# Ron Lester

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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Lester
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{{short description|American actor (1970–2016)}}
{{For|the American basketball player and executive|Ronnie Lester}}
{{Infobox person
| image          = Ronlester-5.jpg
| caption        = Lester in 2003
| alt            = Ron Lester in 2003
| birth_date     = {{Birth date|1970|08|04}} 
| birth_place    = 
| death_date     = {{Death date and age|2016|6|17|1970|8|4}}
| death_place    = [Dallas, Texas](/source/Dallas%2C_Texas), U.S.
| occupation     = Actor
| years_active   = 1994–2015
}}
'''Ron Lester''' (August 4, 1970 – June 17, 2016)<ref name=EW-Obit-2016>{{cite magazine|last1=Robinson|first1=Will|title=Ron Lester, 'Varsity Blues' star, dies at 45|url=https://ew.com/article/2016/06/17/ron-lester-dead-varsity-blues-actor-dies-45/|magazine=[Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly)|date=17 June 2016|language=en}}</ref> was an American actor.<ref name=NYTimes-Obit-2016>{{cite news|title=Ron Lester, Actor Known for 'Varsity Blues,' Dies at 45|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/20/movies/ron-lester-actor-known-for-varsity-blues-dies-at-45.html|work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)|agency=[Reuters](/source/Reuters)|date=19 June 2016}}</ref> He was best known for his roles in the films ''[Varsity Blues](/source/Varsity_Blues_(film))'', ''[Not Another Teen Movie](/source/Not_Another_Teen_Movie)'', ''[Good Burger](/source/Good_Burger)'', and the television series ''[Popular](/source/Popular_(TV_series))''.<ref name=Grantland-Feature-2014>{{cite news|last1=Golianopoulos|first1=Thomas|title=Billy Bob's Blues|url=https://grantland.com/features/ron-lester-varsity-blues-billy-bob-weight-loss-hollywood/|work=[Grantland](/source/Grantland)|date=3 April 2014}}</ref>

==Career==
Lester's first acting role came when he went to [Atlanta, Georgia](/source/Atlanta%2C_Georgia), to appear as an extra in a commercial, which turned into a feature part. He appeared in the music video for "Kick a Little" by the country music band [Little Texas](/source/Little_Texas_(band)) in 1994.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} 

Lester moved to [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles) and began doing stand-up comedy in comedy clubs.{{Citation needed |date=July 2024}} His first film role was in the movie ''Good Burger'' in 1997. In 1999, Lester played the role of Billy Bob in the film ''[Varsity Blues](/source/Varsity_Blues_(film))'', which would become the role he is most known for. That year he also had recurring roles on two TV drama comedies, ''[Freaks and Geeks](/source/Freaks_and_Geeks)'' and ''[Popular](/source/Popular_(TV_series))''. He also appeared in ''[Not Another Teen Movie](/source/Not_Another_Teen_Movie)'', portraying a character that was a parody of his role in ''Varsity Blues''.

==Personal life==
Obese since childhood, at his heaviest Lester weighed {{convert|508|lbs}}. In 2000, Lester underwent a [gastric bypass surgery](/source/gastric_bypass_surgery) procedure called [Roux-en-Y gastric bypass](/source/Roux-en-Y_gastric_bypass) with a [duodenal switch](/source/duodenal_switch), losing {{convert|310|lbs}}.<ref name=Grantland-Feature-2014 /> During the procedure Lester [flatlined](/source/asystole). After the gastric bypass, he had 17 plastic surgeries to remove excess skin.<ref name=Grantland-Feature-2014 />

In September 2015, Lester was hospitalized due to issues with his liver and kidneys. In June 2016, he was reported to be in critical condition and in [hospice](/source/hospice) care.<ref name=EW-Hospice-2016>{{cite magazine|last1=Robinson|first1=Will|title='Varsity Blues' actor Ron Lester in hospice care|url=https://ew.com/article/2016/06/17/ron-lester-varsity-blues-hospice/|magazine=[Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly)|date=17 June 2016|language=en|access-date=1 October 2019|archive-date=1 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001161445/https://ew.com/article/2016/06/17/ron-lester-varsity-blues-hospice/|url-status=dead}}</ref> At 9:00 PM on June 17, 2016, Lester died of liver and kidney failure shortly after his family requested that he be taken off life support. He was 45 years old.<ref name=EW-Obit-2016 />

==Filmography==

===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1997
|''[Good Burger](/source/Good_Burger)''
| Spatch
| Film debut
|-
| 1999
| ''[Varsity Blues](/source/Varsity_Blues_(film))''
| Billy Bob
| 
|-
| 1999
| ''[Dill Scallion](/source/Dill_Scallion)''
| Earl Langston
|
|-
| 2001
| ''[Not Another Teen Movie](/source/Not_Another_Teen_Movie)''
| Reggie Ray
| Spoof of his role as "Billy Bob" in ''Varsity Blues''
|-
| 2002
| ''[The Greenskeeper](/source/The_Greenskeeper)''
| Styles
|
|-
| 2010
| ''[The Fat Boy Chronicles](/source/The_Fat_Boy_Chronicles)''
| Dr. Jeffords
| Also co-Executive Producer
|-
| 2015
| ''Racing Legacy''
| Roger Hardwick
| Also Writer, Director and Executive Producer
|-
|}

===Short films===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2001
| ''Drum Solo''
| 
|
|-
| 2013
| ''I Think My Mom's Trying to Kill Me''
| Son
| Also Associate Producer
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1998
| ''[All That](/source/All_That)''
| The Brute
| Episode: "The Lox"
|-
| 1999
| ''[Cousin Skeeter](/source/Cousin_Skeeter)''
| Kung Fu Dermatologist
| Episode: "Kung Fu Dermatologist"
|-
| 1999–2000
| ''[Freaks and Geeks](/source/Freaks_and_Geeks)''
| Seidleman
| Episodes: "Pilot", "Looks and Books", and "Noshing and Moshing"
|-
| 1999–2001
| ''[Popular](/source/Popular_(TV_series))''
| Michael 'Sugar Daddy' Bernardino
| 43 episodes
|-
| 2001
| ''[Sabrina the Teenage Witch](/source/Sabrina_the_Teenage_Witch_(1996_TV_series))''
| Wally
| Episodes: "Really Big Season Opener" (uncredited) and "Humble Pie"
|-
| 2004
| ''[The Karate Dog](/source/The_Karate_Dog)''
| Edward Cage
| TV movie
|-
| 2005
| ''[CSI: NY](/source/CSI%3A_NY)''
| Officer Murphy
| Episode: "Dancing with the Fishes"
|}

===Music videos===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Performer(s)
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1994
| "[Kick a Little](/source/Kick_a_Little_(song))"
| [Little Texas](/source/Little_Texas_(band))
| Directed by Jon Small
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cite web|title=Ron Lester Online|url=http://www.ronlesteronline.com/|url-status=usurped|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201043053/http://www.ronlesteronline.com/|archivedate=1 February 2014}}
*{{IMDb name|nm0504516|Ron Lester}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lester, Ron}}
Category:1970 births
Category:2016 deaths
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:Deaths from kidney failure in Texas
Category:Male actors from Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Deaths from liver failure in the United States

{{US-film-actor-1970s-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ron Lester](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Lester) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Lester?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.