Gordon Jump
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2009) |
| Gordon Jump | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Jump in 1979 |
|
| Born | Alexander Gordon Jump April 1, 1932 Dayton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | September 22, 2003 (aged 71) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1959–2003 |
| Spouse | Olinda D. Kandt (1954-1962) Anna F. Inge Jump (1963–1992) Betty McKeever (1993–2003) |
Alexander Gordon Jump (April 1, 1932 – September 22, 2003) was an American actor best known as the clueless radio station manager Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson in the TV series WKRP in Cincinnati and the incompetent "Chief of Police Tinkler" in the sitcom Soap. He also played the "Maytag Repairman" in commercials for Maytag brand appliances, from 1989 until his retirement from the role in July 2003.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Born Alexander Gordon Jump, in Dayton, Ohio, Jump graduated from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, in 1955. In 1957, Jump graduated with a degree in journalism from Kansas State University, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He began his career working at radio and television stations in Manhattan and Topeka, Kansas. In Topeka he did the weather on WIBW-TV in 1959; in the early 1960s, he performed on the station's Saturday morning children's program as "Wib the Clown." He was a television producer and on-air personality in Dayton, Ohio, when he decided to move to Los Angeles and study acting.
[edit] Acting career
Jump first began his acting career in the 1960s with minor roles in television on such shows as Get Smart, Lancer, Here Come the Brides, and Green Acres. He also guest-starred in a number of series during the 1970s including The Rockford Files, The Incredible Hulk (in an October 1978 episode called "Ricky"), The Lost Saucer, Starsky and Hutch, Lou Grant (TV series), Kojak, The Bionic Woman, and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. He had a brief speaking role as a farmer in the 1976 TV Movie "Sybil." In 1978, he landed the role of Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson on the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati.
After WKRP in Cincinnati folded in 1982, Jump made an appearance as the bicycle man who attempts to sexually molest Arnold and Dudley on Diff'rent Strokes. He later hosted the PBS series Make Yourself at Home[disambiguation needed 
] and taught voice classes, and made frequent appearances on the hit television show, Growing Pains playing Joanna Kerns father. Jump also enjoyed working in theater. In 1989, he took over the Maytag repairman role from Jesse White. In the 1990s, Jump starred in a short-lived revival of WKRP entitled The New WKRP in Cincinnati. He also appeared in the ninth and final season of Seinfeld, where he played George Costanza's boss at a playground equipment company over two episodes. Jump's last film role was in the 2004 film Changing of the Guard released after his death.
[edit] Death
Jump died in 2003 from pulmonary fibrosis, leading to respiratory failure at his home near Los Angeles, California.[2]
[edit] Selected filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1972 | Conquest of the Planet of the Apes | Auctioneer | |
| 1978 | The Fury | Mr. Nuckells | |
| 1984 | Making the Grade | Mr. Harriman | Alternative title: The Last American Preppy |
| 1988 | Moving | Simon Eberhart | |
| 1990 | Honeymoon Academy | Mr. Nelson | Alternative title: For Better or For Worse |
| 2002 | The Singles Ward | An Airline Passenger | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1965 | Daniel Boone | Marcus Clements | 1 episode |
| 1967 | T.H.E. Cat | 1 episode | |
| 1970 | Mannix | Charlie | 1 episode |
| 1971 | The Doris Day Show | Mr. Robinson | 1 episode |
| 1973 | The Paul Lynde Show | Larry | 1 episode |
| 1974 | Kojak | Jonas | 1 episode |
| 1974–1975 | That's My Mama | Officer O'Reilley | 3 episodes |
| 1975 | The Streets of San Francisco | Sergeant Lacy | 1 episode |
| 1976 | Alice | Sherrif McElroy | 1 episode |
| 1977 | Lou Grant | National Editor | 6 episodes |
| 1978-82 | WKRP in Cincinnati | Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson, Station Owner and Manager | 88 episodes (90 in Syndication) |
| 1980 | Mr. Krueger's Christmas | Narrator | Television movie |
| 1985 | Tall Tales & Legends | Mr. Ripple | 1 episode |
| 1986 | Simon & Simon | Ross Garrett | 1 episode |
| 1986 | The Golden Girls | Guest star | 1 episode |
| 1987 | Diff'rent Strokes | Mr. Horton | 1 episode |
| 1988 | Who's the Boss? | Archie | 1 episode |
| 1989 | Sister Kate | Lucas Underwood | 1 episode |
| 1994 | Baywatch | Max Edelman | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Empty Nest | Bud | 1 episode |
| 1997 | Married... with Children | Mr. Tot | 1 episode |
| 1997 | Seinfeld | Mr. Thomassoulo | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Mike Hammer, Private Eye | Augustus Hancock Sterling The General |
2 episodes |
[edit] References
- ^ "Gordon Jump, 71; Was 'Maytag Man' in Ads, 'Big Guy' on 'WKRP' TV Series". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2003/sep/24/local/me-jump24. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
- ^ "Gordon Jump, 71, 'WKRP' Actor Who Played Maytag's Repairman". New York Times. September 24, 2003. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407E5D9163DF937A1575AC0A9659C8B63. Retrieved 2007-07-21. "Gordon Jump, who played a befuddled radio station manager on the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati and made his mark in commercials as the lonely Maytag repairman, died on Monday at his home southeast of Los Angeles. He had pulmonary fibrosis."
[edit] External links
- Gordon Jump at the Internet Movie Database
- The MSN Entertainment entry on Jump
- The USA Today Obituary on Jump
- Kansas State Historical Society biography of Gordon Jump
- Gordon Jump at Find a Grave
| Preceded by Jesse White |
Maytag Repairman 1989–2003 |
Succeeded by Hardy Rawls |
