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