IMDB

Actor

1947-04-26 · Providence, Rhode Island, USA · Male

13 series in the catalog

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, at 72 years old, having lived with dementia since 2014. He was survived by his wife, three sons, and seven grandchildren.

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

Audiobooks

A partial list:

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