High Rollers,” dies at 91

Game show host Wink Martindale, known for “Tic-Tac-Dough,” “High Rollers” and “Gambit,” has died, according to his official Facebook page. He was 91.

“Wink was amazing, funny and talented,” the post on his Facebook page reads. “Truly a LEGEND!”

The host, born Winston Martindale, had a 74-year career, according to Nashville Publicity Group, which also confirmed Martindale’s death. A cause of death was not given.

“The entire Game Show Network family mourns the loss of Wink Martindale, the host of the original “Tic-Tac-Dough” and a true legend of television game shows,” the Game Show Network posted on social media. “His charm and presence lit up the screen for generations of viewers and he will never be forgotten.”

Martindale’s professional career began when he was just 17, according to his Hollywood Walk of Fame biography. The Jackson, Tennessee, man worked as a disc jockey for several years and even had his rendition of the spoken-word song “Deck Of Cards” chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

His television career began at WHBQ-TV as the host of “Mars Patrol,” a science-fiction program for kids, according to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which Martindale earned a star on in 2006.

While at WHBQ-TV, Martindale began hosting “Teenage Dance Party,” where he was joined by Elvis Presley in one appearance. The two were long-time friends; Presley dated Martindale’s wife, Sandy, before they married.

In 1964, Martindale landed a job hosting NBC’s “What’s This Song.” Other hosting credits include “Words and Music,” “Can You Stop This” and “Headline Chasers.” He hosted more than a dozen game shows, according to his 2000 autobiography.

He hosted “Tic-Tac-Dough” on CBS from 1978 until 1985, according to IMDB. Martindale hosted 185 episodes of NBC’s “High Rollers” between 1987 and 1988. His show “Gambit,” based on blackjack, was produced by Heatter-Quigley Productions. 

“I remember that they auditioned practically every possible host. It came down to Dick Clark and me, and this is one time I beat Dick Clark,” Martindale told the Television Academy Foundation in 2018.

He also told the Television Academy Foundation that he liked getting to meet so many different people while working on game shows.  

“I enjoy finding out what makes people tick,” he told the Television Academy Foundation. “As you play a game, you see why one person is more successful than another. But I just love working with people, and I love talking.”

In recent years, Martindale made appearances on such programs as “Most Outrageous Game Show Moments,” “The Chase” and “The Bold and the Beautiful,” according to his publicist. He also appeared in commercials for Orbitz and KFC.

Martindale is survived by his wife, his daughters and his sister.