ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, January 11, 1997 TAG: 9701130026
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES
TYPE: NEWS OBIT
SOURCE: Associated Press
Jesse White, the character actor best known as television's lonely Maytag repairman whose phone never rang, died Wednesday of a heart attack at age 79.
Born Jesse Marc Weidenfeld in Buffalo, N.Y., he appeared in more than 60 films, including the 1950 film version of ``Harvey,'' starring Jimmy Stewart, and dozens of television shows.
But he was best known as the stir-crazy Maytag repairman who had nothing to do, or so the television ads claimed, because Maytag appliances were so well built they never broke.
He appeared in 68 of the ads between 1967 and 1989.
White started as a vaudeville performer. He reached Broadway in 1944 with a supporting role as a love-struck asylum attendant in the Mary Chase's Pulitzer Prize-winning play ``Harvey.'' He reprised the role in the film version.
Often cast as a cigar-chomping, whiny-voiced thug, and sometimes as a pushy agent, White also appeared in such films as ``Bedtime for Bonzo,'' ``Marjorie Morningstar'' and ``Death of a Salesman.''
His television series credits included agent Cagey Calhoun in the 1950s show ``Private Secretary;'' Oscar Pudney in ``The Ann Sothern Show'' and Jesse Leeds, the agent of Danny Thomas, in ``Make Room for Daddy.''
His final film role was in 1993's ``Matinee,'' starring John Goodman.
LENGTH: Short : 35 linesby CNB