Jim Varney

Acting

Jim Varney

Born 1949-06-15 · Lexington, Kentucky, USA

James Albert "Jim" Varney Jr. (June 15, 1949 – February 10, 2000) was an American actor, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P. Worrell. The character was used in numerous television commercial campaigns and movies. Other roles included Jed Clampett in the film adaptation of The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), Slinky Dog in Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999), and "Cookie" Farnsworth in Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001).

Acting credits

Toy Story poster
8.0

Led by Woody, Andy's toys live happily in his room until Andy's birthday brings Buzz Lightyear onto the scene. Afraid of losing his place in Andy's heart, Woody plots against Buzz. But when circumstances separate Buzz and Woody from their owner, the duo eventually learns to put aside their differences.

Toy Story

1995

Toy Story 2 poster
7.6

Andy heads off to Cowboy Camp, leaving his toys to their own devices. Things shift into high gear when an obsessive toy collector named Al McWhiggen, owner of Al's Toy Barn kidnaps Woody. Andy's toys mount a daring rescue mission, Buzz Lightyear meets his match and Woody has to decide where he and his heart truly belong.

Toy Story 2

1999

Atlantis: The Lost Empire poster
7.0

A young linguist named Milo Thatch joins an intrepid group of explorers to find the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

2001

The Beverly Hillbillies poster
6.3

Mild-mannered dirt-poor hill-dweller Jed Clampett strikes it rich when oil is discovered on his property. At cousin Pearl's insistence, he moves his family to Beverly Hills to better enjoy his newfound wealth.

The Beverly Hillbillies

1993

Ernest Scared Stupid poster
5.4

Well-intentioned, eternally bumbling Ernest P. Worrell accidentally releases an evil demon from its sacred tomb. As the demon flexes its power and goes on a ruinous rampage, good-guy Ernest tries to step in to save the town from mass destruction. Trouble is, a 200-year-old curse has scared Ernest stupid, and that means hilarity all around! So, kick back and let the laugh-ridden adventures begin.

Ernest Scared Stupid

1991

Ernest Goes to Jail poster
5.0

Bumbling bank janitor Ernest P. Worrell is assigned to jury duty, and soon finds himself in trouble when he is covertly switched with a look-a-like crime boss. Ernest must escape from jail to expose the mix-up.

Ernest Goes to Jail

1990

Daddy and Them poster
5.4

Ruby and her husband Claude are a working-class couple who live in suburban Arkansas. As crazy as they are for each other, their relationship is far from harmonious. (The lack of money doesn't help matters, either.) In fact, their whole family is fraught with unresolved conflicts. Then Claude's uncle is arrested on a felony charge, and everyone rallies round. Ruby's mother Jewel and flirtatious sister Rose (Claude's ex-girlfriend) even fly in from Tennessee; but, far from being a source of support, Jewel seems only to want to break up Ruby and Claude.

Daddy and Them

2001

Ernest Goes to Camp poster
5.3

Ernest, a lovable loser who works as a summer camp handyman and dreams of becoming a guidance counselor, must find a way to inspire a group of juvenile delinquents while stopping a shady strip mining company from closing the camp as well.

Ernest Goes to Camp

1987

Ernest in the Army poster
3.9

Ernest P. Worrell is now in the military as a soldier. Once he begins, him and his team investigates a dictator who was responsible for the wars in the nearly village. Suddenly, Ernest finds a lost boy and has to keep him safe until his father recovers.

Ernest in the Army

1998

Ernest Goes to School poster
4.1

Jim Varney's recurring dim-bulb character Ernest P. Worrell returns in this film as a school janitor seeking to obtain a high school diploma.

Ernest Goes to School

1994

3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain poster
4.8

Three young boys, Rocky, Colt and Tum Tum together with their neighbor girl, computer whiz Amanda are visiting Mega Mountain amusement park when it is invaded by an army of ninjas led by evil Medusa, who wants to take over the park and hold the owners for ransom. Kids and retired TV star Dave Dragon, who made his farewell appearance at the park at the time the ninjas appeared, have to break Medusa's vicious plans.

3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain

1998

The Story Behind 'Toy Story' poster
7.5

The documentary short of Toy Story of why and how the feature length blockbuster sleeper movie became a success and helps to boost Pixar's popularity of making one of the few animation movie production companies in the world today, especially in North America.

The Story Behind 'Toy Story'

1996

Annabelle's Wish poster
6.6

Annabelle - a calf who has a special wish for Christmas - wants to be a reindeer and help Santa Claus drive his sleigh as he delivers his presents! Annabelle's friends tell her not to get her hopes up, but to everyone's surprise, Santa does indeed meet up with Annabelle, and the calf gets to help Santa make the holiday special for one young boy.

Annabelle's Wish

1997

Wilder Napalm poster
5.6

Wilder and Wallace are brothers and pyrokinetics. Ever since childhood they've been able to start fires with their minds but following a tragedy in which they accidentally killed a man, the brothers have grown up very differently. Wilder has become a regular 9-5 workaday joe but Wallace performs his feats with a traveling circus. When the circus comes to Wilder's home town Wallace starts coming on strong to Wilder's wife, Vida who, ironically, is a slight pyromaniac.

Wilder Napalm

1993

Mr. Thornton Goes to Hollywood poster
7.0

A 14-part documentary that explores the life and career of Billy Bob Thornton, chronicling his journey that led him to work on Sling Blade. The piece features plenty of interview snippets with cast, crew, friends, and family; clips from other Thornton films; the origins of the Karl Childers character; how Sling Blade shaped his career; and more.

Mr. Thornton Goes to Hollywood

2005

Ernest Saves Christmas poster
5.4

When Santa Claus decides to retire and pass on his magic bag of Christmas surprises to a new Saint Nick, he enlists the aid of a hilarious assortment of characters. A perky teen runaway and hapless taxi driver Ernest P. Worrell must convince a skeptical kiddie-show host to take over the post of Father Christmas.

Ernest Saves Christmas

1988

Toy Story at 20: To Infinity and Beyond poster
7.1

Retrospective looking at the revolutionary computer-animated feature film Toy Story.

Toy Story at 20: To Infinity and Beyond

2015

Treehouse Hostage poster
4.2

Timmy Taylor and his two friends, Stevie and Buddy capture escaped convict Carl Banks (Jim Varney) and hold him hostage in their treehouse over the weekend so that Timmy can use Carl as his current event project at school on Monday. The boys then find that Carl is mixed up in a counterfeiting ring that could spell trouble for them too.

Treehouse Hostage

1999

The Expert poster
5.5

It was a brutal murder that sent deranged psychopath Martin Kagan to prison. It was a naive deputy warden that granted him a stay of execution. Now, the police department's tactical defence instructor, John Lomax, wants revenge for his beloved sister's death.

The Expert

1995

Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Celebration poster
6.0

This special celebration of Disneyland's 35th anniversary, bursting at the seams with celebrity cameos, focuses on the changes Disneyland has undergone over the years, as the featured stars reminisce about their favorite attractions.

Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Celebration

1990

Slam Dunk Ernest poster
4.4

Ernest P. Worrell becomes a basketball star after an angel bearing an uncanny resemblance to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gives him a pair of magic sneakers.

Slam Dunk Ernest

1995

XXX's & OOO's poster
7.0

Four ex-wives become friends bonding through their shared experiences as ex-wives of country music singers.

XXX's & OOO's

1994

Ernest Goes to Africa poster
4.2

The title says it all. There's a mix up involving stolen diamonds which Ernest has (naturally) made into a yo-yo and given to his would be girlfriend, Rene. But Rene wants a man of action, and doesn't think that Ernest fits the bill. After the bad guys come looking for the stolen diamonds and kidnap Rene, all of her fantasies come true as Ernest has to go to Africa to rescue her.

Ernest Goes to Africa

1997

Ernest Rides Again poster
4.4

Buffoonish Ernest and his dimwitted pal Abner unearth a huge cannon reputed to contain the crown jewels of England.

Ernest Rides Again

1993

Behind the camera