Tom Lester

Tom Lester
Born	Thomas William Lester (1938-09-23) 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 is best known for his role as farmhand Eb Dawson on the television series Green Acres, and he appeared in the feature films Gordy and Benji.

Early life

Lester was born in Laurel, Mississippi, the first of two children (both sons) of Pat Lester (1913-2009), a bookkeeper with Gulf Oil, and Mary Sue (Thornton) Lester (1914-2009).^[1] A young boy in 1948, Tom became a Born-again Christian and became involved in the Baptist church.^[2] 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.^[3]

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, but he left for Los Angeles, California. In his early 20s, he attended the First Baptist Church of Beverly Hills, California.^[4]

"Eb Dawson" role

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.^[5]

In the early 1960s, Lester performed in one of those showcase plays with CBS producer Paul Henning's daughter Linda Kaye (Betty Jo of Petticoat Junction), and Lester soon found himself auditioning for the role of "Eb Dawson" that audiences will best remember on "Green Acres". Lester beat out 400 other young actors to play the character after a screen test.^[6]

His recurring role with Eddie Albert's character was eventually a regular character, thanks to the character's popularity and the show's popularity, which combined made Lester a household name. Green Acres was the 11th-rated show in its debut season of 1965-66, according to the Neilsen ratings, climbed to #6 in 1966-67, and was #16 and #19, respectively, the following two seasons. ^[7] And because the Green Acres characters also appeared in episodes of CBS series Petticoat Junction and The Beverly Hillbillies, Lester as Eb Dawson also occasionally appeared on those shows.

Even during the show's height of popularity, Dawson lived simply in a small apartment atop a garage in the San Fernando Valley. During the show's summer hiatus each year, 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.^[8]

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. After six seasons, Green Acres was cancelled in 1971 as part of CBS's "rural purge".^[9]

After Green Acres

In 1990, Lester reunited with Albert and Gabor to reprise his Eb Dawson role in Return to Green Acres.^[10] However, after Green Acres, Lester was forever typecast as Eb Dawson.

He returned to his parents' home in Laurel, Mississippi, but continued to do an occasional movie or TV role. During the mid 1970s to early 1980s, his roles included guest spots in Little House on the Prairie, Marcus Welby, M.D., Knight Rider, and Love, American Style,

In 1991 he played the adult Pete Maravich in the film about the future basketball hall-of-famer's youth, The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend.

Lester is a farmer and for many years has been a Christian speaker who travels the nation, preaching a message of faith and obedience.^[11][12] He still participates in autograph shows and fan forums, often dressed as Eb Dawson.^[13][14]

Lester was married in July, 2007 at the age of 68. He and his wife, Kaylie, live on the 250-acre family farm in Vossburg, Mississippi.^[15] In 1997, Lester was the recipient of Mississippi's "Wildlife Farmer of the Year" award.^[16]

Lester and Mary Grace Canfield, who played carpenter Ralph Monroe, are the only surviving regulars of Green Acres.^[17]

References

External links

• Tom Lester at the Internet Movie Database
• Tom Lester Official Website