A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Jim Varney began acting in local theater productions when he was eight years old. In the early 1970s he auditioned for a local commercial and won the part of Sgt. Glory. The series of commercials that followed proved to be extraordinarily popular and ran for almost five years in Tennessee.

In addition to his advertising pitch spots, Varney continued to work the comedy club circuit and, after being "discovered" at the Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood by a casting executive, he was cast in the sitcom "Operation Petticoat." Guest appearances on such hit TV shows as "Alice," "Fernwood 2 Nite," and "America 2 Nite," and shots on specials starring Johnny Carson, Alan King, and Johnny Cash, kept him active in Hollywood.

But it was in 1980 that Varney truly hit the scene. He was cast in a commercial as Ernest P. (for "power tools") Worrell. Before long, Ernest became a pitchman for everything from dairy products and soft drinks to car dealerships and home appliance stores.

Varney's major breakthrough came in 1987 with the film "Ernest Goes to Camp," followed by "Ernest Saves Christmas" and "Ernest Goes to Jail." There's also an Emmy® on his mantelpiece for his television series, "Hey Vern, It's Ernest."

Varney is the voice of Slinky Dog in "Toy Story."