James Albert Varney, Jr.

James Albert Varney, Jr. net worth is $12 Million. Also know about James Albert Varney, Jr. bio, salary, height, age weight, relationship and more …

James Albert Varney, Jr. Wiki Biography

James Albert Varney, Jr. was born on 15 June 1949, in Lexington, Kentucky USA, and was a writer, comedian and actor best known for his character Ernest P. Worrell, used for movies and commercials. He’s also known to have been the voice of Slinky Dog in the first two “Toy Story” movies. His various efforts helped raise his net worth to where it was prior to his passing in 2000.

How rich was Jim Varney? As of mid-2016, sources inform us of a net worth that is at $12 million, mostly earned through his numerous opportunities as an actor. Aside from commercials, film and television, he was also popular in the theatre. He’s also did voice-acting work, and all of these helped increase his wealth.

 

At a young age, Jim’s mother noticed how he could easily memorize parts of a book and start re-enacting the cartoon characters he watched on television. This soon led him to an opportunity in theatre and he won numerous competitions while attending Lafayette High School. At the age of 17, Varney was already performing at various venues and later on he’d become an actor in numerous theatre productions such as “Blithe Spirit”, “Fire on the Mountain”, and “Boeing 707”, a solid start to his net worth.

Varney rose to prominence as the character Ernest Worrell during a commercial that advertised the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in 1980. His character was suddenly used by various companies and produce such as milk and other dairy products. This led to him creating other characters such as Sgt. Glory, who was a drill instructor also used for commercials. More opportunities appeared including commercials for gas, convenience stores and car dealerships. This also led to more television shows for him such as “Pop! Goes the Country” alongside Tom T. Hall. Later on, Jim would create another character named Auntie Nelda, and would then reprise Ernest in various films, the result of the character’s popularity, including “Ernest Saves Christmas”, “Ernest Scared Stupid”, “Ernest Rides Again”, “Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam”, and “Ernest Goes to Africa”. His commercials continued with clients such as Leadco and later Blake’s Lotaburger. Aside from films, his character Ernest also had a television series entitled “Hey Vern, It’s Ernest”, and the film “Ernest Goes to Camp” became a huge success. The various Ernest movies were compiled and made into VHS and DVD releases, considerably adding to his net worth.

Aside from his popularity as the character, Varney also had other shows and movies in which he portrayed other characters. These can be seen in “Johnny Cash and Friends”, “Fernwood 2 Night”, “Operation Petticoat” and “Pink Lady and Jeff”. He also became well known for portraying Jed Clampett in “The Beverly Hillbillies”. He continued doing movies and later would get voice opportunities in “Toy Story”, “Toy Story 2” and “Atlantis: The Lost Empire”. He even had an episode voicing for “The Simpsons”, and tried his hand at independent movies.

For his personal life, Jim was firstly married to Jacqueline Drew from 1977 to 1983, and then to Jane Varney from 1988 to 1991. During the filming of “Treehouse Hostage” in 1998, it was discovered that he had lung cancer because of his smoking habit. He quit smoking and later supported anti-smoking campaigns, and underwent chemotherapy, but it wasn’t successful and he died in February 2000. His final film “Atlantis: The Lost Empire”, was dedicated to him.

IMDB Wikipedia “Blithe Spirit” “Boeing 707” “Ernest Rides Again” “Ernest Saves Christmas” “Ernest Scared Stupid” “Johnny Cash and Friends” “Operation Petticoat” “Pink Lady and Jeff” “Pop! Goes the Country” $12 Million 1949 1949-6-15 2000-02-10 6′ 1″ (1.85 m) Actor American Belmont Park Belmont Stakes Blake Lotaburger Doug O’Neill Ernest Goes to Camp (1987) Fernwood 2 Night Fire on the Mountain Florida Derby Gemini Hey Vern It’s Ernest! Jacqueline Drew James Albert Varney Jr. Jim Varney Net Worth June 15 Kentucky Kentucky Derby Lafayette High School Lexington Murray State University Pimlico Race Course Preakness Stakes Saturday morning cartoon Snowboard Academy (1996) Soundtrack The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) The Rousters (1983) Tom T. Hall Toy Story (1995) Toy Story 2 (1999) U.S. United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing Writer

James Albert Varney, Jr. Quick Info

Full Name Jim Varney
Net Worth $12 Million
Date Of Birth June 15, 1949, Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Died 2000-02-10, White House, Tennessee, United States
Height 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
Profession Actor, Writer, Comedian
Education Lafayette High School, Murray State University
Nationality American
Spouse Jacqueline Drew (1977-1983), Jane Varney (1988-1991)
Parents James Albert Varney, Sr., Louise Varney
Twitter https://twitter.com/jimvarneybook
IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001815
Movies “Toy Story” (1995), “Blithe Spirit”, “Fire on the Mountain”, “Boeing 707”, The Rousters (1983), Snowboard Academy (1996)
TV Shows “Pop! Goes the Country”, “Ernest Saves Christmas”, “Ernest Scared Stupid”, “Ernest Rides Again”,, “Hey Vern, It’s Ernest”, “Johnny Cash and Friends”, “Fernwood 2 Night”, “Operation Petticoat”, “Pink Lady and Jeff”

James Albert Varney, Jr. Trademarks

  1. Known for his character Ernest P. Worrell.
  2. Raspy voice.

James Albert Varney, Jr. Quotes

  • [After being asked if he was a chain smoker] Nah, I’m not a chain smoker. they’re real hard to light, and you have to carry that big torch around.
  • I’d like to do a piece of Shakespeare. Any upcoming Shakespeare film. Just a bit to say I did a classic.
  • I like to sing. I write music. Country songs. You have to if you’re in Nashville. It’s part of the lease. You sign a lease that says, I will write country songs and pay my rent on time.
  • I started to do a study on how not to do stand-up comedy. Yeah, it’s lonely work. You die, you die alone. It’s you, the light, and the audience. If you win, you win big. If you lose, you lose big time.
  • [On making Ernest Scared Stupid] I loved it. As a kid, anything that gave me nightmares I had to watch.
  • Life’s just a bus stop to somewhere infinitely better.

James Albert Varney, Jr. Important Facts

  • Varney himself sang the song “Gee I’m Glad It’s Raining” for his movie “Ernest Goes To Camp” in a single take. When he finished performing it for the movie, reportedly there wasn’t a single dry eye on set.
  • Shares his birthday with country singer Waylon Jennings who was one of his closest friends!.
  • Was a fan of The Beverly Hillbillies (1962). In fact, it was said to be his family’s favorite show.
  • Jim Varney was supposed to be in a movie called Pirates of the plain. Directed By John Cherry. But when got sick the lead went to Tim Curry instead. This somehow became a rumor that Jim was filming Ernest the pirate but died before it was finished.
  • Youngest child and only son of James Albert Varney Sr (1910-1985) and Louise Varney (1913-1994). He has three older sisters.
  • Varney was very good friends with actor Blake Clark and Clark took over the role of “Slinky Dog” in Toy Story 3 (2010), after Varney’s death. In an interview for “Toy Story 3”, Clark described Varney as a very good and kind man and one of his bestest friends.
  • Remained good friends with his second wife Jane after their divorce and she became his spokesperson later in life.
  • Was very good friends with Robin Williams.
  • When given the chance to have a lifelong dream fulfilled by such groups as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, several hundred terminally ill children have asked to meet Ernest. He never let them down.
  • Studied Shakespeare at the Barter Theatre in Virginia and performed in a folk show during Opryland’s first year of operation
  • Standup comedy launched his TV career. His first national appearance came at age 25, when he embarked on the talk show circuit, that included The Merv Griffin Show (1962) and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962).
  • Along with Robin Williams, Varney was one of Los Angeles’s Comedy Store’s original alumni.
  • The character of Ernest was actually introduced in a commercial for Bowling Green, Kentucky’s Beech Bend Raceway Park.
  • Between 1987 and 1990, Disney released four Ernest movies that generated a total of $100 million. Five more Ernest films were released independently, mainly for the video and television markets.
  • Among one of the companies he portrayed his beloved character, Earnest, was for the Kroger grocery store chain. These aired mainly in the marketing area of Tennessee, parts of Mississippi and Ohio where Kroger grocery store chains are predominate.
  • As Ernest, Jim Varney used to do Purity Dairy commercials which ran in Nashville, TN.
  • As his Ernest P. Worrell persona, he did advertisements for the Southern California auto mall Cerritos Auto Square. After his death, commercials now feature a CGI Ernest.
  • He used to do commercials for the Dodge dealership in Henderson, Kentucky, sitting in the Dodge Viper “high in the sky.”
  • When he discovered he had lung cancer, he reportedly threw away his cigarettes and quit smoking cold turkey. Unfortunately, it was too late.
  • Despite his persona as Ernest P. Worrell, he reportedly had a near genius I.Q. level. He was said to be occasionally exasperated with fans who met him and assumed he was exactly like the Worrell character he portrayed.
  • Known to fans as Ernest P. Worrell, his most famous character, who propelled him to the public eye. Ernest appeared in commercials “alongside” his off-camera friend Vern. Ernest would address the camera as if it were Vern.
  • His final movie, “Ernest the Pirate” (2000) had nearly completed shooting at the time of his death. For that reason, it got canceled, and was never released on VHS, DVD, or as part of an “Ernest” box set on anything.
  • Lived in Lexington, Kentucky while growing up, and graduated from Lafayette Senior High School with the class of 1968. He listed a former teacher, Thelma Beeler, as being one of the main contributing factors in his becoming an actor.
  • Jim Varney died at about 4:45 am February 10, 2000 at his White House, Tennessee home.
  • Was a heavy smoker and died of lung cancer.
  • Included in a 1986 home video collection of Ernest commercials is a public service spot with Ernest trying to convince “Vern” to quit smoking, thus avoiding “The Big ‘C’-Cancer. Chemotherapy City.”

James Albert Varney, Jr. Filmography

Title Year Status Character Role
Atlantis: The Lost Empire 2001 Video Game Cookie (voice) Actor
Daddy and Them 2001 Hazel Montgomery Actor
Atlantis: The Lost Empire 2001 Jebidiah Allardyce ‘Cookie’ Farnsworth (voice) Actor
Toy Story 2 1999 Video Game Slinky Dog (voice) Actor
Toy Story 2 1999 Slinky Dog (voice) Actor
Treehouse Hostage 1999 Carl Banks Actor
Existo 1999 Marcel Horowitz Actor
Hercules 1998 TV Series Actor
3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain 1998 Lothar Zogg Actor
Ernest in the Army 1998 Pvt. Ernest P. Worrell
Army Captain
Arab on Quicksand
Actor
The Simpsons 1998 TV Series Cooder Actor
Blood, Friends and Money 1997 The Old Mariner Actor
Annabelle’s Wish 1997 Video Mr. Gus Holder (voice) Actor
100 Proof 1997 Rae’s Father Actor
Ernest Goes to Africa 1997 Ernest P. Worrel
Hey You, the Hindu
Auntie Nelda
Actor
Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man 1997 TV Series Walt Evergreen Actor
Snowboard Academy 1996 Video Rudy James Actor
Roseanne 1996 TV Series Prince Carlos Actor
Toy Story Activity Center 1996 Video Game Slinky Dog (voice) Actor
Toy Story 1995 Slinky Dog (voice) Actor
Slam Dunk Ernest 1995 Video Ernest P. Worrell Actor
The Expert 1995 Snake Actor
Your World as I See It 1994 Short Ernest P. Worrel
Aster Clement
Baby Ernest
Actor
Ernest Goes to School 1994 Ernest Actor
Ernest Rides Again 1993 Ernest Actor
The Beverly Hillbillies 1993 Jed Clampett Actor
Wilder Napalm 1993 Rex Actor
Ernest’s Greatest Hits Volume 2 1992 Video Ernest P. Worrell Actor
Ernest Scared Stupid 1991 Ernest / Phineas Worrell Actor
Disneyland’s 35th Anniversary Special 1990 TV Movie Ernest Actor
Ernest Goes to Jail 1990 Ernest P. Worrell
Mr. Felix Nash
Auntie Nelda
Actor
Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain 1989 TV Movie Ernest Actor
Fast Food 1989 Wrangler Bob Bundy Actor
Hey, Vern, It’s Ernest! 1988 TV Series Ernest P. Worrell
Auntie Nelda
Baby Ernest
Actor
Ernest Saves Christmas 1988 Ernest P. Worrell
Aster Clement
Auntie Nelda
Actor
Ernest Goes to Camp 1987 Ernest P. Worrell Actor
Hey Vern, Win $10,000 1987 Video Ernest P. Worrell Actor
The Ernest Film Festival 1986 Video Ernest P. Worrell Actor
The Rousters 1983-1984 TV Series Evan Earp Actor
Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It’s My Family Album 1983 Video Ernest P. Worrell
Davy Worrell & Company
Ace Worrell
Actor
The Rousters 1983 TV Movie Evan Earp Actor
Spittin’ Image 1982 Sheriff Actor
Third Annual Final Warning!! 1979 TV Movie Various Actor
Alice 1978 TV Series Milo Skinner Actor
America 2-Night 1978 TV Series Virgil Simms Actor
Fernwood Tonight 1977 TV Series Virgil Simms Actor
Riding High 1977 TV Movie Actor
Johnny Cash and Friends 1976 TV Series Actor
Pop! Goes the Country 1974 TV Series Various Characters (1982-1983) Actor
Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam 1986 additional dialogue Writer
Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It’s My Family Album 1983 Video Writer
The Beverly Hillbillies 1993 performer: “HOT ROD LINCOLN” Soundtrack
Ernest Goes to Camp 1987 performer: “GEE I’M GLAD IT’S RAININ'” Soundtrack
Stupa-Man 2008 special thanks Thanks
Atlantis: The Lost Empire 2001 in memory of Thanks
The Making of ‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire’ 2002 Video documentary Himself Self
The Story Behind ‘Toy Story’ 2000 Video documentary short Himself (uncredited) Self
Ed’s Night Party 1997 TV Series Himself Self
Oops! The World’s Funniest Outtakes 5 1997 TV Movie Himself – Guest Self
Showbiz Today 1995 TV Series Himself Self
The Wonderful World of Disney: 40 Years of Television Magic 1994 TV Movie documentary Himself Self
XXX’s & OOO’s 1994 TV Movie Himself Self
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 1993 TV Series Himself Self
Comic Relief IV 1990 TV Special documentary Himself Self
The Home Show 1990 TV Series Himself Self
Live with Kelly and Michael 1989 TV Series Himself Self
Comic Relief III 1989 TV Special documentary Himself Self
The 31st Annual Grammy Awards 1989 TV Special Himself Self
Happy New Year, America 1988 TV Special Himself / Ernest Self
CBS This Morning 1988 TV Series Himself Self
Walt Disney World Celebrity Circus 1987 TV Special Himself – Performer Self
The New Hollywood Squares 1987 TV Series Himself – Guest Self
Hee Haw 1986 TV Series Himself Self
Pink Lady 1980 TV Series Himself / Various Characters Self
Dinah! 1976 TV Series Himself Self
The Marvelous M Show 2012-2016 TV Series Ernest P Worrell / Ernest P. Worrell / Aster Clement Archive Footage
Toy Story at 20: To Infinity and Beyond 2015 TV Movie documentary Himself – Slinky Dog Archive Footage
Cinemassacre’s Monster Madness 2010 TV Series documentary Ernest / Phineas Worrell Archive Footage
E! True Hollywood Story 2001 TV Series documentary Himself Archive Footage
Jeff Foxworthy’s Comedy Classics 2000 Video documentary Archive Footage
The 72nd Annual Academy Awards 2000 TV Special Himself (Memorial Tribute) Archive Footage

James Albert Varney, Jr. Awards

Year Award Ceremony Nomination Movie Category
1989 Daytime Emmy Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series Hey, Vern, It’s Ernest! (1988) Won
1989 Daytime Emmy Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series Hey, Vern, It’s Ernest! (1988) Nominated