Jim Varney(1949-2000)
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
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).