Randolph Mantooth, the actor best known for playing firefighter-paramedic Johnny Gage on NBC’s hit 1970s series “Emergency!,” has died. He was 80.
Mantooth died Thursday at a hospice facility in Ventura, Calif., after a long illness, his brother Donald Mantooth told The Hollywood Reporter.
Donald said the actor had “been ill for a number of years and kept getting thinner and thinner.”
Mantooth shot to fame in 1972 when he was cast as Johnny Gage on “Emergency!,” the NBC drama that introduced the profession of paramedics to millions of viewers.
He starred alongside Kevin Tighe on the series, which ran for six seasons, and performed most of his own stunts.
The actor later reprised his role as Gage on shows including “Adam-12” and remained a longtime advocate for firefighters, paramedics and EMTs.
Mantooth recalled the positive reception he received from firefighters after the show aired, saying the “Emergency!” cast “did not want to make them look bad.”
“They were so ecstatic that they had a show about them,” Mantooth said in a 2013 interview, according to the Television Academy. “Because there’s always shows about cops. There’s always shows about lawyers and doctors. But here’s a show about the fire department! I mean, their hair stood up on end. It’s like, ‘yeah, honey, that’s what I do!’”
“They took to us well because we did not want to make them look bad. We wanted to make them look like exactly who they were — heroes,” Mantooth added. “Now, everyone’s got to have a flaw. It drives me crazy. I don’t care about your flaws. Just show me what you do. How’s the job done? And do it real. Show me!”
Born in Sacramento, Calif., Mantooth discovered acting through school plays after his family settled in the Santa Barbara area, according to IMDb.
He attended Santa Barbara City College before earning a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.
After being spotted in a stage production of “Philadelphia, Here I Come,” he signed with Universal and launched his television career.
Before “Emergency!,” he appeared on series including “Ironside,” “The Virginian,” “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” “The Bold Ones,” “McCloud” and “Alias Smith and Jones.”
After the show ended, Mantooth continued acting for decades, appearing on “Dallas,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “The Love Boat,” “Criminal Minds,” “Ghost Whisperer” and “Sons of Anarchy.”
He also had a lengthy run in daytime television, playing Clay Alden and later Alex Masters on “Loving,” Richard Halifax on “General Hospital,” and appearing on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns” and “The City.”
Mantooth’s “Loving” co-star Rena Sofer mourned her “dear friend” and mentor, who “took me under his wing.”
“I have so much to say about him, so much love for him that I am left speechless,” Sofer posted on Instagram on Friday night. “This man came into my life when I was 18 years old and never left. He took me under his wing as he did to most young actors he ever met. He treated me with respect and kindness but most of all friendship.
“We have been lifelong friends and I cherish every moment I had with him. He was a friend to so many, a true great friend.”
Mantooth is survived by his wife, Kristen, and his siblings, Donald and Tonya.
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