Gordon Jump dies

Sep 23, 2003 by Ian Evans

Gordon Jump, best known as Mr. Carlson on WKRP in Cincinnati and the Maytag Repairman in countles commercials, has died at age 71. Jump, who retired from the Maytag commercials back in July after 14 years, had been suffering from pulmonary fibrosis.

Maytage Appliances president Bill Beer said, “Being dependable came naturally to Gordon, both in his acting life and in his real life.”

Jump, whose career started in radio and moved to film and television in 1963, played Arthur “Big Guy” Carlson in both WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-1982) and in the syndicated The New WKRP in Cincinnati in 1991.