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).