Jed Clampett actor was 95

Buddy Ebsen, the star of the Sixites sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies has died at the age of 95.

Ebsen played farmer Jed Clampett, who moved his hillbilly family to Los Angeles after striking oil on their land.

He was admitted to California's Torrance Memorial Medical Center last month with an undisclosed illness and died on Sunday morning.

Ebsen - who was born Christian Ebsen - started his career as a dancer, appearing in a number of MGM musicals.

He was offered the role of the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, but agreed to change roles with Ray Bolger, who had been cast as the Tin Man. But the extensive make-up made him ill, so he had to drop out.

His film roles included 1961's Breakfast At Tiffany, in which he played Doc, the abandoned husband of Audrey Hepburn's Holly Golightly.

But it was the Beverly Hillbillies that was to make his name. It ran for nine seasons from 1962 to 1971, and for a while was the top- rated show on TV, attracting up to 60 million viewers a week.

Published: 7 Jul 2003