David White (actor)
David White | |
---|---|
File:DavidWhite1.jpg | |
Born | Denver, Colorado, U.S. | April 4, 1916
Died | November 27, 1990 North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 74)
Alma mater | Los Angeles City College |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1949–1989 |
Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
Spouse(s) |
Lisa Figus
(m. 1959, divorced) |
Children | 2 |
David White (April 4, 1916 – November 27, 1990) was an American stage, film, and television actor best known for playing Darrin Stephens' boss Larry Tate from 1964 to 1972 on the ABC situation comedy Bewitched.
Early life
Born on April 4, 1916, in Denver, Colorado, he later moved with his family to Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Los Angeles City College and began acting at the Pasadena Playhouse and the Cleveland Play House. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps during World War II, and after his discharge, made his Broadway debut in 1949 in Leaf and Bough.[1]
Career
White appeared on numerous television series in the 1950s and 1960s, including One Step Beyond, where he played a police officer. He made two guest appearances on the CBS courtroom drama Perry Mason. In 1960, he played Henry De Garmo in "The Case of the Madcap Modiste" and in 1963, he played newspaper editor and murderer Victor Kendall in "The Case of the Witless Witness". He also appeared in Peter Gunn, Mr. Lucky, The Untouchables, The Fugitive, Mission: Impossible, My Three Sons, Father Knows Best , Bonanza, Have Gun – Will Travel, My Favorite Martian, and Dick Tracy. He appeared in two episodes of The Twilight Zone: "I Sing the Body Electric" and "A World of Difference." Also in 1963, he appeared on Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Detective Burr in "An Out for Oscar", and as Lance Hawthorn in "The Dark Pool". Though primarily known for television work, White had several memorable supporting feature -film roles, including portraying a sleazy columnist in Sweet Smell of Success (1957), The Apartment (1960), in which he played a philandering executive, and Sunrise at Campobello (also 1960)[2] and The Lawbreakers (1961).
In 1964, White was cast as sycophantic advertising executive Larry Tate on Bewitched, a role he played for the show's entire run (1964–1972). The character is president of the McMann & Tate advertising agency, workplace of Dick York's (and later Dick Sargent's) Darrin Stephens character. Many of the show's episodes revolved around Tate's attempts to land lucrative advertising accounts. This is the role for which he would become best-known both during his life and posthumously. Larry Tate's baby boy Jonathan was named after White's son. White also directed one season-six episode of Bewitched, "Sam’s Double Mother Trouble".
Following the end of Bewitched, White was a popular character actor on numerous television series for the next decade, including The Love Boat, Remington Steele, Adam-12, The Rockford Files, Columbo: Identity Crisis, What's Happening!!, Rhoda, Quincy, M.E., The Odd Couple, Cagney & Lacey, Wonder Woman and Dallas. He played the role of J. Jonah Jameson in the pilot episode of the television series The Amazing Spider-Man. His final role came in 1986 on an episode of Dynasty. He also appeared in the movies The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington and Disney's Snowball Express, and had a prominent role in the 1985 version of Brewster's Millions starring Richard Pryor.[3]
Personal life
White's first marriage was to stage actress Mary Welch. On May 31, 1958, Welch died of complications from her second pregnancy. Their son, Jonathan, died on December 21, 1988, at the age of 33, in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.[4]
White married actress Lisa Figus in 1959, with whom he had a daughter, Alexandra. They divorced and Figus remarried, date unknown.[citation needed]
Death
He died of a heart attack on November 27, 1990, in North Hollywood, California, aged 74.[1]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1957 | Sweet Smell of Success | Otis Elwell | Uncredited |
1958 | The Goddess | Burt Harris | Uncredited |
1960 | The Apartment | Mr. Eichelberger | |
1960 | Sunrise at Campobello | Mr. Lassiter | |
1961 | The Great Impostor | Dr. Hammond | |
1961 | Madison Avenue | Stevenson Brock | |
1965 | The Lollipop Cover | Richard | |
1970 | The Red, White, and Black | 10th Cavalry Trooper #16 | |
1972 | Snowball Express | Mr. Fowler | |
1977 | The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington | Senator Rawlings | |
1985 | Fast Forward | Mr. Sabol | |
1985 | This Wife for Hire | Larry Dunston | |
1985 | Brewster's Millions | George Granville |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1959 | "One Step Beyond" | Lieutenant Barry | Episode: Delusion |
1960 | The Twilight Zone | Brinkley | Episode: A World of Difference |
1960 | Perry Mason | Henry de Garmo | Episode: The Case of the Madcap Modiste |
1962 | Have Gun - Will Travel | Tom Carey | Episode: Marshal of Sweetwater |
1964-1972 | Bewitched | Larry Tate | Recurring in seasons 1–5, starring in seasons 6–8 |
1973 | Adam-12 | J. T. McGrath | Episode: A Fool and His Money |
1973 | The Odd Couple (1970 TV series) | Phil Russell | Episode: Felix Directs |
1975 | Rhoda | Ted Cummings | Episode: Friends and Mothers |
1975 | Columbo | Phil Corrigan | Episode: Identity Crisis |
1976 | The Rockford Files | Martin Eastman | Episode: Foul on the First Play |
1976 | What's Happening!! | Mr. Reynolds | Episode: The Burger Queen |
1977 | Mary Tyler Moore Show | Mr. Cobb | Episode: Hail the Conquering Gordy |
1977 | The Amazing Spider-Man (TV series) | J. Jonah Jameson | Episode: Spider-Man (pilot episode) |
1978 | C.P.O. Sharkey | Admiral Holland | Episode: Captain's Right Hand Man |
1978 | The Love Boat | Greg Beatty | Episode: Too Hot to Handle/Family Reunion/Cinderella Story |
1979 | Wonder Woman (TV series) | The General | Episode: The Starships Are Coming |
1981 | The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series) | Archer Hewitt | Episode: Veteran |
1981 | Quincy, M.E. | Dr. Fulton | Episode: Sugar and Spice |
1982 | Quincy, M.E. | Drew Castle | Episode: Expert in Murder |
1985 | Remington Steele | J.W. Kendall | Episode: Steele of Approval |
1985 | Cagney & Lacey | Mitchell Farnsworth | Episode: Two Grand |
1985 | Dallas (1978 TV series) | Mark | Episode: Swan Song |
1986 | The A-Team | Rudy | Episode: Mission of Peace |
1986 | Riptide (American TV series) | Professor Shellbeck | Episode: The Play's the Thing |
1986 | Dallas (1978 TV series) | Mark | Episode: Return to Camelot: Part 2 |
1986 | Dynasty (1981 TV series) | Dr. Gavin | Episode: The Arraignment |
1989 | Mergers & Acquisitions | Chairman of the Board | (short) |
References
- ^ a b "David White, Actor, 74". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 1, 1990. p. A31. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ "David White, Stage, Movie and TV Actor". Los Angeles Times. November 30, 1990. p. A30. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ "Richard Pryor's 'Brewster' Could Be Worth Millions". The Daily Oklahoman. May 26, 1985. p. A&E 4. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ Hedges, Chris (2009). Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle. Toronto: Knopf Canada. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-3073-9846-8.
External links
- 1916 births
- 1990 deaths
- 20th-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II
- Los Angeles City College alumni
- Male actors from Denver
- United States Marine Corps officers
- People from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
- Male actors from Pennsylvania
- Bewitched
- Military personnel from Pennsylvania