James Albert Varney Jr. was a ‘Daytime Emmy Award’-winning American stage, TV, and film actor. He was best known for his signature role of ‘Ernest P. Worrell,’ which he portrayed in various commercials, films, and TV shows. As a child, he displayed excellent memorizing skills and also imitated cartoon characters from TV. Noticing his talent, Jim’s mother made him participate in children's theater, and with time, he developed an interest in the art and won state titles in various drama competitions. He started acting professionally at age 17 and made a number of stage appearances. He rose to prominence by playing ‘Ernest P. Worrell’ and portraying the character in several TV commercials, starting from a 1980 advertisement that featured the ‘Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ at ‘Beech Bend Park.’ He also played ‘Ernest’ in the TV series ‘Hey Vern, It's Ernest!’ and in films such as ‘Ernest Goes to Camp,’ ‘Ernest Rides Again,’ and ‘Ernest in the Army.’ He also portrayed every member of Ernest’s family. Other notable works of Varney include lending his voice to the animated character ‘Slinky Dog’ in the films ‘Toy Story’ and ‘Toy Story 2’ and playing ‘Jed Clampett’ in the film ‘The Beverly Hillbillies.’