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John Sylvester White

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John Sylvester White
Born
John Sylvester White Jr.

(1919-10-31)October 31, 1919
DiedSeptember 11, 1988(1988-09-11) (aged 68)
Waikiki, Hawaii,
United States
Cause of deathpancreatic cancer
OccupationActor
Years active1951–1952; 1970–1983

John Sylvester White Jr. (October 31, 1919 – September 11, 1988) was an American actor.[1]

Early life

John Sylvester White was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but grew up in the new town of Colmar Manor, Maryland, a bedroom community suburb of northeast Washington, D.C., where his father, an attorney also of the same name, was elected the first mayor of the community in July, 1927.[2]

Acting career

Before becoming known in the 1970s as the crabby, diminutive high school assistant principal (and later head principal) "Mr. Woodman" on the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. White had been best known for his starring role as Keith Barron, the first husband of Mary Stuart's character Joanne Gardner on the television soap opera Search for Tomorrow from 1951 to 1952. Starting in 1970, he had guest appearances on various television shows before landing a recurring role on the Kotter show.[1] In 1983, he appeared as Mr. Vogelman, the proprietor of the Raytown Travel Agency in the episode titled "Mama Gets a Job" (Season 1 - Episode 7) on Mama's Family.

He was also the first husband of Joan Stanton who was known as Joan Alexander in the 1940s when she was the voice of Lois Lane on the radio version of "The Adventures of Superman".[3] The couple was married in 1944 and were later divorced.

Death

He died on September 11, 1988 from pancreatic cancer in Waikiki, Hawaii at the age of 68.

References

  1. ^ a b The New York Times
  2. ^ History of Colmar Manor Maryland
  3. ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-time Radio. US: Oxford University Press. pp. 14, 17. ISBN 0-19-507678-8.