Gailard Sartain (born September 18, 1946) is an American retired actor, often playing characters with roots in the South. He was a regular on the

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

variety series ''

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired first-run on CBS from 1969 to 1971, in syndication from 1971 to 1993, and on TNN from 1 ...

''. He is also known for his roles in three of the

Ernest Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People * Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor *Ernest, ...

movies and the TV series ''

Hey Vern, It's Ernest! ''Hey Vern, It's Ernest!'' is an American children's television program. It aired on Saturday mornings on CBS for one season in 1988. Each episode involved short sketches on a certain theme or scenario, featuring Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney), ...

'', which ran for one season on CBS in 1988. He is also an accomplished and successful painter and illustrator.

Early years and education

Sartain was born in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

, the son of a Tulsa fire chief. He attended Cascia Hall Preparatory School, is a 1963 graduate of Will Rogers High School in Tulsa and was a member of the Epsilon Mu chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity at the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin ...

, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In 1968, Gailard moved to New York City, where he worked as an assistant to illustrator Paul Davis.

Career

Sartain's entry into entertainment was launched in Tulsa. Working originally as a cameraman at a local television station, he gained notoriety through the creation of a late night off-the-wall comedy program entitled ''The Uncanny Film Festival and Camp Meeting''. 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 Gary Busey (; born 1944) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in ''The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won the National Society of Film Critics ...

and Jim Millaway. 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. Discovered by a talent scout during his stint as Mazeppa, Sartain was hired in 1972 as a regular on the television program ''

''. Sartain remained as a regular cast member of the popular show for nearly 20 seasons. He also served as a regular on other series including ''

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industr ...

'' (1975–76) and '' Shields and Yarnell'' (1978). Sartain played C.D. Parker for one episode during the pilot season of ''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both this series and that film starring Chuck Norris as a member of the T ...

''. He supplied the voice of a social worker in the pilot episode of the animated series ''

King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired its original non-syndicated run from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, and centers on the Hills, an ...

''. Sartain also portrayed an advisor to

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Earl Long (played by

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

) in the movie '' Blaze''. Sartain has appeared in more than forty motion pictures, most notably as

The Big Bopper Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson Jr. (October 24, 1930 – February 3, 1959), known as The Big Bopper, was an American singer, songwriter and disc jockey. His best-known compositions include " Chantilly Lace" and " White Lightning", the latter of w ...

in ''

The Buddy Holly Story ''The Buddy Holly Story'' is a 1978 American biographical film which tells the life and career of rock and roll musician Buddy Holly. It features an Academy Award-winning musical score, adapted by Joe Renzetti and Oscar-nominated lead perform ...

'', Sheriff Ray Stuckey in ''

Mississippi Burning ''Mississippi Burning'' is a 1988 American crime thriller film directed by Alan Parker that is loosely based on the 1964 murder investigation of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner in Mississippi. It stars Gene Hackman and Willem Dafoe as two FB ...

'', '' The Outsiders,'' '' The Hollywood Knights'', ''

Fried Green Tomatoes ''Fried Green Tomatoes'' is a 1991 American comedy-drama film directed by Jon Avnet and based on Fannie Flagg's 1987 novel '' Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe''. Written by Flagg and Carol Sobieski, and starring Kathy Bates, Jessi ...

'', '' The Replacements'' as Offensive Assistant Coach Leo Pilachowski, ''

The Big Easy New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

'', '' The Grifters'', '' Getting Even with Dad'', '' The Patriot'', and an uncredited role in the 1994 comedy ''

Wagons East A wagon or waggon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people. Wagons are immediately distinguished f ...

'' starring John Candy and Richard Lewis. Sartain also appeared in a deleted scene from the

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominat ...

comedy ''

The Jerk ''The Jerk'' is a 1979 American comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and written by Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb, and Michael Elias (from a story by Steve Martin and Carl Gottlieb). This was Martin's first starring role in a feature film. The ...

'' 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''!" Sartain also appeared in Mel McDaniel's music video for "Stand Up" in 1985. His final film role was in 2005, in

Cameron Crowe Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American journalist, author, writer, producer, director, actor, lyricist, and playwright. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at '' Rolling Stone'' magazine, for w ...

's '' Elizabethtown''. He is also known for his roles in three of the

Ernest P. Worrell Ernest P. Worrell is a fictional character portrayed by American actor Jim Varney in a series of television commercials and later in a television series (''Hey Vern, It's Ernest!'') as well as a series of feature films. Ernest was created with ...

films starring Jim Varney (as well as the ''

'' television series). With fellow Hey Vern co-star

Bill Byrge Bill Byrge (born July 16, 1932) is an American character actor and comedian, best known for his work as Bobby in various Ernest P. Worrell projects. Career In 1986, Byrge began appearing alongside longtime co-star Gailard Sartain in a series o ...

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

, the duo performed as brothers Chuck and Bobby in a series of "Me and my brother, Bobby..." pitches for local TV stations and product ads. He was replaced by a younger brother named Tom Tulip (

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

native John Cadenhead) in ''

Ernest Scared Stupid ''Ernest Scared Stupid'' is a 1991 American comedy horror film directed by John Cherry and starring Jim Varney. It is the fifth film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell. In the film, Ernest unwittingly unleashes an evil troll upon a smal ...

''. A successful

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

, Sartain's artistic credits range from record cover designs for such artists as

Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and ...

(''Will O' the Wisp'') to illustrations for nationally published magazines.

Filmography

Film

*''

'' (1975) .... Man at Lunch Counter (uncredited) *''

'' (1978) .... Big Bopper *''Smokey and the Good Time Outlaws'' (1978) .... Arthur Leddy *''

'' (1979) .... Guy with Cracked Airplane Seats (uncredited) *'' The Hollywood Knights'' (1980) .... Bimbeau *''

Roadie The road crew (or roadies) are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians. This ca ...

'' (1980) .... B.B. Muldoon *'' Hard Country'' (1981) .... Johnny Bob *'' Endangered Species'' (1982) .... Mayor *'' The Outsiders'' (1983) .... Jerry *'' Choose Me'' (1984) .... Mueller *'' All of Me'' (1984) .... Fulton Norris *''

Songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

'' (1984) .... Mulreaux *'' Trouble in Mind'' (1985) .... Fat Adolph *''

Uphill All the Way ''Uphill All The Way'' is a 1986 American comedy Western film directed by Frank Q. Dobbs and starring Roy Clark, Mel Tillis, Glen Campbell, Burl Ives, Trish Van Devere, Elaine Joyce, Frank Gorshin and Sheb Wooley. The film has developed a ver ...

'' (1986) .... Private *''

The Big Easy New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

'' (1986) .... Chef Paul *'' Ernest Goes to Camp'' (1987) .... Jake (Chef #1) *''Leader of the Band'' (1987) .... Elmo De Lavallard *'' Made in Heaven'' (1987) .... Sam Morrell *'' The Moderns'' (1988) .... New York Critic *'' Ernest Saves Christmas'' (1988) .... Chuck *''

'' (1988) .... Sheriff Ray Stuckey *'' Blaze'' (1989) .... LaGrange *'' Love at Large'' (1990) .... Taxi Driver *'' Ernest Goes to Jail'' (1991) .... Chuck *'' The Grifters'' (1990) .... Joe *'' The Chase'' (1991, TV Movie) - Hammer *'' Guilty by Suspicion'' (1991) .... Chairman Wood *''

'' (1991) .... Ed Couch *''Death Falls'' (1991) .... Hearse Driver *'' Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot'' (1992) .... Munroe *''

Equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator, which is to say, appears zenith, directly above the equator, rather than north or south of the equator. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise "due east" ...

'' (1992) .... Dandridge *'' Wishman'' (1992) .... Dr. Abe Rogers *''

'' (1993, TV Series) .... C.D. Parker *'' The Real McCoy'' (1993) .... Gary Buckner *''Sandman'' (1993) .... Dave *'' Clean Slate'' (1994) .... Judge Block *'' Getting Even with Dad'' (1994) .... Carl *''

'' (1994) .... J.P. Moreland (uncredited) *'' Speechless'' (1994) .... Lee Cutler *''Open Season'' (1995) .... George Plunkett *'' The Spitfire Grill'' (1996) .... Sheriff Gary Walsh *'' Murder in Mind'' (1997) .... Charlie *'' RocketMan'' (1997) .... Mr. Randall (uncredited) *'' Joe Torre: Curveballs Along the Way'' (1997, TV Movie) .... Don Zimmer *'' The Patriot'' (1998) .... Floyd Chisolm *''Existo'' (1999) .... Colette Watchuwill *'' The All New Adventures of Laurel & Hardy in For Love or Mummy'' (1999) .... Oliver Fattius Hardy *'' Pirates of Silicon Valley'' (1999, TV Movie) .... Ed Roberts *'' The Replacements'' (2000) .... Pilachowski *'' Ali'' (2001) .... Gordon Davidson *''The Round and Round'' (2002) .... Jim Stoops *'' Elizabethtown'' (2005) .... Charles Dean

References

External links

*
Official WebsiteMazeppa article by Lindsey Neal Kuykendall in This Land Press January 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sartain, Gailard 1946 births American male film actors American illustrators Living people Male actors from Tulsa, Oklahoma University of Tulsa alumni Horror hosts 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors