Who was Gailard Sartain? Actor known for 'Hee Haw' and 'Ernest' dies at 81

Actor Gailard Sartain, known for his roles in Hee Haw and the Ernest franchise, died at the age of 78 on June 19, 2025. According to People Magazine, he lost his life due to natural causes. The news of his death was made known by his wife, Mary Jo Sartain. She said,

“Actually, he died of silliness.”

Sartain's father worked as a fire chief. He finished his schooling at Will Rogers High School and attended the University of Tulsa. Sartain initially worked as a cameraman. The actor got cast in Hee Haw, which premiered in 1969.

The late actor also got to work in some movies like The Buddy Holly Story and The Patriot. He got his role in the Ernest franchise in 1980.

In 2017, Gailard Sartain was interviewed by Tulsa World, where he reflected on being a Tulsa native. According to him, the city was like a magnet for him. Speaking of his career, he said,

“Here’s the key to a lot of this is I came away with such wonderful memories of working with really special people. That was part of the fascination for me was not only the material and the work, but who is going to be there, because I was always a fan first.”

Gailard Sartain worked with many well-known actors like Annette Bening. Speaking of her, he said,

“She was sweet as pie. Annette was one of the most charming, wonderful actresses I ever worked with.”

What did Gailard Sartain say about the different rumors about him?

Gailard Sartain said he felt lucky about the career opportunities he had received. When asked if he was proud of his work, he admitted he wasn’t proud of everything he had done, but overall, he felt good about most of it.

Before going to Will Rogers High School, he studied at a different school. The story behind the change was, according to him:

“I was kicked out. I flunked out. My grades were awful. I think their policy was if you can’t make a certain grade point, then you are out.”

He added:

“Those are rough years when you are coming out of Cascia Hall and going to Will Rogers. You are used to wearing a sport coat and tie, and then it’s clothes optional at Rogers. It was a transition and kind of hard, but I had to prove myself.”

Gailard Sartain also cleared up a rumor about a prank involving a baby alligator at school. He explained that it supposedly happened before his time, and while he had heard about students taking an alligator from a zoo and bringing it into the school, he wasn’t sure it happened since he wasn’t there.

However, he wouldn't do something like that because his father had been the fire chief, and he didn’t want to risk embarrassing him. As for rumors about starting pickle fights at a local burger place during high school, Sartain denied that, too.

He said people tend to exaggerate, and while he remembered food being thrown around during lunch, it was something many kids did.

Gailard Sartain is survived by his wife, children, a granddaughter, and a great-grandson.

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