Jesse White (born Jesse Marc Weidenfeld;[1] January 3, 1917 – January 9, 1997) was an American actor who was best known for his portrayal as "Ol' Lonely" the repairman in Maytag television commercials from 1967 to 1988.[2][3]
Life and career
White was born in Buffalo, New York, to Jewish parents, and was raised in Akron, Ohio.[4] He made his first amateur appearance in local stage productions at the age of 15. 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 later reprised his role in the 1950 film version and the 1972 television movie.[5]
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. The role led to another semi-regular part as the deceitful Oscar Pudney on CBS's The Ann Sothern Show in 1960. In 1955, he played Colonel Willoughby Oglethorpe on The Lone Ranger (season 4 episode 35).
On October 2, 1958, White portrayed the fast-talking, presumably dishonest, used-car salesman San Fernando Harry in the segment "The New Car" of the ABC sitcom The Real McCoys, starring Walter Brennan.
From 1958 to 1965, White made five guest appearances on Perry Mason: as murderer Luke Hickey in "The Case of the Married Moonlighter," as bartender Cecil in "The case of the Melancholy Marksman", as murder victim Burt Renshaw in "The Case of the Polka Dot Pony," as Tony Cerro in "The Case of the Gambling Lady", and as murder victim Max Armstead in "The Case of the Fatal Fortune."
An advertising director who saw his performance on the film's release soon cast him in a television advertising campaign for the Maytag Corporation. White played the role of a lonely Maytag repairman, a man with nothing to do as a result of his company's dependable products. The campaign proved wildly successful, and the actor began a long-running and highly paid career as the ever-lonely Maytag repairman.
White continued appearing in both television and films during his many years as the Maytag repairman. His final film role was a small but pivotal role in the 1993 Joe Dante comedy Matinee starring John Goodman, and his last TV role was in "The Cadillac", an episode of Seinfeld in 1996. Seinfeld co-creator/star Jerry Seinfeld, who co-wrote the episode, had been a fan of White since his appearances on The Ann Sothern Show, and described having him on Seinfeld as a boyhood dream come true.[8]
In 1942, White married Celia Cohn (July 17, 1914 – August 5, 2003).[9] The couple had two daughters, Carole Ita White (who became an actress) and Janet Jonas.[10]
Death
On January 9, 1997, White died from a heart attack following surgery, six days after his 80th birthday.[10][9] He is interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
