# Ron McLarty

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

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". 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 narration 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

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

## Novels

* 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
** The Dropper was scheduled to be released as a Trade Hardcover and Signed Limited Edition by Cemetery Dance Publications in Spring 2012. ISBN 978-1-58767-275-0
* 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
### Film

| 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

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1979 | The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree | Papa Bear | Voice, Television specials |
| 1980 | The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw | Papa Bear | Voice, Television specials |
| 1981 | The Berenstain Bears' Easter Surprise | Papa Bear | Voice, Television specials |
| 1982 | The Berenstain Bears' Comic Valentine | Papa Bear | Voice, Television specials |
| 1983 | The Berenstain Bears Play Ball | Papa Bear | Voice, Television specials |
| 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

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2003 | Batman: Dark Tomorrow | Commissioner James Gordon | |

## Audiobooks

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 |
* McLarty and Cassidy also narrated books 2 and 3 in the John Puller series, The Forgotten and The Escape.