Randolph Mantooth, who played the charismatic firefighter and paramedic John Gage in the 1970s television hit “Emergency!” and whose acting career spanned decades, died on Thursday in Ventura, Calif. He was 80.
The cause was complications from pneumonia, his sister Tonya Mantooth said.
Mr. Mantooth’s lead role in “Emergency!,” an NBC series that originally aired from 1972 to 1977, helped paramedics and emergency medicine gain greater recognition in the United States. He said he was proud to be known for his part in the show, which portrayed the work of paramedics and firefighters in Los Angeles County.
“I’m remembered for something that changed emergency medicine forever, that actually saved lives,” he said in a 2013 interview with the Television Academy. “How lucky can any one person be?”
After “Emergency!,” Mr. Mantooth was an advocate for emergency medical workers, speaking at firefighter and paramedic symposiums across the country. He was given an award by the International Association of Fire Chiefs in 2022 honoring his work to promote the profession.
“To be honored by men and women who have dedicated their lives and careers to public safety, it humbles me,” he said while accepting the award.
Mr. Mantooth was also an executive producer of a documentary about paramedics, “Into the Unknown: The Paramedics’ Journey.”
Randy DeRoy Mantooth was born on Sept. 19, 1945, in Sacramento to Donald Mantooth, a construction worker, and Sadie Neddenriep, a waitress. The eldest of four children, Mr. Mantooth had lived in 24 states by the time he was 16, according to his sister Tonya.
He spent much of his teen years in Santa Barbara, Calif., attending San Marcos High School. After graduating, he attended Santa Barbara City College for a few years before moving to New York City to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts on a scholarship to train to become an actor.
There, he received the Charles Jehlinger Award, one of the academy’s highest honors, for his performance in a production of the play “Philadelphia, Here I come!” After returning to California, he had guest roles in several television shows before landing the role on “Emergency!” that would come to define his career.
Mr. Mantooth said in the Television Academy interview that when he was first contacted about the opportunity, the first thing he said was, “What the hell’s a paramedic?”
“At that time, there weren’t paramedics,” he said. “There were only 13 in all of California at that time and nobody had ever heard of them before.”
The show’s run coincided with a dramatic rise in the recognition of emergency medicine in the United States.
After “Emergency!,” Mr. Mantooth had roles in several television shows and soap operas like ABC’s “Loving,” “General Hospital” and “One Life to Live.” He also returned to his theater roots, working in productions across the country and acting in Off Broadway shows.
Mr. Mantooth was married to Rosemarie A. Parra from 1978 to 1991, when they divorced. He married Kristen Connors in 2002. Besides his sister Tonya, his survivors include his wife and his brother Donald.
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