Not sure why this came up this week, as the man has been dead now for quite a few years, but the guys over at Ace of Spades HQ made a post in memory of Jim Varney, aka Ernest P. Worrell.

I learned quite a few pieces of Varney trivia, which I will dutifully share with you now:

• Varney died of Lung Cancer in 2000 at the age of 50.
• He was a classically trained actor, and did quite a bit of Shakespeare.
• He also did stand-up, and was a friend of Robin Williams.
• Ernest P. Worrell was originally a character in TV commercials. He appeared in hundreds of commercials before moving on to movies.
• Verne was his neighbor. Not having ever seen an Ernest movie, I didn’t know that.
• Varney was very active with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visiting several hundred terminally ill children as Ernest.

The poster at AoSHQ seems fond of the man, but I wonder how much praise we should be lavishing on a convicted felon.

This video is hilarious. Watch until the end.