- Born
- Died
- Nicknames
- Lester
- Ronnie
- Height5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
- Ron Lester gained celebrity status at an early stage in his career, but his draw in Hollywood seemed to be based on one physical characteristic: his weight. Obese since 5 years old, by the time he was 30 years old, Ron weighed 508 pounds. Hollywood hired him as the lovable fat kid but his health was in serious danger. With the support of his friends, family, and co-workers, Ron decided to go through an experimental (at the time) type of gastric bypass surgery that almost took his life. When he recovered from flat-lining on the operating table Ron began to lose the weight - and his celebrity identity. 348 pounds were lost in under two years and he's had 14 plastic surgeries to tighten and remove excess skin. Now Ron has a hard time getting the roles he once won. Admits food was his 'drug of choice' to cover up pain from often being the new kid in school (he changed schools often due to discipline problems), and the death of 22 close friends and family members throughout his life.
Ron died in 2016 in Dallas, Texas, of liver and kidney failure.- IMDb Mini Biography By: SkrinkleSkrod
- ParentsMaryEllen Lester
- His body was donated to University of Dallas for medical science.
- Appeared in Not Another Teen Movie (2001) as Reggie Ray, spoofing his role as Billy Bob in Varsity Blues (1999).
- Underwent gastric bypass and had 17 major cosmetic surgeries after the gastric operation in late 2000. All Plastic Surgeries done by Dr. Keith Jeffords in Atlanta, Georgia. By late 2001, successfully lost over 250 pounds. He made an appearance on The Montel Williams Show (1991) weighing around 173 pounds.
- Graduated from North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, Georgia.
- Appeared in the music video for the song "Kick a Little" by Little Texas in 1994.
- Am I alive? Yes. Am I happy? No. Did I throw away my career to be skinny? Yes. I wouldn't do [the surgery] again. I would much rather have died happy, rich, and kept my status and gone out on top.
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