Bill Byrge, Actor in the Jim Varney ‘Ernest’ Movies, Dies at 86

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86-year-old Bill Byrge, known for his understated yet spirited portrayal as Bobby on a children’s television program and four silly films featuring Ernest P. Worrell played by Jim Varney, has passed away.

John Ward, host of The Appalachian Channel’s web series, announced on Facebook that Byrge passed away last Thursday in the greater Nashville region.

Or, more informally:

According to a Facebook post by his friend John Ward, host of The Appalachian Channel, Byrge sadly passed away in the Nashville area last Thursday.

Back in the ’80s, I, a gamer, stepped into the spotlight as the rubber-faced character known as Ernest P. Worrell. This dim-witted Southerner hailed from Nashville, with an unseen buddy named Vern, for a series of local ads produced by our advertising agency.

In the horror spoof “Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam” (1985), Byrge played the role of a gas station attendant, while Jim Varney took on the character of Ernest and other personas. On the 1988 CBS kids’ show “Hey, Vern, It’s Ernest!”, Byrge was cast as Bobby, sharing the screen with Gailard Sartain as Chuck in a comedic brother act.

In the films “Ernest Saves Christmas” (1988), “Ernest Goes to Jail” (1990), “Ernest Scared Stupid” (1991), and “Ernest Goes to School” (1994), Byrge appeared. In the former, he worked at an airport alongside Sartain, while in the latter, he was clueless bank security. In “Ernest Scared Stupid”, he played Bobby, with John Cadenhead as his brother Tom. Interestingly, all these movies were financed by Disney.

Although some might label these movies as cheesy, they offer excellent family-friendly viewing options suitable for both kids and grandkids. The content is enjoyable and free of any awkward or inappropriate material that could potentially make viewers uncomfortable while watching.” (Said in a 2015 interview with Ward)

Varney carried on with three more direct-to-video Ernest films without Byrge.

1938 saw the birth of Byrge in Campbell County, Tennessee, where he later worked at the local public library. It was during this time that he, along with Sartain, appeared in advertisements created by Carden and Cherry, the company behind the Ernest ad series. In these commercials, they portrayed twin brothers who bore no resemblance to each other; Byrge’s character was outspoken, while Sartain’s remained silent.

Byrge made an appearance in music videos for Ray Stevens’ songs like “Sittin’ Up With the Dead” from 1990, and played the role of Bobby again in the 2010 production titled “Billy and Bobby the Whacky Duo on Vacation“.

During his career, Byrge continued to work at the downtown Nashville library branch as his day job until 1995 when he retired, having worked there for a span of 27 years. He was well-liked at conventions, autograph sessions, and school visits during his later years.

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2025-01-10 23:25