Winston Conrad Martindale net worth is $20 Million. Also know about Winston Conrad Martindale bio, salary, height, age weight, relationship and more …

Winston Conrad Martindale Wiki Biography

Born Winston Conrad Martindale on the 4th December 1933 in Jackson, Tennessee USA, Wink is a radio and television personality best known to the world as the host of many game shows, including “Tic Tac Dough” (1978-1985), and “Debt” (1996-1998), among many other differing engagements. Wink’s career started in the late 1950s.

Have you ever wondered how rich Wink Martindale is, as of early 2017? According to authoritative sources it has been estimated that Martindale’s net worth is as high as $20 million, an amount earned through his successful career in the entertainment industry.

Wink’s career began when he was 17 years old and still in high school, when he joined radio station WPLI in Jackson as a disc jockey, earning $25 per week. His interest increased, and although studying at Memphis State University, from which he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1957, Wink simultaneously pursued his radio career. He moved to WTJS, and then to WDXI, and after that he started working as a host of the morning show at WHBQ. He also tried his hand at spoken-word poetry, and recorded several songs, including “Deck of Cards” which reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was platinum certified, which only increased his net worth. Two years after his graduation, Wink joined KHJ as a morning man, at their headquarters in Los Angeles, California, but soon moved to KRLA and then to KFWB. During the ’60, he also worked on KGIL, and through the ‘70s had stints at KKGO, KMPC, only to join KABC in the late ‘80s, which further increased his wealth.

To speak of his television career, it began with a hosting position of the “Mats Patrol”, aired on WHBQ-TV in Memphis, which is a science-fiction TV program for children. Also, he started hosting the TV show “Teenage Dance Party”, on which program Elvis Presley also appeared. The two were quite close friends, and when Presley died in 1977, Wink aired a radio tribute to the deceased rock ‘n’ roll king.

After WHBQ-TV, Wink joined NBC as a host of the game show “What’s This Song?”. Although the show only lasted from 1964 until 1965, it certainly increased Wink’s net worth, and garnered attention to the new game show host. Some years later, he got his big break as emcee on the game show “Gambit” (1972-1976), and then in the spin-off “Las Vegas Gambit” (1980-1981). In the ‘80s, Wink reached his full potential with the show “Tic-Tac-Dough” (1978-1985), and encouraged by the success of the show, he ventured out on his own, starting Wink Martindale Enterprises, and created several shows, including “Bumper Stumpers” (1987-1990) in collaboration with Barry & Enright, producers who created Tic-Tac-Dough. During the ‘90s Wink also had success with several game shows, including “High Rollers”, “The Last Word”, then “Trivial Pursuit” (1993), and the highest-rated quiz show “Debt” (1996-1998), all of which added a significant amount to his net worth.

He has remained active in the entertainment world even in the new millennium, despite his age, and made numerous appearances, including as a pitchman for the travel website Orbitz, and as a host of “Instant Recall” (2010). Most recently, he also appeared in the soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful” (2016), which also improved his wealth.

In recognition of his long and eventful career, Wink received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006.

Regarding his personal life, Wink was married to Madelyn Leech from 1954 until 1971; the couple has four children. He has been married to Sandy Ferra since 1975.

He is a born-again Christian, and has recorded an appearance on the Trinity Broadcasting Network in an episode of their star show “Praise the Lord”.

IMDB Wikipedia . $20 million 1933 1933-12-4 Actor December 4 Elvis Presley Frances Geraldine Martindale Game Show Host Jackson James Martindale Laura Martindale Lisa Martindale Lynn Martindale Madelyn Leech Madelyn Leech m. 1954–1971 producer Sagittarius Sandy Ferra (m. 1975) Soundtrack Tennessee University of Memphis USA Wink Martindale Jr. Wink Martindale Net Worth Winston Conrad Martindale

Winston Conrad Martindale Quick Info

Winston Conrad Martindale Trademarks

1. On Debt (1996), he frequently wore tuxedos
2. Thick Southern accent.
3. Frequently tells stories of his relationship with Elvis Presley.
4. His classy demeanor.

Winston Conrad Martindale Quotes

• Honey, puhleeez, I can’t tell you how much I owe in credit cards.
• Everybody relates to debt. Well, we all have debt.
• I can’t speak for Pat (Finn), but I can tell you, if he’s like me, I did enjoy meeting all of the couples and contestants on all of my shows. Most emcees do.
• The industry has changed and now they want comedians doing this job. God bless them, Drew Carey, Steve Harvey, Wayne Brady, even Jane Lynch have done wonderful work, but the occupation of a game show host has become obsolete. Pat (Sajak) and Alex (Trebek) are the last of a dying breed. A guy like Bill Cullen, heck even myself, would struggle to even be considered these days.
• Subtly is gone. Richard (Dawson) and Gene (Rayburn), for example, could take a regular occurrence and make a hilarious situation out of it. Bob Barker and Bob Eubanks did this regularly on their shows. A show like Family Feud, which Steve Harvey has done a tremendous job of hosting, now writes the questions in such a way that it forces the contestants to answer provocatively. It doesn’t feel as creative and kind of cheapens what could be more authentic reactions with regular questions.
• [About the hobbies he enjoys during his spare time]: I tried golf several years ago. But being a left-hander I quickly determined golf wasn’t for me. I took up tennis and to this day it is my favorite sport, and pastime.
• [About getting a job, when he was 17]: I used to bug the hell out of him to give me a job.
• [When asked if he’s planning on retiring]: Retire from what? Having fun? I’ve never had more fun in my life.
• [Who talked about how a game show must last]: That guy’s up there, that gal’s up there winning all that money and those cars and those prizes, I could do the same thing. That is the real important guide to a successful game show.
• [Who talked about commuting from Calabasas to Las Vegas doing Las Vegas Gambit (1972)]: We taped 10 shows in 2 days every other week. All of us involved in producing the show flew from LA to Las Vegas. When the last shows were done we’d fly home to LA. A fun experience taping a show in Las Vegas.
• [If background puzzles were an asset to the game show strategy]: A background in puzzles is certainly not a requirement for a contestant. The main requirement is the player’s desire to win and compete. He or she should know the rules of game play “backwards and forwards” before attempting to play the game on TV. Naturally if the show is Q & A it helps to be above average at all subjects of trivia.
• [Of Pat Finn] Not only I have heard of him, he’s been a good friend of mine, and I’ve known him for years, he’s a terrific producer. He has produced some good shows and has hosted some good shows.
• The biggest thing to remember in game show hosting is you’ve got to have fun. For most people this is their one and only time ever on television, so you want to make it as memorable as possible. The best hosts take the spotlight off themselves and shine it on the contestants, making them the stars of the show.
• For a while, when people thought of The Price is Right, they thought of Bill Cullen. However, Bob Barker became such an icon through that show that nobody, nobody could ever come close to taking his place. The Price is Right is Bob Barker and Bob Barker is The Price is Right. When you think of game show hosts, he’s the first one that’ll pop into your head. He’s a legend and made that show a television institution.
• Gene (Rayburn) was a great friend and helped me realize that in order to make it in this business you’ve got to be yourself, warts and all. He let it all hang out on Match Game and that was a big reason for the show’s success.
• [Of Bill Cullen]: I was fortunate to have the pleasure of sharing a dressing room with Bill Cullen, when the two of us were doing shows for [Barry & Enright Productions]. I was doing Tic-Tac-Dough’ and he was filling in for Jack Barry on ‘Joker’s Wild.’ We got to talk between breaks of shows. It’s really one of the most memorable periods of my game show hosting life. Sadly, one of the things I remember most is that he smoked about three packs of unfiltered Camel cigarettes a day. That’s what took his life.
• [When he had a #1 song]: That’s something that can never be duplicated; it was just unbelievable to me that I was on the show, I was just so nervous. Like everyone else, I’d sit in Memphis and watch ‘The Ed Sullivan Show.’ When I got the call to [perform ‘Deck Of Cards’] on Ed’s show, it was like an out-of-body experience.
• [About his mother who wanted him to be a preacher]: She felt that way, because God gave me such a wonderful voice. She thought that I should think seriously about going to seminary to become a preacher, but what she didn’t understand was that preachers had to be called to the ministry. You just don’t wake up one day and become a preacher.
• I always thought I’d want to have a restaurant.
• I had been a deejay since I was 17. My roots were in radio, but I thought it would be fun to try my hand hosting a television game. I’d become addicted to Allen Ludden’s popular show, ‘Password.’ And after hosting a local version of ‘What’s This Song,’ a musical show featuring celebrities, NBC added it to its daytime lineup.
• [on getting his first job after graduation from high school]: They gave me a job at $25 per week, and for that you were expected to do everything. You read commercials, the news – play-by-play high school football and basketball, and you played records. If the floor needed sweeping, you did that too.

Winston Conrad Martindale Important Facts

• Most of the Debt (1996)’s questions came from Martindale’s experience in both radio and television.
• Attended the 90th Birthday of his longtime friend Peter Marshall in 2016.
• Bears a slight resemblance to Tom Kennedy, but are not brothers.
• On one episode of Debt (1996), Martindale’s victorious contestant celebrated a $17,394 win by ripping off his toupee, throwing it on the floor, then dancing around the hairpiece.
• While attending college, he received several speeding tickets, trying to keep up his busy schedule, rushing between classes at the radio station.
• Had subbed for Tom Kennedy on 2 episodes of You Don’t Say (1963).
• Unfortunately, despite crazily high ratings, his show, Debt (1996), got canceled for the reason that more males were watching the series than females on Lifetime Television.
• Since 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, and more.
• Lifelong friends with Bob Barker, Gene Rayburn, Johnny Gilbert, Richard Dawson, Pat Boone and Jim Lange.
• His show The New Tic Tac Dough (1978) debuted just 1 month before Pope John Paul II succeeds Pope Paul VI as the 263rd Pope.
• His show Debt (1996) debuted just 1 month after the Everett Disaster in 1996.
• Received the prestigious Diamond Circle award from the beloved Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters. [27 March 2015].
• After Martindale had celebrated his 80th Birthday late in 2013, both of his best friends, Jim Lange and Geoff Edwards, died within a week of each other. The most coincidental thing is they both worked at both Barry-Enright Productions and Chuck Barris Productions.
• Started listening to radio, when he was almost 8, at the time, he was listening to soap operas daily on the radio, with his mother, after leaving elementary school.
• Was idolized by: Bob Goen, Pat Finn, Wayne Cox, Ron Pearson, Jimmy Pardo, Graham Elwood, Todd Newton, Guy Fieri and Marc Summers.
• Has hosted ‘The Music of Your Life,’ a radio show, where Martindale played music of 3 decades, from the 1940s to the 1970s.
• Had commuted all the way from his home in Los Angeles, every week, to Las Vegas to do a taping of Las Vegas Gambit (1972), for one year, in 1980.
• Before a handsome young man, Marc Summers would become a successful game show host, he used to work with Martindale, when he was a page for Las Vegas Gambit (1972).
• Before he would become a radio announcer, for real, he used to always rehearse in being a newscaster, when he was a little boy.
• Was a fan of The Ed Sullivan Show (1948), which was hosted by Ed Sullivan. He would later guest-star with Sullivan on the same show.
• At age 25, Martindale moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1959, to continue pursuing his career as a radio disc jockey and television personality.
• Martindale’s long life has contributed to exercising, taking vitamins, and (of course) genetics.
• Had filled in for Fred Roggin on GSN Live while he was on vacation.
• Prior to hosting game shows, he also hosted the “Wink and Bill Show” with Bill Smith on KABC Radio.
• His father, James “Azzie” Martindale, died in 1969.
• Like fellow game show hosts Bill Cullen, Gene Rayburn, Geoff Edwards and Bob Barker, Martindale was known to be a very busy television personality.
• His brother, Edward Leo Martindale, died on March 11, 2003, at age 75.
• Has never retired from hosting game shows or hosting radio shows.
• Along with fellow game show host Bob Eubanks, Jim Lange, Ben Stein and Peter Marshall, Martindale was one of the hosts featured in the NBC special ‘Most Outrageous Game Show Moments.’.
• His brother, Edward, spent 18 months at Fort Bragg NC in the 82nd Airborne Division.
• Uncle of Courtenay, Edward Jr., Michael and George (from Edward’s marriage to Mary Hutcheson Martindale Cokey).
• The younger of four children.
• He along with Sandy Martindale appeared on Tattletales (1974), in time, after only 5 months of marriage.
• Had once said in an interview that a contestant was required to stay on The New Tic Tac Dough (1978), once; but they could stay on until a contestant has lost.
• Has been living in Calabasas, California, near Mailbu Canyon, since 1991, though the Martindales were lifelong residents of Malibu.
• Returned to hosting Instant Recall (2010), the first game show he has hosted, since the cancelation of Debt (1996), 12 years earlier, it was unsuccessful, unlike his many contemporary shows.
• Did a commercial for DiGiornio Pizza in the early 2000s.
• His birthplace, Jackson, Tennessee, is 88 miles, west of Memphis, Tennessee.
• Release of his autobiography, “Winking at Life,” in 1996.
• His parents were Frances Geraldine Martindale, who was a housewife, and James “Azzie” Martindale, used to work for Life Magazine, who was also a lumber inspector.
• Attended the 80th birthday of lifelong friend, Pat Boone at the Beverly Hills Hilton, in Beverly Hills, California on 1 June 2014. Among the many attendees are: Larry King, Shirley Jones, Tom Dreesen, Rich Little, Louise DuArt and George Foreman.
• Met Pat Boone, when he was under contract with Dot Records in 1956.
• Hobbies: reading, listening to radio, traveling, praying, sailing, dining and (of course), playing games.
• Beat out Bob Eubanks for the hosting role of Las Vegas Gambit (1972).
• Mentor and friends of Ron Pearson, Kurt Engstrom, Marc Summers and Randy West.
• Was a huge fan of Password All-Stars (1961), that led him to become a game show host.
• Had a very close relationship with Jack Barry, while working on The New Tic Tac Dough (1978).
• His future wife Sandy Ferra was the ex-girlfriend of Martindale’s old friend – Elvis Presley.
• GSN honored him as the ‘Most Versatile Host’, in 2007.
• Protégé of Bill Cullen and Allen Ludden.
• Met fellow game show hosts Bob Barker and Jim Lange, while working in the Chuck Barris Studios, in Los Angeles, California, prior to becoming a game show host in 1967. The other host in the same studio was Bob Eubanks.
• Is a Republican.
• Beat out Geoff Edwards for the hosting job of The New Tic Tac Dough (1978).
• An interview with him published in Globe magazine places him hosting a radio show from his home in Calabasas, California. [April 2005]
• Is a spokesperson of Dream Factory, an organization that makes dreams come true for critically and chronically ill children.
• Created the popular Canadian game show Bumper Stumpers (1987), whose dogs were named after them.
• Before Ron Pearson was a comedian, he used to work for Wink in his young career.
• Has a restaurant named after him.
• The only game show he didn’t like was Dream Girl of ’67 (1966).
• He was not Merrill Heatter’s first choice as host of the revamped version of The New High Rollers (1974) in 1987. It was when fellow game show host Alex Trebek was under contract hosting the immensely-popular game show Jeopardy! (1984), he was unable to do it, hence, the job was given to Martindale.
• Had always wanted to be a disc jockey when he was age 17.
• Before he was a successful game show host, he was once a children’s host.
• Was a spokesman for Orbitz Worldwide Travel, Inc.
• Attended the funeral of his childhood friend Elvis Presley when the singer died in 1977.
• Worked with game show announcer Johnny Gilbert on three game shows: Words and Music (1970), The New Tic Tac Dough (1978) and Headline Chasers (1985).
• Met fellow game show host, Geoff Edwards, when the two were working at KMPC Radio in Los Angeles, California, prior to becoming a successful game show host in 1975. Among the staff were Gary Owens, Dick Whittinghill, Robert W. Morgan and Sonny Melendrez.
• Best known by the public as the host of Las Vegas Gambit (1972), The New Tic Tac Dough (1978) and Debt (1996).
• As a singer, he began his career with Dot Records in 1956.
• Friends with: Shirley Jones, Florence Henderson, Betty White, Bob Barker, Bob Goen, Bob Eubanks, Alex Trebek, Richard Dawson, Chuck Barris, Bill Cullen, Gene Rayburn, Bill Rafferty, Fred Travalena, Geoff Edwards, Bert Convy, Jack Barry, Dick Clark, Casey Kasem, Pat Sajak, Pat Finn, Peter Marshall, Tom Kennedy, Monty Hall, Jim Perry, Jim Lange, Chuck Woolery, David Ruprecht, Roger Ebert, Regis Philbin, Joan Rivers, Robert Conrad, Larry Manetti, Michael Landon, Larry Hagman, Michele Lee, Marc Summers, Elaine Stewart, Art Fleming, Pat Boone, Barry White and his wife Glodean White and Elvis Presley.
• His wife is Italian.
• Before he was a successful game show host, he did a Nolan’s Kitty Shop commercial, where he got paid $25 a week, in Jackson, Tennessee, when he was age 17.
• Father of Lisa, Lynn, Laura, Wink Jr. from his first marriage.
• At Jackson’s North Side High School, he played football and basketball for his team.
• Graduated from North Side High School in Jackson, Tennessee, in 1951.
• An avid game show watcher, he became a game show host with the help of his idol Bill Cullen.
• Spent a month in Israel and visited the Dead Sea with his wife, Sandy Martindale.
• Is a member of the nominating committee of the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
• Second-only to The New Tic Tac Dough (1978), his other favorite game show was Debt (1996).
• Had three biggest winners in his 7 years of hosting The New Tic Tac Dough (1978): one was Thom McKee, a Navy Lieutenant, who has won $312,700, and ranked as the #1 contestant, a couple of years later was Wilbur Hicks, a coach, who has won $159,600, and was ranked as the #2 best contestant, and Kit Salisbury, a future Jeopardy! (1984) contestant and future salesman, who has won $199,150, and had finished in second place.
• At one point, his mother had suggested that he be a preacher, because she felt her son had a calling to the ministry, at a very young age.
• Executive Producer of Wink Martindale Enterprises from 1985 to 1993.
• Was one of Jack Barry’s and Dan Enright’s candidates to host The New Tic Tac Dough (1978), he got the job.
• Before he was a successful game show host, he was once a soda jerk at a drugstore.
• Left his role as host of The New Tic Tac Dough (1978), at the end of the seventh season, to still host and produce his own game shows. That same year, he hosted Headline Chasers (1985), which he hosted and created.
• When Tic Tac Dough (1990) was revived for a third time in 1990, he understood Patrick Wayne, who watched tapes of Martindale’s episodes for weeks before he succeeded him as the host.
• Had a long-standing friendly feud with Chuck Woolery and Gene Rayburn. Upon Rayburn’s death late in 1999, he admitted that both Rayburn and Woolery were responsible for his potty-humored nicknamed of “Stink Fartindale,” and would always fondly remember their times together.
• Former The New Tic Tac Dough (1978) producer, Dan Enright asked him to host the pilot of a show that didn’t sell, after Headline Chasers (1985) ended.
• Is a big fan of Tony Bennett’s music. In fact, when he was standing in front of a 17-year-old Martindale, after the teenager played the music with Bennett’s records, Bennett met him and greeted him with a smile.
• Has the distinction of hosting two longest-running game shows in television history for almost 35 years, 1 in front of Alex Trebek, the other behind Bob Barker: Las Vegas Gambit (1972) for 5 seasons on CBS daytime, and The New Tic Tac Dough (1978), for 7 of 8 seasons on syndication.
• Is a huge talk radio fan.
• He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
• Had a hit record in the 1950s with the spoken-word country song, “Deck of Cards”.
• Received the 2,313th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame [June 2, 2006].
• Nicknamed “Wink” by a neighborhood buddy. Launched his career in radio as a teenage disc jockey for his Sunday school teacher’s radio station in Jackson, Tennessee.
• Awarded a Bachelor of Science degree from Memphis State College (Memphis, Tennessee) in 1957.
• Was a childhood friend of Elvis Presley.
• Ranks third behind Bill Cullen and Tom Kennedy in the number of game shows hosted at 15, but in front of Geoff Edwards, Bob Eubanks and Alex Trebek, breaking that record.
• Before he was a successful game show host and producer, he was a Disc Jockey on KFWB radio in Los Angeles, California, in the 1950s.

Winston Conrad Martindale Filmography

Winston Conrad Martindale Awards