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Jesse White

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Actor

The Resume

    (January 3, 1917-January 9, 1997)
    Born in Buffalo, New York
    Birth name was Jonah Marcus Weidenfeld
    Acted in 'Death of a Salesman,' 'Bedtime for Bonzo,' 'Francis Goes to the Races,' 'Harvey,' 'The Bad Seed,' 'Designing Woman,' 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,' 'The Reluctant Astronaut,' 'The Cat from Outer Space,' and 'Matinee'
    Had regular roles on the TV series 'Private Secretary' and 'Make Room for Daddy'
    Originated the role of Duane Wilson the Asylum attendant in the Broadway production of 'Harvey' (1944-1949)
    Best known as the spokesman for the Maytag Corporation, Ol' Lonely the Repairman (1968-1989)
    Made memorable guest appearances on 'Perry Mason,' The Twilight Zone, The Dick Van Dyke Show, 'Beverly Hillbillies,' Addams Family, That Girl, I Dream of Jeannie, The Andy Griffith Show, and Seinfeld

Why he might be annoying:

    He was typecast as janitors and handy men.
    His daughter described him as uptight and sensitive.
    He sold beauty supplies and lingerie before entering show business.
    He backed out of a part in Mae West's 'Everyday's a Holiday,' at the behest of his mother and brother, who wanted him to continue selling beauty products.
    He had a sixty-year career on film and television, but will only ever be remembered as the bored, self-deprecating Maytag repairman in a popular series of commercials.
    Of course, before accepting the Maytag gig, he was starring in such prestigious, A-list productions as 'Ghost in the Invisible Bikini' and 'The Cat from Outer Space' (yeah, good call...)
    He would frequently smoke a cigar during commercials, although as the public became more socially conscious that became less frequent.
    He is inaccurately cited as the first actor to play the Maytag Repairman, but he was actually the second (the first was a character actor named Tom Pedi)

Why he might not be annoying:

    He had small roles in 'Kiss of Death' and 'Gentleman's Agreement.'
    He was apparently the first celebrity Jerry Seinfeld ever met.
    He had a glass eye from being hit in the eye by a baseball as a teenager.
    He pissed off Sonny Bono when he told him that the best part about being short is that 'it rains on you later.'
    He had to put up with the temperamental alcoholic Gig Young during the off-Broadway revival of 'Harvey.'
    He was the first character to make regular appearances on two television shows simultaneously; 'Make Room for Daddy' and 'Private Secretary.'
    He had difficulty getting work in Hollywood after he became identified as the Maytag Repairman.
    He made a small fortune off of the Maytag commercials. After finishing his 20-year run, he would work as a consultant for the corporation.
    He remained good friends with Jimmy Stewart after the filming of 'Harvey' and they would reprise their roles in the 1972 TV movie adaptation.
    He died of a heart attack following his cardiac surgery only six days after his 80th birthday.
    He has a cult following in Sci-Fi camp classics like 'Pajama Party' and 'The Reluctant Astronaut' with Don Knotts (the latter of which led to his being cast in the Maytag commercials).

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 8 Votes: 12.50% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 7 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 85 Votes: 49.41% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 73 Votes: 43.84% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 170 Votes: 49.41% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 8 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 288 Votes: 61.46% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 449 Votes: 59.02% Annoying