David White Never Felt Appreciated on 'Bewitched'

Holly RiordanSun, May 3, 2026 at 12:54 PM UTC

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David White played Larry Tate on the hit series, Bewitched, which ran from 1964 until 1972. Recently, journalist Herbie J. Pilato spoke with Woman's World about the actor, who felt like he was not fully appreciated on the series.

"First and foremost,” Pilato said. “He was beloved by both Elizabeth and her husband, producer Bill Asher, who called his comic timing ‘quicksilver.' And while he adored Elizabeth in return, he always felt slighted by Bill Asher, who he said would give him a hard time.”

He continued, "For example, the opening credits of the show. David felt his name should have been included in the credits, either before or after Agnes Moorehead's credit as Endora. And that finally happened in the last season or so, but he had wanted it there from the beginning."

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Pilato reported that White had told him, "I wasn't born to play Larry. I had to create him. He was a make-believe character of his own truth slated in a comedy series. When playing humor and farce, you take that truth and stretch it as far as it will go. But not any farther. When I was playing Larry, though, he was a funny character, I never tried to be funny.”

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White also stated, “I got the part because I was an honest man, and that’s how Larry and I were different. I’m not two-faced and he was. I had more integrity than Larry ever had. I was smarter and had a deeper sense of values. I had to diminish who I was to play Larry, whom I viewed as a very insecure person who only had a certain brilliance in certain areas. He was smart enough to hire people who possessed the skills he did not, like Darrin.”

Bewitched was so popular that a spinoff series was created called Tabitha, which aired from 1977 until 1978. However, White declined to be a part of the show.

Pilato said, "David ultimately felt he was never fully appreciated on the show. Years later, when Bill Asher was producing the Tabitha series, David refused Bill's request to appear as Larry. 'I didn't need the money,' he told me. 'And I simply was not going to do it.'"

Pilato’s book, Twitch Upon a Star: The Bewitched Life and Career of Elizabeth Montgomery, was released in 2012. It contains exclusive interviews with Elizabeth Montgomery, the lead actress in Bewitched.

This story was originally published by Parade on May 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”