Jim Varney - wikipedia Jim Varney Jim Varney Varney in the film The Expert ( 1995 ) James Albert Varney Jr. ( 1949 - 06 - 15 ) June 15, 1949 Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. February 10, 2000 ( 2000 - 02 - 10 ) ( aged 50 ) White House, Tennessee, U.S. Cause of death Lung cancer Resting place Lexington Cemetery Lexington, Kentucky, United States Occupation Actor, comedian, writer Years active 1976 -- 2000 Known for Ernest P. Worrell in the Ernest film series Slinky Dog from the Toy Story series Spouse ( s ) Jacqueline Drew ( m. 1977 ; div. 1983 ) Jane Varney ( m. 1988 ; div. 1991 ) Parent ( s ) James Albert Varney Sr. Nancy Louise Varney James Albert Varney Jr. ( June 15, 1949 -- February 10, 2000 ) was an American actor, comedian, and writer, best known for his role as Ernest P. Worrell, who was used in numerous television commercial advertising campaigns and movies, earning him fame worldwide and a Daytime Emmy Award. He gained further notability for playing Jed Clampett in the movie version of The Beverly Hillbillies ( 1993 ) and providing the voice of Slinky Dog in Toy Story ( 1995 ) and Toy Story 2 ( 1999 ). Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Television commercials 2.2 Ernest 's popularity 2.3 Other roles 3 Personal life 4 Illness and death 5 Filmography 5.1 Film 5.2 Television 5.3 Video games 6 References 7 External links Early Life James Albert Varney Jr. was born in Lexington, Kentucky. He was the fourth child and only son of James Albert Varney Sr. and Nancy Louise Varney ( née Howard ). As a child, Varney displayed the ability to memorize long poems and significant portions of material from books, which he used to entertain family and friends. When Varney was a boy, his mother would put the black and white television 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 8 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 of 1968 ) in Lexington. At the age of 15, he portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge in a local theater production, and by 17 he was performing professionally in nightclubs and coffee houses. Varney studied Shakespeare at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia and performed in an Opryland folk show in its first year of operation in the 1970s. He listed a former teacher, Thelma Beeler, as being one of the main contributing factors in his becoming an actor. When he was 24, Varney was an actor at the Pioneer Playhouse in Danville, Kentucky. The theater was adjacent to an Old West - themed village and prior to the show the audience would tour the village where apprentices would play townsfolk. Varney and the company usually played in the outdoor theater to audiences of only a few dozen people. Varney would regale the young apprentices by throwing knives into trees. He performed in Blithe Spirit, Boeing 707 and an original musical, Fire on the Mountain. He once jokingly threatened a long - haired apprentice, John Lino Ponzini, that he would take him up to Hazard, Kentucky where he ( Ponzini ) would n't make it down Main Street without the townsfolk giving him a crewcut. Career Television commercials In 1980, the first commercial featuring Varney as `` Ernest '' advertised an appearance by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders at Beech Bend Park, an amusement park located near Bowling Green, Kentucky. The character was franchised for use in markets all over the country and was used often by dairies to advertise milk products. For example, the Midwestern dairy bar chain Braum 's ran several advertisements using Ernest 's catchphrase ( as it was spelled in his registered trademark ), `` KnoWhutImean, Vern ? '' Purity Dairies, based in Nashville, Pine State Dairy in Raleigh, NC, and Oakhurst Dairy in Maine ran commercials that were nearly identical, but with the dairy name changed. For the same agency, Varney created a different character, Sgt. Glory, a humorless drill instructor who harangued cows of the client dairy into producing better milk. In another spot, Sgt. Glory 's home was shown as he had a date, which was heavily decorated with the products of the sponsor and advertising specialty items that it was essentially devoid of any other decor. The Sgt. Glory character also appeared in an advertisement for a southern grocery chain, Pruitt 's Food Town, in which he drilled the checkout clerks on proper behavior : `` Bread on top. Repeat : Bread on top. '' He approaches one of them at the end of the commercial with a look of menace and says, `` You 're not smilin '. '' The checkout bagger gives a very nervous and forced smile. Varney also starred as Ernest in a series of commercials that ran in the New Orleans area ( and throughout the Gulf South ) as a spokesman for natural gas utilities. In one, he is seen kneeling down in front of Vern 's desk under a lamp hanging from the ceiling, stating, `` Natural Gas, Vern ; it 's hot, fast, and cheap. Hot, fast, cheap ; kinda like your first wife, Vern, you know, the pretty one ! ? '' Vern then knocks the lamp into Ernest 's head, knocking him down. Those same television advertisements also were featured on channels in the St. Louis area for Laclede Gas Company during the mid-1980s and in the Metro Detroit area for Michigan Consolidated Gas Company. Another TV ad for Laclede Gas featured Ernest saying, `` Heat pump, schmeat pump. '' Varney also appeared in several Braum 's Ice Cream and Dairy Stores commercials throughout the 1980s. These aired on Oklahoma television. Varney also was noted for doing commercials for car dealerships across the country, most notably Cerritos Auto Square in Cerritos, California, Tysons Toyota in Tysons Corner, Virginia, and Audubon Chrysler in Henderson, Kentucky. Another favorite Ernest vehicle was promotions for various TV stations around the nation, including the news team and the weather departments. Varney portrayed Ernest in a series of commercials for Convenient Food Mart during the 1980s. In 1982, Varney co-hosted the syndicated Pop ! Goes the Country with singer Tom T. Hall. The show had just had a major overhaul and ended shortly after Varney hosted... Varney also portrayed another character, `` Auntie Nelda '', in numerous commercials long before he resurrected the character for the movies. Dressed in drag and appearing to be a senior citizen, the commercials gave off the tone of a motherly lady encouraging one to do what was right ( in this case, buy whatever product was being promoted ). This character, along with the `` Ernest '' character, ran for a couple of years in Mississippi and Louisiana in commercials for Leadco Aluminum Siding, a company that would provide estimates for placing aluminum siding on a home. Leadco often bought two - hour slots in local markets. During the slot, a movie was televised, and Varney ( as one of his characters ) and a Leadco representative would be the only commercial breaks during the movie, promoting only Leadco. During the 1990s, Varney reprised his role as Ernest for Blake 's Lotaburger, a fast food chain in New Mexico. In these commercials, Ernest typically would be trying to get into Vern 's house to see what food Vern was eating. After a lengthy description of whatever tasty morsel Vern had, Ernest would get locked out but would continue to shout from outside. Ernest 's popularity Jim Varney 's handprints, displayed at Disney Varney 's character Ernest proved so popular that it was spun off into a TV series, Hey Vern, It 's Ernest ! ( 1988 ) and a series of movies in the 1980s and 1990s. Ernest Goes to Camp ( 1987 ) was a huge hit, grossing $23.5 million at the U.S. box office, on a $3 million production budget, and staying in the Box Office Top 5 for its first three weeks of release. Though the film saw Varney nominated for the now - defunct Razzie Award for Worst New Star, only one year later Varney earned the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children 's Series for Hey Vern, It 's Ernest ! The canon of theatrically - released Ernest films also includes Ernest Saves Christmas ( 1988 ), Ernest Goes to Jail ( 1990 ), Ernest Scared Stupid ( 1991 ) and Ernest Rides Again ( 1993 ). After the financial failure of Ernest Rides Again, all further films were released direct - to - video : Ernest Goes to School ( 1994 ), Slam Dunk Ernest ( 1995 ), Ernest Goes to Africa ( 1997 ) and Ernest in the Army ( 1998 ). The Walt Disney World Resort 's Epcot theme park featured Ernest. Epcot 's Cranium Command attraction used the Ernest character in its pre-show as an example of a `` lovable, but not the brightest person on the planet '' type of person. And in addition to his Ernest Goes to... series, he starred as Ernest in several smaller movies for Carden & Cherry, such as Knowhutimean ? Hey Vern, It 's My Family Album ; Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam ; and the direct - to - video feature Your World as I See It, all of which showcased his great facility with assuming a wide variety of characters and accents. The Ernest Film Festival ( a.k.a. Greatest Hits Volume 1 ) was released on VHS in 1986. Greatest Hits Volume 2 was released in 1992. Mill Creek Entertainment released these classic television commercials on DVD box sets October 31, 2006. Image Entertainment re-released them on June 5, 2012 as part of the DVD set Ernest 's Wacky Adventures : Volume 1. Other roles This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( September 2010 ) Varney had an established acting career prior to his fame as Ernest. In 1976, Varney was a regular cast member of the television show Johnny Cash and Friends. He also played a recurring guest on the faux late - night talk show Fernwood 2 Night. From 1977 to 1979, Varney was cast as Seaman `` Doom & Gloom '' Broom in the television version of Operation Petticoat. Just prior to his stint as Ernest, he was a cast member on the notorious television flop Pink Lady and Jeff. From 1983 to 1984, Varney played heartthrob Chad Everett 's younger brother Evan Earp in the comedy - drama, high - action television series, The Rousters, created by Stephen J. Cannell, about the descendants of Wyatt Earp, a family of bounty hunters / carnival bouncers. As Evan Earp, Varney played a con man / mechanical - inventor `` genius '', constantly getting himself into comedic trouble, with those around him ready to lynch him. Although the series was promising, the show failed after its first season because it was poorly slotted ( four episodes every few months ) against the number - one prime - time television series for the past six years, The Love Boat. Varney can be seen in Hank Williams Jr. 's video for `` All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight '', where he is briefly shown casually riding a bull being pulled on a rope by a young lady, and later in a swimming pool with two young ladies. In 1985, Varney co-hosted HBO 's New Year 's Eve special, along with Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. Varney also played Jed Clampett in the 1993 production of The Beverly Hillbillies, Rex, a carnival worker / associate of Dennis Quaid in Wilder Napalm, which is about two pyrokinetic brothers, played by Quaid and Arliss Howard, and as the accident - prone entertainer / watch guard ( aka `` safety guy / human torch '' ) Rudy James in the movie Snowboard Academy. He later played a small role in the 1995 action film The Expert as a weapons dealer named Snake. Varney also lent his voice to Slinky Dog in Disney / Pixar 's Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in the Toy Story series ( Varney was replaced by Blake Clark in Toy Story 3 due to his death in 2000 ), and played numerous others, including `` Cookie '' Farnsworth, from Atlantis : The Lost Empire, released the year after his death ( Steve Barr replaced Varney for the sequel Atlantis : Milo 's Return ), the carny character Cooter in the `` Bart Carny '' episode of The Simpsons, the character Walt Evergreen in the Duckman episode `` You 've Come a Wrong Way, Baby '', Prince Carlos Charmaine ( a royal suitor Jackie dates ) for a few episodes of the final season of the 1990s television series Roseanne, and Lothar Zogg in the 1998 film 3 Ninjas : High Noon at Mega Mountain, also starring Hulk Hogan and Loni Anderson. Varney had a brief role as an incestuous, abusive father in an independent production, 100 Proof, for which he received good reviews from critics. He also played a rebel in the midnight movie Existo, as well as an old mariner in a low - budget horror film, Blood, Friends, and Money. During the filming of Treehouse Hostage, he played an escaped convict held hostage and tormented by some 5th graders in a treehouse. One of Varney 's final films was Billy Bob Thornton 's Daddy and Them, where he played Uncle Hazel, who had been arrested for murder. Co-stars included Kelly Preston and Andy Griffith. Another final guest appearance was the Bibleman Genesis Series Bibleman Jr. Volume 1 & 2 as himself, where he has a friendly chat with a small group of young children about making silly faces and laughter, then entertainingly sings a simple song with them. Varney starred in three videos, The Misadventures of Bubba, The Misadventures of Bubba II, and Bubba Goes Hunting, in which he played himself and taught young kids important safety rules about hunting and guns. He illustrated the rules with the help of his bumbling and accident - prone cousin Bubba ( also played by Varney ) and Bubba 's imaginary hunting pal, Billy Bob. The videos were distributed as part of a membership pack from Buckmasters ' Young Bucks Club. According to an interview, one of Varney 's final projects was writing a screenplay about the legendary feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys, stating that his grandfather hunted squirrel with the McCoys. Varney said his dream role would have been to perform Hamlet. During novelist Peter David 's efforts to bring his 1987 novel Knight Life to the big screen, movie producers intended to have Varney portray the main character, King Arthur. Personal Life Varney was married twice, first to Jacqueline Drew ( 1977 -- 1983 ) and then to Jane Varney ( 1988 -- 1991 ). Both marriages ended in divorce, though he remained friends with his ex-wife Jane until his death ; she became Varney 's spokesperson and accompanied him in Pixar 's 1999 film Toy Story 2. On December 6, 2013, Jim Varney 's nephew, Justin Lloyd, published a comprehensive biography about his uncle titled The Importance of Being Ernest : The Life of Actor Jim Varney ( Stuff that Vern does n't even know ). Illness and death During the filming of Treehouse Hostage in August 1998, Varney started developing a bad cough. At first, it was thought that he might have caught a cold because of the climate of the area where the movie was being filmed. However, as the cough became worse, Varney began noticing blood on his handkerchief and, after filming was complete, he went to a doctor. A chain smoker, Varney had developed lung cancer. The disease slowly became worse, yet Varney continued to film movies. Upon being diagnosed, he reportedly threw his cigarettes away and quit smoking. Varney had filmed an anti-smoking public service announcement as Ernest in the 1980s, though it is often mistakenly assumed to have been filmed after his diagnosis. Varney finally returned to Tennessee, where he went through chemotherapy in the hope he could beat the disease. However, it failed and he died on February 10, 2000 in his home in White House, Tennessee, a city north of Nashville, at the age of 50. He was buried in Lexington Cemetery in Lexington, Kentucky. Disney 's Atlantis : The Lost Empire, which was released a year after his death, was his final role. The movie was dedicated in his memory. Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1982 Spittin ' Image Sheriff Knowhutimean ? Hey Vern, It 's My Family Album Ernest P. Worrell / Davy Worrell & Company / Ace Worrell / Lloyd Worrell / Billy Boogie Worrell / Rhetch Worrell / Pop Worrell 1986 Ernest 's Greatest Hits Volume 1 ( The Ernest Film Festival ) Ernest P. Worrell Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam Dr. Otto / Ernest P. Worrell / Rudd Hardtact / Laughin ' Jack / Guy Dandy / Auntie Nelda Ernest Goes to Camp Ernest P. Worrell Hey Vern, Win $10,000... Or Just Count on Having Fun ! Ernest P. Worrell 1988 Ernest Saves Christmas Ernest P. Worrell / Aster Clement / The Governor 's Student / Auntie Nelda / Mrs. Brock / Marty 's Mother / The Snake Guy 1989 Fast Food Wrangler Bob Bundy 1990 Ernest Goes to Jail Ernest P. Worrell / Felix Nash / Auntie Nelda 1991 Ernest Scared Stupid Ernest P. Worrell / Phineas Worrell / Auntie Nelda / Various Relatives Ernest 's Greatest Hits Volume 2 Ernest P. Worrell Wilder Napalm Rex The Beverly Hillbillies Jed Clampett Ernest Rides Again Ernest P. Worrell 1994 Ernest Goes to School 1995 The Expert Snake Slam Dunk Ernest Ernest P. Worrell Toy Story Slinky Dog Voice Bubba Goes Hunting Bubba Snowboard Academy Rudy James 1997 Ernest Goes to Africa Ernest P. Worrell / Hey You, the Hindu / Auntie Nelda / African Woman Dancer 100 Proof Rae 's Father Blood, Friends and Money The Old Mariner Annabelle 's Wish Mr. Gus Holder Voice 1998 Ernest in the Army Pvt. / Capt. Ernest P. Worrell / Operation Sandtrap Arab 3 Ninjas : High Noon at Mega Mountain Lothar Zogg 1999 Existo Marcel Horowitz Treehouse Hostage Carl Banks Toy Story 2 Slinky Dog Voice Atlantis : The Lost Empire Jebidiah ' Cookie ' Farnsworth Voice Daddy and Them Hazel Montgomery Television Year Title Role Notes 1976 Dinah ! Himself 1 episode 1977 Operation Petticoat Doom & Gloom Broom Fernwood 2 Night Virgil Simms Episode : `` Ethnic Myths '' Episode : `` Getting the Most from Your Warranty '' Episode : `` # 1.46 '' Episode : `` Battery Powered Car '' 1978 America 2 - Night Virgil Simms Episode : `` Daredevil Virgil Simms '' Episode : `` Falafel - on - a-Stick '' Episode : `` The UBS Story '' Operation Petticoat Seaman ' Doom & Gloom ' Broom 32 episodes Alice Milo Skinner Episode : `` Better Never Than Later '' 1979 Alan King 's Third Annual Final Warning ! Various 1980 Pink Lady Various All 6 episodes 1982 -- 83 Pop ! Goes the Country Bobby Burbank / ' Shotglass ' The Bartender / Bunny The Barmaid Unknown episodes The Rousters Evan Earp TV series pilot film The Rousters Evan Earp All 13 episodes 1988 Hey Vern, It 's Ernest ! Ernest P. Worrell / Various 1988 -- 89 Happy New Year, America Ernest P. Worrell / Correspondent Live New Year 's Eve special 1989 Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain Ernest P. Worrell 1990 Disneyland Ernest P. Worrell / Ernest 's Father Episode : `` Disneyland 's 35th Anniversary Celebration '' Disneyland 's 35th Anniversary Celebration Ernest P. Worrell 1994 XXX 's & OOO 's Cameo Roseanne Prince Carlos Episode : `` Someday My Prince Will Come '' Episode : `` Home Is Where the Afghan Is '' 1997 Duckman : Private Dick / Family Man Walt Evergreen Voice only Episode : `` You 've Come a Wrong Way, Baby '' 1998 Hercules : The Animated Series King Ephialtes Voice only Episode `` Hercules and the Dance Muse '' 1998 The Simpsons Cooder Voice only Episode : `` Bart Carny '' Video games Year Title Role Notes Toy Story : Activity Center Slinky Dog Voice only Animated Storybook : Toy Story 1999 Toy Story 2 : Activity Center 1999 Toy Story 2 : Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue 2000 Atlantis : The Lost Empire Cookie References Jump up ^ `` Ernest P. Gets Rich With Vern ''. Sun Sentinel. Retrieved October 6, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Jim Varney ; Comedic Actor Played Rube Ernest P. Worrell in Commercials, Movies ''. Los Angeles Times. February 11, 2000. Retrieved October 6, 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` Jim Varney, 50, Who Turned ' Ernest ' Character into a Career ''. New York Times. February 11, 2000. Retrieved October 6, 2010. Jump up ^ `` James Varney Sr. Gravesite ''. Retrieved November 24, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Jim Varney Biography ; Film Actor, Television Actor, Comedian ( 1949 -- 2000 ) ''. biography.com. Retrieved April 12, 2016. Jump up ^ `` 1967 Lafayette High Yearbook ''. classmates.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014. Jump up ^ Kalafut, Kathy ( April 13, 1990 ). `` Hey, Vern, I 'm a Star ! ! -- EW.com ''. Entertainment Weekly. Jump up ^ Auntie Nelda on YouTube Jump up ^ `` Guess Who 's Coming to Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner -- Hey, Vern ! It 's Your Old Pal Jim Varney ! ''. People. Retrieved October 6, 2010. Jump up ^ `` The Character Curse : Actor, Role Seen As One ''. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 6, 2010. Jump up ^ Dubois, Stephanie ( July 8, 1989 ). `` Jim Varney Hopes Cards And Letters Keep Pouring in to Save Poor Ernest ''. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 6, 2010. Jump up ^ Lloyd, Justin. The Importance of Being Ernest : The Life of Actor Jim Varney. CreateSpace. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4927 - 4631 - 7. Jump up ^ Keel, Beverly ( November 15, 1999 ). `` The Importance of Being Ernest ''. Nashville Scene. Retrieved June 2, 2015. Jump up ^ `` The Earnest Film Festival ''. Nashville Scene. Jump up ^ `` Actor Jim `` Ernest '' Varney dies at 50 ``. Salon. Archived from the original on September 18, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010. External links Jim Varney at Find a Grave Jim Varney on IMDb Jim Varney at the TCM Movie Database Jim Varney at AllMovie VIAF : 11912640 LCCN : no97049463 ISNI : 0000 0001 1556 2872 BNE : XX4579943 IATH : w64z358h Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jim_Varney&oldid=806968718 '' Categories : 1949 births 2000 deaths 20th - century American male actors 20th - century American writers Actors from Lexington, Kentucky American male comedians American comedians American male film actors American male television actors American stand - up comedians American male video game actors American male voice actors American male writers Burials in Kentucky Deaths from cancer in Tennessee Deaths from lung cancer Male actors from Kentucky Murray State University alumni People from White House, Tennessee Writers from Lexington, Kentucky Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from October 2016 Pages to import images to Wikidata Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from September 2010 Articles needing additional references from September 2010 All articles needing additional references Articles with unsourced statements from August 2016 Find a Grave template with ID same as Wikidata Turner Classic Movies person ID not in Wikidata Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Acèh Aragonés Arpetan Asturianu Bân - lâm - gú Basa Banyumasan Bikol Central Български Brezhoneg Català Cebuano Chavacano de Zamboanga Corsu Cymraeg Deutsch Dolnoserbski Eesti Emiliàn e rumagnòl Español Euskara فارسی Føroyskt Français Gaeilge Gàidhlig Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Ido Igbo Ilokano Íslenska Italiano Kernowek Kirundi Kiswahili Latina Lumbaart Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Occitan Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча Papiamentu Piemontèis Polski Português Русский Scots Shqip Simple English Suomi Svenska Tagalog Türkçe Українська Winaray Yorùbá Zazaki Edit links This page was last edited on 25 October 2017, at 04 : 45. 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Question: who does the voice for slinky in toy story
Answer: James Albert Varney Jr.