Jim Varney

Jim Varney(June 15, 1949 – February 10, 2000) was an American comic actor, best known for his role as the bumbling country bumpkin Ernest P. Worrell who first appeared in a series of commericals popular in the Southern United States. Disney took notice of the character's popularity and produced a feature film starring Varney as Ernest called Ernest goes to Camp. Varney's acting abilities lead him to many roles both as an actor and a voice artist. He appeared as the voice of Slinky in Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Shortly before work began on Toy Story 2, Varney was diagnosed with lung cancer and died, while he was recording lines for another Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire, which was released after his death.