Jim varney last photo

He was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. Varney is best remembered for his role as Ernest P.

Jim Varney got his big break in when he was cast in a variety TV show and went on to appear in several TV shows. In the early s, he played his signature character Ernest P. Worrell in hundreds of commercials. From the late s to the late s he starred in five films about Ernest. Varney was born on June 15, , in Lexington, Kentucky. He began acting in local theater at the age of 8; his first professional acting role was as Puck in a regional production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in In , he moved to New York City, where he worked as a stand-up comedian and acted in dinner theater and Off-Broadway productions.

Jim varney last photo

James Albert Varney Jr. June 15, — February 10, was an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his comedic role as Ernest P. Worrell , for which he won a Daytime Emmy Award , as well as appearing in films and numerous television commercial advertising campaigns. Varney was born in Lexington, Kentucky. When Varney was a boy, his mother would turn on cartoons for him to watch. His mother discovered that Varney quickly began to imitate the cartoon characters, so she started him in children's theater when he was eight years old. Varney began his interest in theater as a teenager, winning state titles in drama competitions while a student at Lafayette High School [6] class of in Lexington. At the age of 15, he portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge in a local theater production; by 17, he was performing professionally in nightclubs and coffee houses. Varney studied Shakespeare at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, [7] and performed in an Opryland folk show in its first year of operation, in the s. He listed a former teacher, Thelma Beeler, as being a mentor in his becoming an actor. The theater was adjacent to an Old West -themed village, and before the show, the audience would tour the village where apprentices would play townsfolk. Varney and the company usually played in the outdoor theater to audiences of only a few dozen people.

Inhe moved to New York City, where he worked as a stand-up comedian and acted in dinner theater and Off-Broadway productions. James Albert Varney Jr.

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Along with his obituary that described the details of his life and death at the age of 50 from cancer, many newspapers ran a photo of his alter ego, the character Ernest P. Varney was possibly too convincing; many people believed that he was Ernest, a country bumpkin, and not just an actor playing a role. But friends described Varney as the most intelligent man they had ever met. An actor schooled in the nuances of Shakespeare, he spent much of his time reading literature and history books. That was a part of him, but he was so intelligent. He was a walking encyclopedia.

Jim varney last photo

Varney portrayed the rubbernecked rube "Ernest" in a series of movies and hundreds of TV commercials. In the commercials, he got his fingers slammed in a house window, fell off a ladder and got electrically shocked fooling with a broken TV set. He plugged a variety of sponsors, including dairy products, car dealerships, pizza and radio stations. He said in , "Ernest is a neighbor or relative that we've all had at one time. He's abrasive, but he doesn't mean to be. He gets excited and ends up standing on your toes.

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In one, he is seen kneeling down in front of Vern's desk under a lamp hanging from the ceiling, stating, "Natural gas, Vern; it's hot, fast, and cheap. February 10, aged 50 White House, Tennessee , U. Jim Varney Tools Tools. White House, Tennessee , United States. Neither union resulted in children. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 6, Toggle limited content width. Retrieved December 13, Those same television advertisements also were featured on channels in the St. This short article about an actor or group of actors from the United States can be made longer. Varney can be seen in Hank Williams Jr. Snowboard Academy. Famous Actors.

Ernest P.

Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue. Varney and the company usually played in the outdoor theater to audiences of only a few dozen people. Co-stars included Kelly Preston and Andy Griffith. Categories : births deaths Actors from Kentucky American movie actors American television actors American voice actors Cancer deaths in Tennessee Musicians from Kentucky Deaths from lung cancer People from Lexington, Kentucky. Worrell in a regional television commercial in Article Talk. Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. Jacqueline Drew. Toggle limited content width. Read Change Change source View history. Wikimedia Commons. For example, the dairy bar and hamburger chain Braum's ran several advertisements featuring Ernest; Purity Dairies , based in Nashville, Pine State Dairy in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Oakhurst Dairy in Maine ran commercials that were nearly identical, but with the dairy name changed. Los Angeles Times.