Gailard Sartain
Updated: 12/11/2025, 1:07:09 PM Wikipedia source
Gailard Lee Sartain Jr. (September 18, 1943 – June 19, 2025) was an American actor who frequently played characters with roots in the South. He was a regular on the country music variety series Hee Haw and was also known for his roles in three of the Ernest movies and the TV series Hey Vern, It's Ernest!, which ran for one season on CBS in 1988. He was also a successful painter and illustrator.
Infobox
Born
(1943-09-18)September 18, 1943Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died
June 19, 2025(2025-06-19) (aged 81)Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupations
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Years active
1970–2005
Tables
· Filmography › Film
1988
Role(s)
New York Critic
Role(s)
Chuck
Role(s)
Sheriff Ray Stuckey
1992
1994
Role(s)
Judge Block
Role(s)
Carl
Role(s)
Lee Cutler
1999
Role(s)
Oliver Hardy
Notes
Direct-to-video
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1975 | Nashville | Man at Lunch Table | Uncredited |
| 1978 | The Buddy Holly Story | The Big Bopper | |
| 1979 | The Jerk | Guy with Cracked Airplane Seats | Uncredited |
| 1980 | The Hollywood Knights | Bimbeau | |
| Roadie | Muldoon | ||
| 1981 | Hard Country | Johnny Bob | |
| 1982 | Endangered Species | Mayor | |
| 1983 | The Outsiders | Jerry | |
| 1984 | Choose Me | Mueller | |
| All of Me | Fulton Norris | ||
| Songwriter | Mulreaux | ||
| 1985 | Trouble in Mind | Fat Adolph | |
| 1986 | Uphill All the Way | Private | |
| The Big Easy | Chef Paul | ||
| 1987 | Ernest Goes to Camp | Jake | |
| Made in Heaven | Sam Morrell | ||
| 1988 | The Moderns | New York Critic | |
| Ernest Saves Christmas | Chuck | ||
| Mississippi Burning | Sheriff Ray Stuckey | ||
| 1989 | Blaze | LaGrange | |
| 1990 | Love at Large | Taxi Driver | |
| Ernest Goes to Jail | Chuck | ||
| The Grifters | Joe | ||
| 1991 | Guilty by Suspicion | Chairman Wood | |
| Fried Green Tomatoes | Ed Couch | ||
| 1992 | Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot | Munroe | |
| Equinox | Dandridge | ||
| Wishman | Dr. Abe Rogers | ||
| 1993 | The Real McCoy | Gary Buckner | |
| 1994 | Clean Slate | Judge Block | |
| Getting Even with Dad | Carl | ||
| Wagons East | Moreland | Uncredited | |
| Speechless | Lee Cutler | ||
| 1996 | The Spitfire Grill | Sheriff Gary Walsh | |
| 1997 | Murder in Mind | Charlie | |
| RocketMan | Mr. Randall | Uncredited | |
| 1998 | The Patriot | Floyd Chisolm | |
| 1999 | The All New Adventures of Laurel & Hardy in For Love or Mummy | Oliver Hardy | Direct-to-video |
| 2000 | The Replacements | Pilachowski | |
| 2001 | Ali | Gordon B. Davidson | |
| 2005 | Elizabethtown | Charles Dean |
· Filmography › Television
1993
1997
1999
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1972–1974 | Hee Haw | Sheriff Orville B. Bullmoose | Recurring role, uncredited |
| 1976–1977 | The Sonny and Cher Show | Various | Recurring role |
| 1983 | The Dukes of Hazzard | Tate Jr. | 1 episode |
| 1987 | 9 to 5 | Corky | 1 episode |
| 1988 | Hey Vern, It's Ernest! | Chuck/Lonnie Don/Matt Finish | Main role |
| 1993 | Cooperstown | Georgia State Trooper | Television film |
| Walker, Texas Ranger | Parker | 1 episode | |
| 1995 | Chicago Hope | Senator Thompson | 1 episode |
| 1997 | King of the Hill | Case Manager (voice) | 1 episode |
| The Pretender | Tug Beualieu | 1 episode | |
| The Simpsons | Big Daddy (voice) | 1 episode | |
| Arli$$ | Hubert Lynch | 1 episode | |
| Joe Torre: Curveballs Along the Way | Don Zimmer | Television film | |
| 1999 | That Championship Season | High School Principal | Television film, uncredited |
| Pirates of Silicon Valley | Ed Roberts | Television film | |
| The Angry Beavers | Big O (voice) | 1 episode |
References
- Some news sources mislabel his age as "78".
- "Gailard Sartain, Character Actor and 'Hee Haw' Regular, Dies at 81"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/arts/television/gailard-sartain-dead.html
- "Gailard Sartain, Actor in 'Hee Haw' and 'Mississippi Burning,' Dies at 81"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/gailard-sartain-dead-hee-haw-mississippi-burning-1236295853/
- "SARTAIN, GAILARD LEE, JR. (1946 – )"http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=SA030
- Tulsa Worldhttps://tulsaworld.com/life-entertainment/local/movies-tv/article_7295af07-d754-4a9e-86df-1b1938c5ae5e.html
- www.mazeppa.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/20181227020800/http://www.mazeppa.com/about_the_show.html
- Matt Gleason, "Who's laughing now? With the release of the last 'Lost Tapes,' we're about to find out", Tulsa World, Dechttps://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=275&articleid=20091220_282_D6_Mazepp154424
- Hee Haw – The Casthttps://web.archive.org/web/20040221081552/http://www.heehaw.com/cast.html
- "Gailard Sartain in The Jerk − Lonnie Don McGinty"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h76RntKeWu0
- www.filmsglobe.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/20081012152653/http://www.filmsglobe.com/person/12140
- tulsatvmemories.comhttp://tulsatvmemories.com/mayfpost.html