Tom Lester

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tom Lester Born Thomas William Lester September 23, 1938 (age 79) Laurel, Mississippi, U.S. Occupation Actor and Evangelist He is best known for his role as Eb Dawson, farmhand to Oliver Wendell Douglas (played by Eddie Albert) on the television series Green Acres, and he appeared in two feature animal films Gordy and Benji. After moving to Hollywood, Lester met actress Lurene Tuttle, who became his friend and acting coach. She suggested he begin work in the Little Theater, which he did, acting in showcases at the North Hollywood Playhouse. In the early 1960s Lester performed in a play with CBS producer Paul Henning's daughter Linda Kaye (Betty Jo Bradley of Petticoat Junction), and Lester soon found himself auditioning for the role of Eb Dawson on Green Acres. Lester beat out 400 other actors to play the character after a screen test. He got the role because he was the only one who could milk a cow in real life since he grew up on a farm in Mississippi. His recurring role soon became a regular character due to the character's and the show's popularity, which made Lester a household name. Green Acres was the 11th-rated show in its debut season of 1965-66, according to the Nielsen ratings, climbed to #6 in 1966-67 and was #16 and #19, respectively, the following two seasons. Because the Green Acres characters also appeared in episodes of two other CBS series - Petticoat Junction and The Beverly Hillbillies - Lester as Eb Dawson also occasionally appeared on those shows. Even during the height of Green Acres' popularity, Lester lived in a small apartment atop a garage in the San Fernando Valley. Each year during the show's summer hiatus he would travel the country and speak at churches, youth rallies and revival meetings and at one time was part of the Rev. Billy Graham's organization. Lester appeared in nearly every Green Acres episode between 1965–71, with the exception of the first half in the 1967–68 season when he suffered mononucleosis. The show's explanation for Eb's absence was that he had eloped and was on his honeymoon. After six seasons, Green Acres was cancelled in 1971 as part of CBS's "rural purge".

Born:

Sep 23, 1938 In Laurel, Mississippi, U.S.

Movie/TV Credits:

9

First Appeared:

In the series Petticoat Junction 1963-09-24

Latest Project:

Movie Gordy 1995-05-12