Herb Stempel, the contestant on NBC's Twenty-One who helped expose the rigged television quiz shows of the 1950s after he was "defeated" by Charles Van Doren, has died.
He was 93. Stempel, portrayed by John Turturro in the 1994 docudrama Quiz Show, directed by Robert Redford, died April 7, The New York Times reported.
His death was confirmed by a former stepdaughter, Bobra Fyne. As a bespectacled Bronx native with an IQ of 170, Stempel appeared on Twenty-One, hosted by Jack Barry, for six weeks in 1956, winning $49,500.
He later said that he was given all the questions and answers in advance by Dan Enright, a producer and co-creator of the show, and knew the eventual outcome of every game he participated in — including the one in which he.
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