Gailard Sartain

Gailard Lee Sartain Jr. (September 18, 1946 – 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.

Early life and education Gailard Lee Sartain, Jr. was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on September 18, 1946, He attended Cascia Hall Preparatory School but was expelled for poor grades, leading him to attend public Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, where he was in the Art Club and the Senior Play; it was at Will Rogers High School where Sartain, still experiencing culture shock from the far more casual environment of public school, began developing his style of humor. Dressed as a wizard, wearing a dark blue robe and pointed wizard's cap, Sartain hosted the program as "Dr. Mazeppa Pompazoidi". Other cast members included fellow Tulsa native Gary Busey and Jim Millaway (September 23, 1941 – December 23, 2023). The program was broadcast on the Tulsa CBS affiliate KOTV and later the ABC affiliate KTUL. It featured B-movies, with skits written and performed by Sartain, Busey and company between the movie segments.

A year into his run as Mazeppa, Roy Clark's agent asked to be on the program, which led to an offer to join the cast of Hee Haw. He also served as a regular on other series including The Sonny & Cher Show (1975–77) and Shields and Yarnell (1978). Sartain played C.D. Parker for one episode during the pilot season of Walker, Texas Ranger. He supplied the voice of a social worker in the pilot episode of the animated series King of the Hill. Sartain also portrayed an advisor to Louisiana Governor Earl Long (played by Paul Newman) in the movie Blaze.

Sartain appeared in more than forty motion pictures, most notably as The Big Bopper (alongside Busey's Buddy Holly) in The Buddy Holly Story, Sheriff Ray Stuckey in Mississippi Burning, The Outsiders, The Hollywood Knights, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Replacements as Offensive Assistant Coach Leo Pilachowski, The Big Easy, The Grifters, Getting Even with Dad, The Patriot, and an uncredited role in the 1994 comedy Wagons East starring John Candy and Richard Lewis. Sartain also appeared in a deleted scene from the Steve Martin comedy The Jerk as a Texas oil millionaire who successfully begs for $1500 (in cash) to replace the cracked leather seats on his private airplane: "You know what this means? I can fly my friends to the Super Bowl like a man, not like some kinda god-danged bum!" He considered his excised role in The Jerk to be his funniest on-screen performance.

In 2001, Sartain was asked to design the artwork for that year’s Mayfest festival, an art festival held annually in his hometown of Tulsa. “I wanted it to have vibrant colors, so I just let myself go with it," Sartain said. "I used all of my memories to try to capture a Tulsa flavor." His artwork was described as:

Personal life and death Sartain and his wife, Mary Jo, were married on New Year’s Eve in 1988. They remained married for over 36 years until his death and had three children. No other cause of death was stated other than his wife's humorous statement: "Actually, he died of silliness."

Filmography Film

Television 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 A.C. 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 C.D. 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