John R. Cherry III, who lived from October 11, 1948 to May 8, 2022, was an American actor. He was an American film director and screenwriter best known for developing the Jim Varney character Ernest P. Worrell. Cherry attended the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, after being born in Nashville, Tennessee.
He was the executive vice president and co-namesake of the Carden and Cherry advertising agency in Nashville, where the character “Ernest” was created. He based the persona on a man who worked for his father and who, according to Cherry, believed he understood everything but didn’t. Cherry had three cameo cameos in his own films: as a basketball fan in Slam Dunk Ernest, as a client in Ernest Goes to Africa, and as Sergeant Ben in Ernest in the Army.
Cherry married twice and has three children. Corporal Davis was played by his son Josh in Ernest in the Army.
Cherry died on May 8, 2022, at the age of 73, from Parkinson’s disease.
John R. Cherry III Obituary, Funeral, Burial, Memorial Service
John R. Cherry III’s funeral, burial, and memorial ceremony have yet to be scheduled, despite the fact that his obituary has not yet been published.
