Tom Lester
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| Tom Lester | |
|---|---|
| Born | Thomas William Lester September 23, 1938 Laurel, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor and Evangelist |
| Religion | Christian |
| Signature |  |
Thomas William "Tom" Lester (born September 23, 1938) is an American actor and evangelist. He may be best remembered for his role as Oliver & Lisa Douglas's (played by Eddie Albert & Eva Gabor respectively) farmhand, Eb Dawson, in the television series Green Acres, and appeared in the movies Gordy and Benji.
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[edit] Biography
Lester was born in Laurel, Mississippi. A young boy in 1948, he became a Born-again Christian and became involved in the Baptist [1] church. At that time, he said he thought the Lord's plan for his life would deliver him to Hollywood, California, to embark on an acting career. He discussed his plans and his dream of becoming an actor with his parents. His teenaged years seemed lonely and inspired imagination. A tall, lanky country boy who may not have seemed to look the part of a famous actor. Nevertheless, he was determined not to stop dreaming of an acting career. After he graduated from Laurel High School, he attended the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, where he received a B.S. degree in Chemistry and Biology. He also briefly attended graduate school at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, but acting became his main interest. After college, he taught school in Purcell, Oklahoma, for one season, but he left for Los Angeles, California, in 1961 with meager finances, driving all the way there. In his early 20s, he attended the First Baptist Church of Beverly Hills, California.
After Green Acres, Lester was disillusioned with show business as unable to find success in Hollywood, because he was completely typecast with his character "Eb". He returned home to live with his mother and father in Laurel, Mississippi. On May 26, 2005, his "Green Acres" series' star and close friend Eddie Albert died. He was the only Green Acres star not to attend his funeral. Albert had once said that Lester was his best and closest friend on the show, and had kept in touch with him until Albert died.
In July 2007, Lester wed at the age of 68. Lester and his wife live on the family farm in the neighboring town of Vossburg, Mississippi.
[edit] Career
In the early 1960s, Thomas Lester did a play with CBS producer Paul Henning's daughter Linda Kaye (Betty Jo of Petticoat Junction) in the 1960s, and soon found himself auditioning for the "Eb" role that audiences will best remember on Green Acres. Lester beat out 400 other young actors to play the character after a screen test. His recurring role with Eddie Albert's character was eventually a regular character, thanks to his being so popular, in turn made him a household word. He appeared in many Green Acres episodes between 1965–71, with the exception of the first half in the 1967-68 season that he suffered mononucleosis. In 1990, he was reunited with Albert & Gabor to reprise his Eb Dawson role in Return to Green Acres.
