Alexander Gordon Jump (April 1, 1932 – September 22, 2003) was an American actor. He was best known for playing Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson in the series WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982), which he reprised in its spin-off The New WKRP in Cincinnati (1991–1993). He also played Chief Tinkler in the sitcom Soap (1977–1978) and Mr. Horton on a two-part episode of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1983). He appeared in Maytag commercials as the "Maytag repairman" from 1989 until his retirement in 2003.
Early life
Born Alexander Gordon Jump, Jump was raised in Centerville, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton. Jump graduated from Centerville High School and enrolled in Otterbein College. After his first year, Jump transferred to Kansas State University, where he studied broadcasting and communications and was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. Jump got his first job in the broadcasting industry with WIBW-TV in Topeka. There, he dabbled in "writing, producing, and directing". Jump was the title character in WIBW's "WIB the Clown" production, an educational children's program. Jump reported the weather on the same channel, and was not always able to get his clown makeup off in time.
In September 1961, he returned to Dayton and joined WLWD as the station's director of special broadcast services. He continued as a producer and on-air personality at WLWD, hosting Gordon Jumps Fun Time, a popular show for younger children, and High Time, a variety series, before moving to Los Angeles in 1963 to pursue acting. Later in his life, Jump converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Career
Jump's acting career began at age 32. Jump participated in a theatre production at the Glendale Centre Theatre in Glendale, California, where he was noticed and offered an agent. The theatre was owned by Nathan and Ruth Hale, who were members of the LDS Church. It was there that Jump first learned about the LDS Church.
Jump's first break on television was his guest role as Marcus Clements in CBS's Daniel Boone, where he had eight lines. During the 1960s, he landed minor roles in television on such shows as Get Smart, Lancer, Here Come the Brides, and Green Acres. He guest-starred in a number of series during the 1970s and through the 1990s.
In the 1960s, Jump converted to the LDS Church. Subsequently, he acted in several church-produced instructional and educational productions, including When Thou Art Converted (1967), Pioneers In Petticoats (1969), and What About Thad? (1970),. In 1967, he played the role of Lehi in the Burbank pageant People of the Book. He also appeared as the apostle Peter in a 1969 film used as part of the church's temple ceremonies. Jump would return to church-related films with a small role in the 2002 comedy The Singles Ward. Jump and Robert Starling, an independent filmmaker, founded Associated Latter-day Media Artists (ALMA) together.
Jump's first recurring role came in 1977, as Chief of Police Tinkler in Soap. In 1978, he landed his signature role of Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson on the situation comedy WKRP in Cincinnati, portraying a bumbling radio station manager. Jump stated that the character of Arthur Carlson was based on a real-world WQXI executive.
After WKRP in Cincinnati folded in 1982, Jump made an appearance on a two-part episode of Diff'rent Strokes, titled "The Bicycle Man". He played Mr. Horton, the owner of a bicycle shop who attempts to molest series protagonist Arnold Jackson and his friend, Dudley. While his Los Angeles Times obituary called this role a "daring career turn", Genevieve Koski at the AV Club's roundtable found the laugh track that played during the scene in which the boys see nude photographs "horrifying". Koski's fellow roundtable member Donna Bowman disagreed, stating that the special humanized the situation.
In 1989, Jump took over the Maytag repairman role from Jesse White. In the 1990s, Jump starred in a short-lived revival of WKRP in Cincinnati entitled The New WKRP in Cincinnati. He also appeared in the ninth and final season of Seinfeld, in which he played George Costanza's boss at a playground equipment company over two episodes. Jump's last movie role was in the 2004 film Changing of the Guard, released after his death.
Death
Jump died on September 22, 2003, from pulmonary fibrosis that led to respiratory failure at his home near Los Angeles, California.