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Jim Varney

Background information

Fullname

James Albert Varney, Jr.

Born

June 15,1949
Lexington,Kentucky,United States

Died

February 10,2000 (aged 50)
White House,Tennessee, United States

Cause of death

Lung cancer

Nationality

American

Occupation

Actor, comedian, writer

Years active

1964–2000

Family information

Spouse

Jacqueline Drew (1977–1983)
Jane Varney (1988–1991)

Parents

Nancy Louise Varney † (mother)
James Albert Varney Sr. † (father)

James Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American actor, comedian, and writer. He was best known for his role asErnest P. Worrell, who first appeared in a series of commercials popular in theUnited States, especially Nashville,Tennessee, and then later in a television show calledHey Vern, It's Ernest!.Disney took notice of the character's popularity and produced a feature film entitledErnest Goes to Camp, starring Varney as Ernest. Varney's performing abilities led him to many roles both as an actor and voice artist.

For Disney, besides portraying Ernest P. Worrell in theErnest film media franchise, he was also known for providing the original voice ofSlinky Dog inDisney/Pixar'sToy Story franchise. Shortly before work began onToy Story 2, Varney was diagnosed with lung cancer and died while he was recording lines forCookie Farnsworth inAtlantis: The Lost Empire, which was released posthumously a year after his death. SinceToy Story 3, his friendBlake Clark took over as the voice of Slinky.

Varney was born in Lexington,Kentucky, the son of Nancy Louise (née Howard), and James Albert Varney Sr.. As a child, he displayed the ability to memorize long poems and significant portions of the material from books, which he used to entertain family and friends. 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 (class of1968) in Lexington.

Varney had an established acting career before his fame as Ernest. In1976, Varney was a regular cast member of the television showJohnny Cash and Friends. He also played a recurring guest on the faux late-night talk showFernwood 2 Night. From1977 to1979, Varney was cast as Seaman "Doom & Gloom" Broom in the television version ofOperation Petticoat. Just prior to his stint as Ernest, he was a cast member on the notorious television flopPink Lady and Jeff. In1978, Varney played Milo Skinner in theCBS sitcomAlice.