Jesse White (actor)
| Jesse White | |
|---|---|
White in Three Blondes in His Life (1961)
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| Born |
Jesse Marc Weidenfeld January 3, 1917 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 9, 1997 (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Resting place | Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Los Angeles |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1942–1997 |
| Spouse(s) | Celia Cohn (1942–1997, his death) |
| Children |
Carole Ita White Janet Jonas |
Jesse White (January 3, 1917 – January 9, 1997) was an American television, film, and stage character actor. He is best remembered for having portrayed the Maytag repairman in television commercials from 1967 to 1988.
White was born Jonah Marcus Weidenfeld in Buffalo, New York, and was raised in Akron, Ohio. He was nicknamed "Jesse". He made his first amateur appearance in local stage productions at the age of fifteen. Though aspiring to be an actor, he worked at many different jobs during the 1930s, including selling beauty supplies and lingerie. After moving to Cleveland, Ohio, White began a career in vaudeville and burlesque, traveling widely before landing a role on Broadway. In 1942, White made his Broadway debut in The Moon is Down, followed by a successful performance in the role of a sanitarium orderly in the popular play Harvey. He would later reprise his role in the 1950 film version and the 1972 television movie.
In 1947, White made his film debut in a small part in Kiss of Death. During the 1950s, he began landing roles on television shows, including appearances in Danny Thomas's Make Room for Daddy and Peter Lawford's Dear Phoebe. In 1954, he landed a semi-regular role as Cagey Calhoun on Private Secretary, starring Ann Sothern, Ann Tyrrell, and Don Porter. The role led to another semi-regular part as the deceitful Oscar Pudney on CBS's The Ann Sothern Show in 1960. White guest-starred on Four Star Playhouse and NBC's 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.
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