Ron Lester (August 4, 1970 – June 17, 2016) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles in the films '' Varsity Blues'', ''

Not Another Teen Movie ''Not Another Teen Movie'' is a 2001 American teen parody film directed by Joel Gallen and written by Mike Bender, Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson, Phil Beauman, and Buddy Johnson. It features an ensemble cast including Chyler Leigh, Chris E ...

'', ''

Good Burger ''Good Burger'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Brian Robbins and written by Dan Schneider with Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert. Starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, it is based on the comedy sketch of the same name on the Nick ...

'', and the television series ''

Popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

''.

Early life

Lester was born in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Career

Lester's first acting role came when he went to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, to appear as an extra in a commercial, which turned into a feature part. He appeared in a music video for the band Little Texas. Lester moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and began doing stand-up comedy in comedy clubs. 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'', 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 ''Freaks and Geeks'' is an American teen drama, teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive producer, executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 United States network television schedul ...

'' and ''

''. He also appeared in ''

'', portraying a character that was a parody of his role in ''Varsity Blues''.

Personal life

Obese since childhood, at his heaviest Lester weighed . In 2000, Lester underwent a

gastric bypass surgery Gastric bypass surgery refers to a technique in which the stomach is divided into a small upper pouch and a much larger lower "remnant" pouch and then the small intestine is rearranged to connect to both. Surgeons have developed several differ ...

procedure called

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass Gastric bypass surgery refers to a technique in which the stomach is divided into a small upper pouch and a much larger lower "remnant" pouch and then the small intestine is rearranged to connect to both. Surgeons have developed several diff ...

with a

duodenal switch The duodenal switch (DS) procedure, gastric reduction duodenal switch (GRDS), is a weight loss surgery procedure that is composed of a restrictive and a malabsorptive aspect. The restrictive portion of the surgery involves removing approximate ...

, losing . During the procedure Lester flatlined. After the gastric bypass, he had 18 plastic surgeries to remove excess skin. 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 Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...

care. 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.

Filmography

Film

Short films

Television

References

External links

* *
Ron Lester - Find A Grave
1970 births 2016 deaths People from Kennesaw, Georgia American male film actors American male television actors Deaths from kidney failure Male actors from Georgia (U.S. state) Deaths from liver failure {{US-film-actor-1970s-stub