American actor Tom Lester has died after suffering complications caused by Parkinson’s disease.
The US star was best known for playing farmhand Ed Dawson on classic sitcom Green Acres between 1965 and 1971.
He died at the Nashville home of his fiancée and longtime carer, Jackie Peters, on Monday and was aged 81, his family confirmed in an online post.
“There will be a graveside service attended by family and close friends at noon on Friday, April 24, 2020,” the family announced, listing a grave site in Mississippi for the service.
Tom played Ed Dawson in 150 episodes of US comedy show Green Acres and is said to have landed the role against 400 other auditions in the early 1960s as he could milk a cow in real life.
While he enjoyed success as an actor, Tom was on course to become a doctor before he made the decision to chase the Hollywood dream.
The Hollywood Reporter reports he was met with disbelief from friends when he told them of his plans to try acting.
Those close to him are quoted as saying: “You're too tall, too skinny, too ugly. You've got a Southern accent and you'll never make it in the motion picture business. You don't look like Rock Hudson.”
But arriving in Tinsel Town, the star went on to befriend acting teacher Lurene Tuttle who cast him in plays opposite Linda Kaye, the daughter of an influential producer.
"At that time [Henning] was the most powerful comedy producer in the world," the actor said in the past.
"So he'd come to see Linda Kaye … and he liked me, got to know my little idiosyncrasies and all these things about me, because we'd have little parties over at his house and drink Cokes and eat hot dogs and have a good time,” he added.
Tom also had roles in The Beverly Hillbillies, animal adventure flick Benji, and the iconic TV show Knight Rider.
His most recent acting credit was playing a character named Tom in the 2014 film Campin’ Buddies.
He was the last surviving cast member of Green Acres which also starred acting legends Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor.
