This article is about the snooker player. For other Jimmy Whites, see Jimmy White (disambiguation)

James Warren White
Personal Information
Nicknames	The Whirlwind
Date of birth	May 2, 1962
Nationality	English
Career
Professional	1980–current
2004/5 World Ranking	11
Best World Ranking	2 (2 years)
World Championship Best	Runner-up (6 times)
Highest Break	147 (1992)
Ranking Tournament Wins
Mercantile Credit Classic	1986, 1991
Rothmans Grand Prix	1986, 1992
British Open	1987, 1992
Canadian Masters	1988
European Open	1992
UK Championship	1992
Players Championship	2004
Other Tournament Wins
Benson & Hedges Masters	1984
Irish Masters	1985, 1986
Pot Black	1986

Jimmy White (born 2 May, 1962) is an English professional snooker player. He is almost certainly the most popular player on the circuit (he is often introduced at matches as "the most popular player the game has ever known") due to his combination of natural play and a 'lovable rogue' image.

White grew up in London with fellow snooker player Tony Meo, and the two of them used to skip school in order to play snooker. It is rumoured that his headmaster allowed him to practise snooker in the afternoons, in return for school attendance in the mornings. White's literacy skills on leaving school were limited.

He has won nine ranking tournaments, including the British Open (in 1987 and 1992) and the UK Championship (in 1992). However, the World Championship title has remained elusive, despite reaching the final six times (starting in 1984, and then each year from 1990 to 1994). He has thus been described by many commentators as "the greatest player never to win the World Championship".

White has a reputation of fair play and sportsmanship. He has many times owned up to a foul which the referee had not noticed.

His personal life and health have come under scrutiny - he has suffered from testicular cancer and had to have one testicle removed, later making a full recovery. He has also had an unsuccessful hair transplant and has had trouble with the law over alcohol and drugs.

White was awarded an MBE in 1999. Ironically, the three other snooker players to have been awarded the MBE (Steve Davis, John Parrott and Stephen Hendry) are the same three who have beaten him in the World Championship finals.

In February 2005 after hearing of a sponsorship deal from HP Foods, makers of brown sauce, whereby the HP logo will be present on the brown ball at all major tournaments, White announced that he had changed his name by deed poll to 'James Brown', and would wear brown clothing with a blue bow tie when competing at the upcoming Masters tournament. World Snooker subsequently announced that as he had registered for the tournament as Jimmy White, he would be referred to by that name during it, and the press has continued to call him Jimmy White after the tournament.

White is one of only four players to have completed a maximum 147 break at the World Championships - the others being Hendry, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Cliff Thorburn.

Jimmy White is married to Maureen and they have five children. He supports Chelsea F.C.

He once memorably advertised Softmint sweets, playing upon his nickname and flair play by performing a total clearance of the snooker table before "allowing himself" another of the sweets.

References

• Behind the White Ball: My Autobiography, Autobiography, Arrow Books, ISBN 0099271842.