Jim Varney
A rubber-faced comedian who transformed a cheesy TV pitchman named Ernest into an unlikely, slapstick folk hero for a generation of kids.
1949–2000 (age 51)·American actor and comedian·Birthday: June 15·Baby Boomers
Biography
Jim Varney was a classically trained stage actor from Kentucky who found unlikely fame by embracing pure, unadulterated silliness. His creation, the perpetually grinning, know-it-all bumpkin Ernest P. Worrell, began life hawking local products on television with a shouted 'KnowhutImean?' but quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Varney poured his entire physical being into the character, contorting his face and deploying a arsenal of voices. A series of low-budget family films like 'Ernest Goes to Camp' cemented Ernest as a 1980s icon, a well-meaning chaos agent whose adventures resonated with children. Behind the greasepaint, Varney was a skilled dramatic actor and musician, whose later role as the voice of Slinky Dog in 'Toy Story' introduced his warmth to a new audience, showcasing the talent that always underpinned the goofiness.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Jim was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jim Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Jim's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2000Died at 51
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
Key Achievements
- Created and portrayed the character Ernest P. Worrell, starring in over a dozen films and thousands of commercials.
- Won a local Emmy Award for his children's television show 'The Ernest P. Worrell Show' in the early 1980s.
- Provided the voice of Slinky Dog in the first two 'Toy Story' films.
- Released a country music album titled 'Funny Songs & Stuff' in 1994.
Did You Know?
He was a Shakespearean actor early in his career, performing with the National Shakespeare Festival.
He was a chain smoker, a habit he picked up for a role and continued, which contributed to his death from lung cancer.
The Ernest character was originally conceived by an advertising agency, but Varney made it his own.
He was an accomplished pianist and could play by ear.
“I've been blessed. I've gotten to do what I love for a living, and that's to make people laugh.”
