What Happened to Eb, Tom Lester, from Green Acres?
Yes, Eb's real name is Tom Lester and he's still with us today. We will always remember him as Eb Dawson, the young, funny hired man of Oliver Douglas on the TV series Green Acres.
He became so popular on the program that he became a household name. He actually beat out over 400 other actors that auditioned for the role.
Tom Lester was born in Laurel, Mississippi. A young boy in 1948, he became a Born-again Christian and became involved in the Baptist church. At that time, he said he thought the Lord's plan for his life would deliver him to Hollywood, California, to embark on an acting career. He discussed his plans and his dream of becoming an actor with his parents.
Green Acres was on the air from 1965 to 1971. On May 26, 2005, Lester's Green Acres series' star and close friend Eddie Albert died. Albert had once said that Lester was his best and closest friend on the show, and had kept in touch with him continually thru the years.
After Green Acres, Lester was typecast. Meaning the role he played in Green Acres was done so well and he portrayed his character so strongly, that the film industry found it hard to ever place him into another role. He returned home to his parents in Laurel, Mississippi.
Lester wed in July of 2007 at the age of 68. At the age of 76 Lester and his wife live on the family farm in the neighboring town of Vossburg, Mississippi.
With the recent deaths of Frank Cady, general store owner Sam Drucker, and Mary Grace Canfield, carpenter Ralph Monroe, Lester is the last surviving cast member of the series.