Jesse White (actor)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jesse White | |
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| Born | Jesse Marc Weidenfeld January 3, 1917 Buffalo, New York, USA |
| Died | January 9, 1997 (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Spouse(s) | Celia Cohn (1942-1997) |
Jesse White (January 3, 1917 – January 9, 1997) was an American television, film and stage character actor. He is best remembered for portraying the Maytag repairman in television commercials, a role he played from 1967 to 1988.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Career
Born in Buffalo, New York and raised in Akron, Ohio, White began acting in local stage productions at 15. After moving to Cleveland, he worked a variety of jobs while working the nightclub circuit. In the late 1930s, he appeared in vaudeville performances. In 1942, White made his Broadway debut in The Moon is Down followed by the role of a sanitarium orderly in Harvey. He would later reprise his role in the 1950 film version and the 1972 television movie.[1]
In 1947, White made his film debut in a small part in Kiss of Death. During the 1950s, he began landing roles on televisions show including appearances in Make Room for Daddy and Dear Phoebe. In 1954, he landed a semi regular role on Private Secretary starring Ann Sothern. The role led to another semi regular part in The Ann Sothern Show in 1960. White guest starred on Four Star Playhouse and The Bob Cummings Show. He also appeared in roles in The Bad Seed (1956), Designing Woman (1957) with Lauren Bacall, and Marjorie Morningstar (1958) with Natalie Wood and Gene Kelly.
Throughout the 1960s, White also appeared on The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Donna Reed Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, That Girl, and I Dream of Jeannie. In 1967, he began his long running stint as the "lonely" Maytag Repairman in television commercials. White continued appearing in both television and films during his Maytag stint. His last onscreen role was in an episode of Seinfeld in 1996.
White was also a member of the stellar band of voiceover actors who voiced Stan Freberg's classic lampoon of American History "Stan Freberg Presents the United States of American - The Early Years" and thirty years later, "The Later Years." In addition to film and television work, White lent his voice to several cartoons including Jonny Quest, Garfield and Friends, and Inspector Gadget.
[edit] Personal life
In 1942, White married Celia Cohn. The couple had two daughters, Carole Ita White who later became an actress, and Janet Jonas.[2]
[edit] Death
On January 8, 1997, Jesse White died from a heart attack following surgery. He is buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Los Angeles.[3]
[edit] Filmography
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[edit] Television
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[edit] Voice
- Linus! The Lion Hearted (Voice, 2 episodes, 1964)
- Jonny Quest (Voice, 1 episode, 1964)
- These Are the Days (Voice, unknown episodes, 1974-1975)
- Devlin (Voice, unknown episodes, 1974)
- Pandamonium (Voice, 1982-1983)
- Inspector Gadget (Voice, 1 episode, 1983)
- Garfield and Friends (2 episodes, 1989)
[edit] References
- ^ Erickson, Hal. Jesse White Biography. Retrieved on 2008-01-09.
- ^ Saxon, Wolfgang. "Jesse White, 79, an Actor And the Maytag Repairman", New York Times, 1997-01-11. Retrieved on 2008-01-09.
- ^ Jesse White, Find a Grave
[edit] External links
- Jesse White at the Internet Movie Database
- Jesse White at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jesse White at TV.com
- Jesse White at Find a Grave
- A writeup about the Maytag Repairman, with photo
| Preceded by Tom Pedi |
Maytag Repairman 1967-1988 |
Succeeded by Gordon Jump |
