Jim varney death
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Jim Varney
(1949-2000)
Who Was Jim Varney?
Jim Varney got his big break in 1976 when he was cast in a variety TV show and went on to appear in several TV shows. In the early 1980s, he played his signature character Ernest P. Worrell in hundreds of commercials. From the late 1980s to the late 1990s he starred in five films about Ernest.
Early Life and Career
Varney was born on June 15, 1949, 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 1965. In 1967, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a stand-up comedian and acted in dinner theater and Off-Broadway productions.
Varney got a big break in 1976 when he was cast as a regular in the variety television series Johnny Cash and Friends. He went on to appear in a number of short-lived TV shows, including Operation Petticoat (1977), Fernwood 2-Night (1977), The New Operation Petti (1978) and Pink Lady (1980).
Playing Ernest P. Worrell
Varney first introduced his
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James Albert Varney, Jr. was born in Lexington, Kentucky, to Nancy Louise (Howard) and James Albert Varney, Sr. He became interested in theater as a teenager, winning state titles in drama competitions while a student at Lafayette High School in Lexington, Kentucky. At age 15 he played Ebeneezer Scrooge in a local children's theater production of "A Christmas Carol", and by 17 was performing professionally in nightclubs and coffee houses. He chose Nashville rather than New York or Los Angeles as a place to pursue his acting career and, with advertising executive John R. Cherry III, turned "Ernest P. Worrell" into a cash cow, making commercials for clients ranging from soft drinks to food stores and, eventually, Disney. Even though Ernest's catchphrase "KnowhutImean?" became a national craze almost immediately, Jim worked in TV and film for more than a decade before his famous alter-ego hit the big screen in Ernest Goes to Camp (1987).
BornJune 15, 1949
DiedFebruary 10, 2000(50)
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Jim Varney
American actor (1949–2000)
Jim Varney | |
|---|---|
Varney in the 1995 film The Expert | |
| Born | James Albert Varney Jr. (1949-06-15)June 15, 1949 Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | February 10, 2000(2000-02-10) (aged 50) White House, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Resting place | Lexington Cemetery |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1959–2000 |
| Notable work | Ernest franchise Toy Story |
| Spouses |
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James Albert Varney Jr. (June 15, 1949 – February 10, 2000) was an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his comedic role as Ernest P. Worrell, for which he won an Emmy Award, as well as appearing in films and numerous television commercial advertising campaigns.[1][2][3] He played Jed Clampett in a film adaptation of The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) and also covered a song for the film titled "Hot Rod Lincoln".[4]
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