- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJames Albert Varney Jr.
- Height6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
- 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).- IMDb Mini Biography By: HiLander-4
- SpousesJane Varney(1988 - 1991) (divorced)Jacqueline Drew(June 15, 1977 - 1983) (divorced)
- ParentsNancy Louise VarneyJames Albert Varney
- RelativesJustin Lloyd(Niece or Nephew)
- Raspy voice.
- Known for his Ernest P. Worrell character: a boufoonish redneck who ultimately redeems himself in the end
- When given the chance to have a lifelong dream fulfilled by such groups as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, several hundred terminally ill children have asked to meet Ernest. He never let them down.
- Along with Robin Williams, Varney was one of Los Angeles's Comedy Store's original alumni.
- Despite his persona as Ernest P. Worrell, he reportedly had a near genius I.Q. level. He was said to be occasionally exasperated with fans who met him and assumed he was exactly like the Worrell character he portrayed.
- Was very good friends with Robin Williams.
- Being good friends with actor Blake Clark, Clark took over the role of "Slinky Dog" in Toy Story 3 (2010), after Varney's death.
- Life's just a bus stop to somewhere infinitely better.
- [On making Ernest Scared Stupid] I loved it. As a kid, anything that gave me nightmares I had to watch.
- I started to do a study on how not to do stand-up comedy. Yeah, it's lonely work. You die, you die alone. It's you, the light, and the audience. If you win, you win big. If you lose, you lose big time.
- I like to sing. I write music. Country songs. You have to if you're in Nashville. It's part of the lease. You sign a lease that says, I will write country songs and pay my rent on time.
- I'd like to do a piece of Shakespeare. Any upcoming Shakespeare film. Just a bit to say I did a classic.
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