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Feb 11, 2000 · Varney, 50, died of lung cancer at his home in White House, Tenn. John Cherry, who directed Varney in eight “Ernest” movies and remained his close friend, blamed the actor’s death on his ...
- Finding ‘Glory’
- A Career Begins in ‘Ernest’
- Ernest Goes to The Movies
- Life Outside of Ernest
- Cancer Diagnosis
- The Legacy of Ernest
In the early 1970s, Varney was performing at the Pioneer Playhouse in Danville, Kentucky. He would travel to Tennessee on tours for productions, like an original musical called Fire on the Mountain. At one point, Varney was working for the recently opened Oprylandin Nashville when his then-girlfriend had an audition for the Carden & Cherry Advertis...
Varney’s relationship with Carden & Cherry would prove to be a fruitful one. In 1980, the agency was asked to develop a series of ads for Beech Bend Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The problem at the time, Lloyd recalled, was the park needed major renovations. “John Cherry, and [Thom Ferrell] drove up to the park, and they could see ‘we can’t shoo...
By 1985, the Ernest character had expanded his footprint nationally with four years of commercial appearances. That year, Varney attended the Indianapolis 500 after a company he had shot ads for asked him to represent them at the Indy 500 Festival Parade. Ernest was a hit with the crowd, even garnering more applause than the Grand Marshal of that y...
In 1993, Varney appeared as Jed Clampett in the big-screen adaptation of The Beverley Hillbillies. But his casting, Lloyd said didn’t come easy, “Penelope Spheeris, the director, had to fight for him to get that role. A lot of Hollywood just saw him as Ernest.” After a handful of projects, including a string of Ernest films: Ernest Rides Again (199...
Varney continued to find new roles to tackle outside of Ernest. But in 1998 he was diagnosed with lung cancer. “He was optimistic that he would beat this,” said Lloyd. “He really didn’t want anybody to really know how sick he was.” Varney had been smoking since he was a teen. Lloyd recalled seeing his uncle start coughing after fits of laughter, “I...
June 15, 2021, would have been Varney’s 72ndbirthday. Though the comedian passed away two decades ago, his legacy lives on in the hearts of fans. “I can’t tell you how many people have reached out to us and said, something to the effect of, Ernest was basically like a surrogate father or father figure to me,” said Pagano. “This character was like, ...
- Sebastian Posey
Nov 10, 2019 · Discover Jim Varney’s Grave in Lexington, Kentucky: This tombstone marks the final resting place of the beloved 1990's character, Ernest P. Worrell.
Nov 28, 2020 · Actor Jim Varney was easily one of the funniest guys in children's entertainment in the '80s and '90s. Best known for his iconic character, "Ernest P. Worrell," Varney was a southern boy that made ...
Jim Varney. Actor: Ernest Goes to Camp. 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 ...
- June 15, 1949
- February 10, 2000
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May 10, 2022 · He was 73. The news was announced on the official Ernest P. Worrell Facebook page, citing a long battle with Parkinson’s disease as his cause of death: “Unfortunately, I have some...
Feb 11, 2000 · Feb. 11, 2000 12 AM PT. From Times Staff and Wire Reports. Jim Varney, the comedic actor who achieved a loyal following by playing country rube Ernest P. Worrell in commercials, television...
