Tom Lester, the actor known for the 1960s television series “Green Acres,” has died. He was 81.
Lester was in Nashville Monday at the home of his fiancee, Jackie, at this time of his death, which was due to complications from Parkinson’s disease, according to TMZ.
He played the wide-eyed, friendly farmhand Eb Dawson on the sitcom, where he was known to say, “Golly, Mr. Douglas.” The Mississippi native began acting in plays after moving to Los Angeles, and is said to have beat out 400 other actors for the part of Eb because he knew how to milk a cow.
Lester was also known to be a fan of the simple life. According to a 1969 newspaper article, he was living “in an apartment above a garage in the San Fernando Valley” even at the height of his “Green Acres” fame. He continued owned a large timber farm later in life, and won the award for Mississippi’s “Wildlife Farmer of the Year.”
He became the last surviving “Green Acres” castmember after Mary Grace Canfield passed away in 2014.
The actor also appeared on its spinoff series “Petticoat Junction” and did a crossover episode as Eb on “The Beverly Hillbillies.”
His other credits included the film “Benji” (1974) and “Gordy” (1994), as well as TV appearances on “Little House on the Prairie” and “Knight Rider.”