Herb Stempel

Herbert Stempel, the Bronx-born brainiac who became a central figure and whistleblower in the game show rigging scandals of the 1950s, a cultural turning point later chronicled in the 1994 movie “Quiz Show,” died April 7 at a nursing home in New York City. He was 93.

His former wife Ethel Stempel did not give a precise cause but confirmed the death, which was not publicly announced and was first reported on Sunday by the New York Times.

Mr. Stempel, once dubbed a “high-strung Human Univac” after the 1950s supercomputer, displayed an uncanny intelligence and viselike memory from his earliest years. Raised by a widowed mother during the Great Depression, he spent long hours at New York City libraries and showed particular aptitude for geography and history. As a boy, he participated in radio quiz shows.