WKRP Actor Gordon Jump Dies at 71

[CCH]

Very sad NEWS TODAY Actor Gordon Jump Dies at 71

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 22) - 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 Monday. He was 71. Jump suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, said his cousin, Katherine Jump Wagner. The illness causes scarring of the air sacs of the lungs, leading to heart or respiratory failure.

Wagner, of Arcanum, Ohio, said she learned of her cousin's death from her father, also named Gordon Jump. Her cousin was under hospice care at his home southeast of Los Angeles, she said.

Jump played Arthur Carlson in "WKRP in Cincinnati," which aired on CBS from 1978-82 and featured Gary Sandy, Loni Anderson, Tim Reid, Howard Hesseman and Richard Sanders as the ragtag station's crew.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Jump began his career working at radio and TV stations in the Midwest. He worked behind the microphone and the camera, including jobs as a producer for Kansas and Ohio stations.

Jump portrayed the Maytag repairman "Ol' Lonely," a well-recognized advertising symbol, from 1989 until he retired from the role in July and another actor took over.

"Gordon was an incredibly talented actor and a remarkable human being," said Ralph Hake, chairman and chief executive officer of Maytag Corp.

Jump came to appreciate the attention he got for the ad campaign and the steady work it provided, Wagner said. But his heart was elsewhere professionally. Gordon Jump as the Maytag repairman

"What he loved more than anything was doing theater. He was a marvelous actor," she said, recalling a visit to Florida to watch him perform in "Norman, Is That You?"

Jump began his Hollywood career after moving to Los Angeles in 1963, appearing on series including "Daniel Boone," "Get Smart" and "The Partridge Family."

His dramatic roles included a part in the TV movie "Ruby and Oswald," about the assassination of President Kennedy, and "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes."

Jump is survived by his wife, four daughters and a son, Maytag said in a statement. He also had a brother, Wagner said.

[ficlopri]

Who was the actor who replaced Gordon JUmp as the repairman in thre Maytag ads?

[silentbri]

Would the Casting Director of the afterlife PLEASE KNOCK IT OFF??? I'm getting tired of losing all the sit-com greats

But on the PLUS side, I can hardly wait to die so I can see whatever sit-com they've been cooking up!

[Harper49]

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[McFly121]

The one and only acting class I ever took back in 1996, we had Mr. Jump for one night coach us on camera. I was to read a McDonald's ad and I'll always remember him going, in a playful way, "Not so seeeeeeerious, Ryan." After my reading he said he had nothing to correct me on, which was a big compliment coming from him.

He told great stories of WKRP and how at about age 32, he had to convince his wife that he wanted to chuck his midwest life for Los Angeles. 71 it too young to go.