Jesse White

 Jesse White (January 3, 1917 – January 9, 1997)

He is best remembered for having portrayed the Maytag repairman in television commercials from 1967 to 1988. 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. In the 1960s, White appeared on Tightrope, Oh! Those Bells, The Twilight Zone, The Dick Van Dyke Show; The Donna Reed Show; The Andy Griffith Show; The Roaring 20s, Mickey, starring Mickey Rooney; The Beverly Hillbillies; Petticoat Junction;The Munsters; The Addams Family; That Girl; and I Dream of Jeannie. Prior to his "career" as a washing machine repairman, White was briefly employed as a general repairman in the Twilight Zone episode: "Once Upon A Time" (episode 78, airing in 1961) appearing with Buster Keaton.

White played the role of a lonely Maytag repairman, a man with nothing to do as a result of his company's reputation for dependable products. In one of the campaign's first spots, White's character unmistakably alluded to his former role as 'Donelli': "At ease men! Now, you men have all volunteered to be Maytag Repairmen and so I'm gonna give it to you straight. Maytag washers and dryers are built to last. That makes the Maytag Repairman the loneliest guy in town! On January 9, 1997, White died from a heart attack following surgery, only six days after his 80th birthday. He is interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Los Angeles