Latest news with #GailardSartain
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Gailard Sartain, ‘Hee Haw' Star, Dies At 81
Los Angeles, CA - 1991: Gailard Sartain promotional photo for the ABC tv series 'Davis Rules', ... More episode 'The Principle', the original unaired pilot. (Photo by Sharon M Beard /American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images) Gailard Sartain, the Southern character actor and comedian who appeared on the long-running country western-themed variety hour Hee Haw, died Tuesday, June 17 following a long illness. He was 81. His death was announced on Facebook by The Church Studio, a recording studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma where Sartain's wife Mary Jo volunteers. Born September 18, 1943 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Gailard Sartain was a successful illustrator who broke into show business through the creation of a late-night local comedy program he hosted in Tulsa entitled The Uncanny Film Festival and Camp Meeting. After being discovered by a talent scout, Sartain was hired in 1972 as a regular on Hee Haw, which was inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. A victim of the infamous "rural purge," CBS canceled Hee Haw in 1971 (along with sitcoms The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres and Mayberry R.F.D.). But it immediately found a new home in first-run syndication and remained on the air until 1993. Sartain was a cast member for 19 seasons. Sartain also served as a regular on the short-lived variety series Cher from 1975 to 1976, Keep on Truckin' in 1975, and Shields and Yarnell in 1978. He made his film debut with an uncredited cameo in Nashville in 1975, and was a larger presence in The Buddy Holly Story as 'Big Bopper' in 1978 and as B.B. Muldoon in Roadie in 1980. (Top L-R) Actors Meat Loaf and Art Carney (Bottom L-R) Actor Gailard Sartain and actress Kaki Hunter ... More on set of the United Artist movie "Roadie" in 1980. (Photo by Michael) Other films on Sartain's resume included Mississippi Burning, The Outsiders, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Grifters, The Replacements and The Patriot. He was also known for his roles in three of the Ernest P. Worrell films starring Jim Varney, and the 13-episode Hey Vern, It's Ernest! television series in 1988. Sartain's final film role was in Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown in 2005.
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
‘Hee Haw' actor Gailard Sartain dead at 81
"Hee Haw" star Gailard Sartain has died. He was 81. The actor, who also appeared in "Mississippi Burning" and "The Buddy Holly Story," passed away from natural causes at his home on Thursday, his wife Mary Jo Sartain confirmed to Fox News Digital. "Everyone has a Gailard story that they tell with a smile. Keep telling his stories," Mary, his wife of 36 years, said. Sartain joined the "Hee Haw" cast in 1972. He appeared on the show for 20 years as a variety of different characters, including Orville the cook and clerk Maynard. He also portrayed Willie Billy Honey on the spin-off, "Hee Haw Honeys," from 1978-1979. Lulu Roman, Kathie Lee Gifford and Misty Rowe also starred in the spin-off. "Everyone has a Gailard story that they tell with a smile. Keep telling his stories." Along with "Hee Haw," Sartain appeared in nine feature films that were directed by Alan Rudolph: "Roadie," "Equinox," "The Moderns," "Love at Large," "Songwriter," "Endangered Species," "Choose Me," "Trouble in Mind" and "Made in Heaven." During an interview with Tulsa World newspaper in 2017, Sartain told the outlet that he enjoyed working with Rudolph because he "would just turn me loose. So I would come up with character accents and stuff, and he would go for it." A career high for Sartain was his role as a racist sheriff in "Mississippi Burning," which was released in 1988. During his Tulsa World interview, Sartain admitted it was difficult being cast in the same role. "Nobody likes to be typecast as a barefooted hillbilly, so when I had the opportunity to do other roles, I happily did it. I was cast in that, and that kind of turned things around. I wasn't just typecast as a funny guy. That was a little bit pivotal," he said at the time. Sartain was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1943. The actor is survived by his wife, their children, Sarah, Esther and Ben, his granddaughter, Chloe, and his great-grandson, Teddy.
UPI
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Gailard Sartain, actor known for 'Hee Haw,' dies at 78
Gailard Sartain, an actor who starred in "Hee Haw" and "Fried Green Tomatoes," died Tuesday. He was 78. Photo by Brett Sayles/ Pexels June 20 (UPI) -- Gailard Sartain, an actor who starred in Hee Haw and Fried Green Tomatoes, died Tuesday. He was 78. The Church Studio, an Oklahoma recording studio where Sartain's wife, Mary Jo, volunteers, announced his death Friday. Deadline said Sartain was battling an unspecified illness, but a specific cause of death was not shared. "I knew he wasn't in good health and hadn't been for a while," fellow Hee Haw alum Victoria Hallman told TMZ. "We always fool ourselves that people will hang on." In a tribute on Instagram, Church Studio said Sartain was "an extraordinary actor, artist and comedian." He began working on the variety show Hee Haw in 1972, and his other credits include Texas Ranger, Nashville, The Buddy Holly Story, The Outsiders, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Big Easy and The Hollywood Knights. Notable deaths of 2025 Anne Burrell Anne Burrell arrives on the red carpet at the City Harvest "Red Supper Club" Fundraising Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on April 26, 2022 in New York City. Burrell Anne Burrell arrives on the red carpet at the City Harvest "Red Supper Club" Fundraising Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on April 26, 2022 in New York City. Burrell died June 17. No cause of death was given. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Gailard Sartain dead at 78: HeeHaw star passes away after long health battle
Actor and comedian Gailard Sartain has died at the age of 78. The cherished Southern actor was known for his memorable roles in Hee Haw, Mississippi Burning, and Fried Green Tomatoes. The Church Studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma shared the news on Facebook, paying tribute to the late actor with a heartfelt message. 'We are saddened by the loss of Gailard Sartain, an extraordinary actor, artist, and comedian,' the post read. 'His late night visits in the 1970s to the studio after filming Mazeppa are fondly remembered. Gailard's artwork is showcased on the cover of Leon Russell's 1975 album Will O' the Wisp. Our condolences are with Mary Jo, Gailard's wife and a committed volunteer at The Church Studio.' Teresa Knox, CEO of The Church Studio, confirmed to TMZ that Sartain passed away on Tuesday following a prolonged decline in health. At this time, no official cause of death has been disclosed. Sartain joined the cast of Hee Haw in 1972, bringing to life the character of Sheriff Orville P. Bullmoose. A fixture on the show's sketches, he remained a regular until the series wrapped up in 1992. His career spanned decades and genres. While best known for his comedic work on Hee Haw and several Ernest films, Sartain also showcased his dramatic talents in notable movies like Mississippi Burning and The Outsiders. The latter, adapted from S.E. Hinton's novel, explored the rivalry between teenage gangs in 1960s Tulsa — Sartain's hometown.
