Ron McLarty

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Ron McLarty
Born
Ronald William McLarty

(1947-04-26)April 26, 1947
East Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
DiedFebruary 8, 2020(2020-02-08) (aged 72)
New York City, U.S.
EducationRhode Island College
Occupation(s)Actor
Playwright
Narrator
Novelist
Years active1971–2014
Spouses
  • Diane Tesitor
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1969; died 2002)​
  • Kate Skinner
    ​
    (m. 2004)​
Children3
Websiteronmclarty.com

Ronald William McLarty (April 26, 1947 – February 8, 2020) was an American actor, playwright, and novelist. He also worked as an audiobook narrator, in which role he recorded over 100 titles and received many Audie Awards.

McLarty appeared in numerous television series, films and stage productions. He also wrote dozens of plays and 10 novels, notably The Memory of Running (2004).

Career[edit]

McLarty began his career in theatre during the early 1970s with one of his earliest professional performances being the role of Lucky in Michael Weller's Moonchildren for the play's American premiere at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. in November 1971. McLarty continued with the production when it moved to Broadway in 1972.

McLarty also co-starred on Spenser: For Hire, as Boston homicide detective Sgt. Frank Belson.

Although he enjoyed a successful career as an actor, he had not had much luck finding a publisher for his novel The Memory of Running, until Stephen King happened upon an audiobook version, narrated by McLarty, and praised it as "the best book you can't read".[1] This led to the book's publication by Viking Press, and its rapid rise to bestseller status. McLarty was an accomplished narrator: besides Running, he provided the narrative for a number of audiobooks, including Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and the unabridged audiobook Decision Points by George W. Bush (the abridged version is narrated by the former president himself).

A graduate of Rhode Island College, class of 1969, McLarty was commencement speaker and received a Doctor of Humanities degree from RIC in 2007.

Death[edit]

McLarty died on February 8, 2020, having lived with dementia since 2014.[2]

Novels[edit]

  • Mislaid. Lulu Publishing Services, 2020, softcover ISBN 978-1-6847-1801-6, ebook ISBN 978-1-7169-1557-4
  • The Dropper. New York: Random House, Books on Tape, 2009 (audiobook), ISBN 0-307-70459-9
  • Art in America. New York: Viking Press, 2008, ISBN 0-670-01895-3
  • Traveler. New York: Viking Press, 2007, ISBN 0-670-03474-6
  • The Memory of Running. New York: Viking Press, 2004, ISBN 0-670-03363-4

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1977 The Sentinel Real Estate Agent
1978 Bloodbrothers Mac
1982 Vigilante Doctor Uncredited
1983 Touched George
1983 Daniel Prison Guard
1983 Enormous Changes at the Last Minute John Raferty
1984 The Flamingo Kid Pat McCarty
1986 Heartburn Detective O'Brien
1989 The Feud Dolf Beeler
1995 Two Bits Irish Man
1997 The Postman Old George
2010 How Do You Know George's Lawyer
2014 St. Vincent Principal O'Brien (final film role)

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1979 The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree Papa Bear Voice, Television specials
1980 The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw
1981 The Berenstain Bears' Easter Surprise
1982 The Berenstain Bears' Comic Valentine
1983 The Berenstain Bears Play Ball
1983 Tiger Town Buddy TV movie
1985–1988 Spenser: For Hire Sgt. Frank Belson 65 episodes
1987 The Father Clements Story O'Hare TV movie
1990 Cop Rock Detective Lieutenant Ralph Ruskin 12 episodes
1991 A Little Piece of Heaven Agent Mr. Jack Daniels TV movie
1991–2008 Law & Order Scoler/Judge William Wright 7 episodes
1996 Champs Coach Harris 12 episodes
2000 Sex and the City Dr. Talley Episode: "Hot Child In The City"
2000–2002 Courage the Cowardly Dog The General / Police / Additional voices Voice, 39 episodes
2005 Law & Order: Trial by Jury Judge William Wright Episode: "Truth or Consequences"
2005 Trump Unauthorized Fred Trump TV movie
2005 Into The Fire Walter Hartwig, Sr. TV movie
2006 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Judge Joseph Malloy Episode: "Infected"
2008 The Return of Jezebel James Ronald Tompkins 7 episodes (3 aired episodes)
2013 Person of Interest Lou Mitchell Episode: "All In"

Videogames[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2003 Batman: Dark Tomorrow Commissioner James Gordon[3]

Audiobooks[edit]

A partial list:

Title Author Un-/Abridged Read by Published
The Memory of Running Ron McLarty UNABRIDGED Ron McLarty 2004-01-16
Zero Day David Baldacci UNABRIDGED Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy* 2011-04-11
Brian's Hunt Gary Paulsen UNABRIDGED Ron McLarty 2003-12-23
The Gift Danielle Steel UNABRIDGED Ron McLarty 2012-07-20
'Salem's Lot Stephen King UNABRIDGED Ron McLarty 2008-02-05
Blaze Stephen King UNABRIDGED Ron McLarty 2008-01-22
Valhalla Rising: A Dirk Pitt Adventure Clive Cussler ABRIDGED Ron McLarty 2001-08-13
The Great Brain John D. Fitzgerald UNABRIDGED Ron McLarty 2002-05-28
Miracles and Massacres Glenn Beck UNABRIDGED Ron McLarty 2013-11
Decision Points George W. Bush UNABRIDGED Ron McLarty 2010-11-08
The Longest Ride Nicholas Sparks UNABRIDGED Ron McLarty, January LaVoy 2013-09-17

References[edit]

  1. ^ MacDonald, Jay. "Book Page feature and interview with McLarty" Archived 2008-07-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  2. ^ Barnes, Mike (February 10, 2020). "Ron McLarty, Actor on 'Spenser for Hire,' 'Cop Rock' and 'Law & Order,' Dies at 72". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  3. ^ "Ron McLarty (visual voices guide) - Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. 2003-03-18. Retrieved 2019-04-17. Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)

External links[edit]

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