‘Green Acres’ Actor Tom Lester Dies at 81

Tom Lester passed away on Monday in Nashville from complications related to Parkinson's disease. He was 81 years old.

Most of us remember him as Eb Dawson, the smart-aleck farmhand on the '60s sitcom "Green Acres". He was the last surviving actor of the original cast.

Lester really was a farm boy. He was born in Laurel, Mississippi and grew up working on his grandfather's farm.

He earned a chemistry degree from the University of Mississippi before teaching in Oklahoma for a few years. He would later make the jaunt out to Hollywood to pursue acting.

Lester landed the role on "Green Acres" in 1965 because he was the only actor who could actually milk a cow.

He would star on the show until it ended in 1971. He also appeared in two related series: "Petticoat Junction" and "Beverly Hillbillies."

After "Green Acres," Lester appeared in movies like "Benji" in 1974 and "Gordy" in 1994, as well as popular TV series like "Little House on the Prairie" and "Knight Rider."

Lester split time between Mississippi and Hollywood as he owned a 250-acre timber farm which won him a "Wildlife Farmer of the Year" award back in 1997.

He died at the Nashville home of his fiancée and caregiver Jackie Peters. He is survived by Peters and one brother.