# Tom Lester
**Tom Lester** (Thomas William Lester; September 23, 1938 – April 20, 2020) was an American actor and evangelist best known for playing the farmhand Eb Dawson on the CBS television sitcom *Green Acres* from 1965 to 1971.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tom-lester/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504534/bio/) He was the last surviving regular cast member of the series.[3](https://www.overstreetaccess.com/in-memoriam-tom-lester/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas William Lester[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504534/bio/) |
| Born | September 23, 1938, in Mississippi; sources give Jackson[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tom-lester/) or Laurel[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/tom-lester) as the birthplace |
| Died | April 20, 2020, in Nashville, Tennessee, aged 81, from complications of Parkinson's disease[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504534/bio/) |
| Signature role | Eb Dawson on *Green Acres*, about 150 episodes from 1965 to 1971[3](https://www.overstreetaccess.com/in-memoriam-tom-lester/) |
| Crossovers | Played Eb on *The Beverly Hillbillies* and *Petticoat Junction*, and in the 1990 TV movie *Return to Green Acres*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504534/bio/) |
| Education | Chemistry and biology degrees, University of Mississippi; briefly taught school in Purcell, Oklahoma[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/tom-lester) |
| Later career | Evangelist and motivational speaker; farmer named Mississippi's Wildlife Farmer of the Year in 1997[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504534/bio/) |
## Early life and education
Lester was born in [Mississippi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mississippi) on September 23, 1938. His birthplace is reported differently: TV Insider and a 2020 memorial piece give [Jackson, Mississippi](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackson-mississippi),[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tom-lester/) • [3](https://www.overstreetaccess.com/in-memoriam-tom-lester/) while IMDb and the Television Academy give [Laurel, Mississippi](https://www.edgepedia.org/laurel-mississippi).[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504534/bio/) • [4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/tom-lester) He grew up on his grandfather's farm, shucking corn, fishing, hunting, and picking cotton.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504534/bio/) He became a born-again Christian as a child and later said he was convinced that God wanted him to become a famous actor.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tom-lester/)
He earned a B.A. in Chemistry and Biology at the [University of Mississippi](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-mississippi) in Oxford, then spent a year teaching science and biology at a school in Purcell, Oklahoma, before moving to California to act.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tom-lester/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504534/bio/)
## Green Acres and Eb Dawson
**Casting.** While in Los Angeles, Lester performed in a stage production with Linda Kaye, whose father, the CBS producer Paul Henning, was seeking an actor for the part of Eb Dawson on his then-new show *Green Acres*. Lester had the best chemistry with series star [Eddie Albert](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-albert) and beat out about 400 other actors for the part.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tom-lester/) A Mississippi account of his life adds that the producers wanted an older man and that a screen test with Albert was followed by an offer within the week.[5](https://magnoliatribune.com/2023/10/24/green-acres-was-the-place-to-be-for-thomas-william-lester/) An obituary notice records a practical advantage in the audition: he was the only actor who could milk a cow.[6](https://obits.dallasnews.com/news/tom-lester-1938-2020-green-acres-star)
*Green Acres* starred Eddie Albert and [Eva Gabor](https://www.edgepedia.org/eva-gabor) as a New York attorney and his socialite wife who move to the fictional rural town of Hooterville.[7](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/green-acres) Lester's Eb Dawson, the Douglases' hired hand, began as a semi-recurring part and became a series regular; he appeared in nearly every episode of the show's six-season run, about 150 of its 170 episodes.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/tom-lester) • [3](https://www.overstreetaccess.com/in-memoriam-tom-lester/) During the run he also played Eb in crossover episodes of *The Beverly Hillbillies* and *Petticoat Junction*, sister shows set in the same world.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tom-lester/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504534/bio/)
**Cancellation.** CBS canceled *Green Acres* in 1971 as part of its "rural purge," the network's decision to drop its rural-set sitcoms to attract a younger, more upscale audience and advertisers.[8](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mobituaries-with-mo-rocca-when-tv-sitcoms-died-in-the-rural-purge/) In 1990 Lester reunited with Albert and Gabor to reprise Eb in the reunion TV movie *Return to Green Acres*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tom-lester/) • [9](https://cbs.wiki.gg/wiki/Green_Acres)
## After Green Acres
After the series ended, Lester was typecast as the farmhand and found only occasional screen work for roughly two decades, with guest roles in *Little House on the Prairie*, *Marcus Welby, M.D.*, *Love, American Style*, *Knight Rider*, and the soap *Santa Barbara*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tom-lester/) • [4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/tom-lester) His film work included the children's hit *Benji* (1974), the 1991 biopic *The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend*, in which he played the adult [Pete Maravich](https://www.edgepedia.org/pete-maravich), and *Gordy* (dated 1994 by the Television Academy and 1995 by TV Insider).[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/tom-lester) • [1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tom-lester/) His final screen role was in the comedy *Campin' Buddies* in 2014.[3](https://www.overstreetaccess.com/in-memoriam-tom-lester/)
**Evangelism and farming.** Lester transitioned into evangelism and motivational speaking, addressing youth groups and religious gatherings about his faith and sharing the stage three times with [Billy Graham](https://www.edgepedia.org/billy-graham).[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tom-lester/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504534/bio/) He divided his time between [Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/southern-california) and Laurel, Mississippi, and owned a 250-acre timber farm in nearby Vossburg; in 1997 he was named Mississippi's Wildlife Farmer of the Year.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504534/bio/) He continued to appear at autograph shows and fan forums, often dressed as Eb Dawson.[10](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/tom-lester)
## Personal life and death
Lester stood 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504534/bio/) He married Kaylie Lester on July 20, 2007; the marriage ended in divorce in 2019, and the couple had no children. He was engaged to Jackie Peters, who was also his long-term caregiver, at the time of his death.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504534/bio/) • [11](https://extratv.com/2020/04/21/green-acres-actor-tom-lester-dead-at-81/)
He died on April 20, 2020, in [Nashville, Tennessee](https://www.edgepedia.org/nashville-tennessee), at the age of 81, from complications of [Parkinson's disease](https://www.edgepedia.org/parkinsons-disease).[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504534/bio/) • [3](https://www.overstreetaccess.com/in-memoriam-tom-lester/) He was survived by his fiancée, his brother, two great-nieces, one great-great niece, and one great-great nephew.[11](https://extratv.com/2020/04/21/green-acres-actor-tom-lester-dead-at-81/)
## References
1. [Tom Lester – Actor, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tom-lester/)
2. [Tom Lester – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504534/bio/)
3. [In Memoriam: Tom Lester, Overstreet Access](https://www.overstreetaccess.com/in-memoriam-tom-lester/)
4. [Tom Lester – Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/tom-lester)
5. [Green Acres was the place to be for Thomas William Lester, Magnolia Tribune](https://magnoliatribune.com/2023/10/24/green-acres-was-the-place-to-be-for-thomas-william-lester/)
6. [Tom Lester (1938–2020), "Green Acres" star, Legacy.com](https://obits.dallasnews.com/news/tom-lester-1938-2020-green-acres-star)
7. [Green Acres – Television Academy Interviews](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/green-acres)
8. ["Mobituaries with Mo Rocca": When TV sitcoms died in the "rural purge," CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mobituaries-with-mo-rocca-when-tv-sitcoms-died-in-the-rural-purge/)
9. [Green Acres – CBS Wiki](https://cbs.wiki.gg/wiki/Green_Acres)
10. [Tom Lester (1938–2020) — actor, VALÉORINE](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/tom-lester)
11. ['Green Acres' Actor Tom Lester Dead at 81, Extra](https://extratv.com/2020/04/21/green-acres-actor-tom-lester-dead-at-81/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1940s to 1960s › Surnames J to L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license