Gailard Sartain, “Chuck” from Ernest Movies, Dead at 78

Gailard Sartain, a one-time regular on the country variety series Hee Haw who later starred in three Ernest movies and the spin-off TV series Hey Vern, It’s Ernest!, has died at the age of 78. TMZ reports that Sartain passed away on Tuesday, June 17th, following a “long decline in health.”

The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native had more than 60 film and television credits to his name. He appeared on nearly 20 seasons of Hee Haw; both seasons of Cher’s titular variety seasons; and on early episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger and King of the Hill.

On the silver screen, he co-starred in three Ernest films — 1987’s Ernest Goes to Camp, 1988’s Ernest Saves Christmas, and 1990’s Ernest Goes to Jail — playing the role of Chuck in the latter two as well as on the spin-off series Hey Vern, It’s Ernest!. He also had roles in Fried Green Tomatoes, The Replacements, and Elizabethtown.