Gailard Sartain, 1946 – 2025

Character actor Gailard Sartain, 78, died on June 17. He was a local (Tulsa) TV celebrity when a Hee Haw manager spotted him, and he spent years on that show, sometimes portraying Sheriff Orville P. Bullmoose. Sartain became a regular presence in films and on TV: The Sonny and Cher Show, The Buddy Holly Story (as The Big Bopper), The Jerk, The Dukes of Hazzard, Trouble in Mind (Divine’s last film), The Big Easy, Nine to Five, Mississippi Burning, Fried Green Tomatoes, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, Wagons East (John Candy’s last film), The Simpsons, The Replacements, and numerous Ernest movies. When asked if he was satisfied with his career, Sartain said in 2017, “Not every single thing I did. But, for the most part, I’m happy about it.”