Jesse White was an American character actor best remembered for his long-running role as the original Maytag repairman in a series of widely popular television commercials. He was born Jesse Marc Weidenfeld on January 3, 1917, in Buffalo, New York, but grew up in Akron, Ohio. As a young man, he showed an early interest in performance, participating in amateur stage productions and vaudeville before eventually moving to Los Angeles to pursue a professional career in show business.
His education included some time at the University of California, Los Angeles, but he left college early to focus on acting full-time. White began his professional acting career in the 1930s, first on stage and then on radio and television. He gained his initial fame in the Broadway production of Harvey (1944), playing the role of the sanitarium orderly Wilson,
a part he reprised in the 1950 film adaptation starring James Stewart. Over the decades, he became a familiar face in supporting roles in film and television, appearing in such notable productions as The Bad Seed (1956), Designing Woman (1957), Marjorie Morningstar (1958), and Bedtime Story (1964).
Movies
- Stage Door Canteen (1943) as Jesse White (uncredited)
- Kiss of Death (1947) as Taxi Driver (uncredited)
- Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) as Elevator Starter (uncredited)
- Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven (1948) as Customer (uncredited)
- Guilty Bystander (1950) as Masher
- Harvey (1950) as Marvin Wilson
- Katie Did It (1951) as Jim Dilloway
- Bedtime for Bonzo (1951) as Babcock
- Francis Goes to the Races (1951) as Frank Damer
- Callaway Went Thataway (1951) as Georgie Markham
- Death of a Salesman (1951) as Stanley
- The Girl in White (1952) as Alec, Ambulance Driver
- Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) as Doc Cronnol
- Gunsmoke, aka Roughshod, A Man’s Country (1953) as Professor
- Champ for a Day (1953) as Willie Foltis
- Forever Female (1953) as Willie Wolfe
- Witness to Murder (1954) as Tubby Otis
- Hell’s Half Acre (1954) as Eddie Vincent
- Not as a Stranger (1955) as Ben Cosgrove
- The Girl Rush (1955) as Ludwig – Pit Boss
- The Come On (1956) as J.J. McGonigle
- He Laughed Last (1956) as Max Lassiter
- Back from Eternity (1956) as Pete Boswick
- The Bad Seed (1956)
- Designing Woman (1957)
- God Is My Partner (1957)
- Johnny Trouble (1957) as Parsons
- Country Music Holiday (1958)
- Marjorie Morningstar (1958)
- The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960)
- The Big Night (1960)
- Three Blondes in His Life (1961)
- A Fever in the Blood (1961)
- The Right Approach (1961)
- Tomboy and the Champ (1961)
- On the Double (1961)
- Sail a Crooked Ship (1961)
- Period of Adjustment (1962)
- It’s Only Money (1962)
- The Yellow Canary (1963)
- It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
- Looking for Love (1964)
- A House is Not a Home (1964)
- Pajama Party (1964)
- Dear Brigitte (1965)
- The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966)
- The Reluctant Astronaut (1967)
- The Spirit Is Willing (1967)
- Togetherness (1970)
- Bless the Beasts and the Children (1971)
- The Brothers O’Toole (1973)
- Las Vegas Lady (1975)
- Return to Campus (1975)
- Nashville Girl (1976)
- Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
- The Cat from Outer Space (1978)e
- Monster in the Closet (1986)
- Matinee (1993)
He also guest-starred in popular television series like The Twilight Zone, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, and Seinfeld. His voice and expressions, often marked by a slightly exasperated or skeptical demeanor, became hallmarks of his performances.
Perhaps his most iconic role came in 1967 when he was cast as the Maytag repairman, a role he played in television commercials for over two decades. In these ads, White portrayed the lonely appliance repairman who was never called upon because Maytag products were so reliable. This advertising campaign not only made him a household name but also won him widespread acclaim in the world of marketing and advertising.
TV
- Make Room for Daddy (1954)
- The Loretta Young Show (1954)
- Dear Phoebe (1954)
- Treasury Men in Action (1955)
- Lux Video Theatre (1955)
- The Lone Ranger (1955)
- Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre (1955)
- TV Reader’s Digest (1955)
- Four Star Playhouse (1955)
- Damon Runyon Theater (1955)
- Cavalcade of America (1956)
- Private Secretary (5 episodes, 1954–1956)
- Climax! (1957)
- The 20th Century Fox Hour (4 episodes, 1956–57)
- Circus Boy (1957)
- Mr. Adams and Eve (1958)
- The Bob Cummings Show (1958)
- The Real McCoys (1958)
- Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (2 episodes, 1958)
- The Thin Man (1959)
- The Donna Reed Show (1959)
- The Texan (1959)
- Lux Playhouse (1959)
- Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1959)
- The David Niven Show (1959)
- Alcoa Theatre (1959)
- Tightrope (2 episodes, 1959–60)
- Man with a Camera (1960)
- The Best of the Post (1961) as Benny
- The Andy Griffith Show (1961)
- Westinghouse Playhouse (2 episodes, 1961)
- The Ann Sothern Show (6 episodes, 1960–61)
- Angel (1961)
- The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)
- General Electric Theater (3 episodes, 1954–61)
- The Roaring 20s (1961)
- 77 Sunset Strip (1961)
- Calvin and the Colonel (1961 – Voice)
- The Twilight Zone (2 episodes, 1961–1962)
- Ichabod and Me (2 episodes, 1962)
- King of Diamonds (1962)
- Pete and Gladys (1962)
- Adventures in Paradise (1962)
- Cain’s Hundred (1962)
- Oh! Those Bells (1962)
- Naked City (1962)
- I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster (1963)
- Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963)
- The Jack Benny Program (4 episodes, 1957–64)
- Ben Casey (1964)
- Bonanza (1964)
- Linus the Lionhearted (2 episodes, 1964 – voice)
- Jonny Quest (1964 – voice)
- Mickey (1964)
- The Addams Family (1964)
- Kraft Suspense Theatre (1965)
- The Munsters (1965)
- Perry Mason (5 episodes, 1958–65)
- The Wild Wild West (1966)
- Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1966)
- The Tammy Grimes Show (1966)
- Green Acres (2 episodes, 1965–67)
- Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1967–1968)
- The Beverly Hillbillies (2 episodes, 1963–67)
- Rango (1967)
- I Dream of Jeannie (1967)
- Accidental Family (1967)
- Hawaii Five-O (1968–69)
- That Girl (5 episodes, 1969)
- The Jackie Gleason Show (2 episodes, 1967–69)
- Land of the Giants (1969)
- The Debbie Reynolds Show (1970)
- Dad, Can I Borrow the Car? (1970)
- Mannix (1971)
- Love, American Style (2 episodes, 1969–71)
- The Wonderful World of Disney (1972)
- Here’s Lucy (1972)
- Of Thee I Sing (1972)
- “Harvey” (1972)
- These Are the Days (unknown episodes, 1974–75 – voice)
- Devlin (unknown episodes, 1974 – voice)
- Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1975)
- Happy Days ( 1975)
- New Zoo Revue (2 episodes, 1975)
- Quincy, M.E. (1977)
- ABC Weekend Special (1977)
- Alien Worlds (1979 – voice)
- The Love Boat (1981)
- Hart to Hart (1982)
- Pandamonium (1982–83) – voice)
- Trapper John, M.D. (1983)
- Inspector Gadget (1982 – voice)
- Small Wonder (1987)
- The New Gidget (1987)
- Garfield and Friends (1989 – voice)
- MacGyver (1990)
- Seinfeld (1996 – final appearance)
He held this role until 1988, when he retired from the campaign, having firmly cemented the character into American pop culture. Jesse White’s personal life was marked by a long marriage to Celia Cohn, with whom he had two daughters, including television actress Carole Ita White.
He was known among colleagues as a consummate professional with a strong sense of timing and an instinct for comic delivery. He continued to act sporadically into the 1990s, mostly in television roles, and lived quietly in Los Angeles during his later years. Despite his prolific career, he never received major industry awards,
but his enduring presence in character roles and as a commercial icon earned him the respect of his peers and a place in the collective memory of American audiences. Jesse White died of a heart attack on Wednesday, January 9, 1997, at the age of 80, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
He was survived by his wife Celia, their two daughters, and several grandchildren. He was interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. His career, which spanned more than five decades, left behind a rich legacy of memorable roles and one of the most recognizable advertising personas in television history.
Further Reading
Sources
- IMDB “Jesse White(1917-1997)” https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924964/?ref_=tt_cst_t_9
- Wikipedia “Jesse White (actor)” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_White_(actor)
- TCM “Jesse White” https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/205199%7C82237/Jesse-White#overview
