Hey Vern! I'm Dead!

Jim Varney was born on June 14, 1949 in Lexington Kentucky.  From an early age, it was obvious to all who knew him that one day he would annoy millions of people.  Can you believe this spaz won a daytime Emmy Award?

Recognizing that her son had a knack for imitating popular cartoon characters, Varney's mother enlisted him in local theater productions when he was just eight years old.  He was a quick study, and by the time he was in high school, he was already winning drama competitions.  He studied Shakespeare in Virginia and became a regular performer at Opryland In Nashville.  Not bad for a kid of 17.

In 1980, Varney signed with an advertising agency in Nashville to play what would become his signature character, Ernest P. Worrel.  Watch Varney discuss that historic decision with ABC's Joan Lunden here.

Ernest's first commercial was for a local amusement park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, but his pitchman career soon took off.  By 1984, Varney had played the part in more than 800 local commercials throughout the south, selling everything from milk to Toyotas.  KnowwhatImean, Vern?

I paid $5 to see this in the theatre.

It wouldn't take long for Hollywood to notice, which decided to quickly cash in on his character.  The first Ernest movie, Ernest Goes to Camp, was released in 1987.  Watch the trailer here.  It was a box office success (!), bringing in more than $23 million (produced for a mere $3 million).  Incredibly, seven additional Ernest films would hit theatres before the franchise burned out in 1997.

Varney had other roles besides Ernest, including that of Slinky Dog in the popular Toy Story movie franchise.  Hear a sampling of that character here. He also took over the role of Jed Clampett in the 1993 big-screen remake of The Beverly Hillbillies.  Watch the trailer here.

In 1998, Varney was filming a movie called Treehouse Hostage when he started coughing up blood.  He hid his condition until the production was complete, but as a longtime smoker, he knew how serious it potentially was.  When production on the film was completed, he was officially diagnosed with lung cancer.

For two years, Varney continued to act, while also taking time off for chemotherapy.  Sadly, he'd succumb to the disease on February 10, 2000.  He was just 50 years old.  He was buried in his hometown of Lexington in the town cemetery.  His final film, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, was released the following year, and Disney dedicated the film to his memory.

Next: New year - new graves!