Actor Randolph Mantooth, greatest recognized for his function as firefighter and medic John Gage in NBC’s “Emergency!” tv sequence throughout the Seventies, has died at age 80 after an extended sickness, his household mentioned Friday.
Mantooth’s function and the present, which ran for 5 years, modified the best way that first responders had been seen on TV, his household mentioned.
“The sequence helped introduce the general public to paramedics and emergency medication, inspiring numerous people to pursue careers in EMS and firefighting,” the household mentioned in a press release. “Its affect prolonged far past leisure, contributing to higher recognition of emergency medical providers all through the nation.”
“Emergency!” featured a crew from Los Angeles County Fireplace Division Station 51. It ran from January 1972 till Might 1977. There have been additionally made-for-television films that aired till 1979.
A spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fireplace Division mentioned Friday that Mantooth shall be remembered as part of the legacy of the division and firefighters in all places.
“Randolph Mantooth was the face of the Los Angeles County Fireplace Division for a whole technology. Discuss to any fireplace buff of a sure age, and Johnny Gage using Squad 51 is the stuff of legend,” Los Angeles County Fireplace Capt. Aaron Katon mentioned.
Mantooth was born in Sacramento, California, on Sept. 19, 1945. He earned a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, his household mentioned.
He appeared within the 2003 off-Broadway present “Rain Dance,” a play by Lanford Wilson, which additionally featured actor James Van Der Beek.
Mantooth was of Seminole descent, in line with IMDB. He performed a army police officer and former Native American dancer within the manufacturing, which profiles folks on the night time earlier than the testing of the atomic bomb in New Mexico, Backstage reported on the time.
Whereas recognized for the tv present, “Randy remained dedicated to theater all through his profession,” his household mentioned.
“Past performing, Randy’s bond with the emergency providers neighborhood turned probably the most significant components of his life,” Mantooth’s household mentioned within the assertion. “He devoted himself to honoring firefighters and paramedics making certain that their braveness, sacrifice, and humanity had been acknowledged.”
