 | ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
Gordon Jump
Alexander Gordon Jump
1 April 1932, Dayton, Ohio
22 September 2003, Los Angeles, California
"He's a combination of the men who mismanage radio stations, types I used to work with in my radio days. He's the antagonist in most of the episodes, a bungling character who manages to be likeable and human."
-- Gordon Jump, 1979
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 "Piece of Chalief 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.
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.
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, 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. He also played the role of Peter in the first filmed version of the LDS temple endowment ceremony.
After WKRP in Cincinnati folded in 1982, Jump made an appearance as the bicycle man who sexually molests Arnold and Dudley on Diff'rent Strokes. He later hosted the PBS series Make Yourself at Home and taught voice classes, and made frequent appearances on the hit television show, Growing Pains. 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.
| ||||||
In Bexley, Ohio Ordinance number 223, of 09/09/19 prohibits the installation and usage of slot machines in outhouses.
Was a children's television show host, "WIB the Clown", on WIBW in Topeka, Kansas.
Daughter is actress Cynthia Jump.
Was the Maytag repair man in the Maytag appliance commercials and in the company's brochures.
Attended college at Kansas State University.
Because he was its spokesperson, Maytag customers would ask him for help with their appliances.
He has four daughters, Cynthia, Kiva, Maggi Jo, and Laura, and one son, Chris.
Was the third actor to play the part of "Ol' Lonely", replacing longtime actor Jesse White and original actor Tom Pedi.
