Randolph Mantoothbest known for playing paramedic Johnny Gage on the hit 1970s NBC series It's an emergency!he is dead. He was 80 years old.
Mantooth died Thursday, July 9, at a hospice in Ventura, California, his brother Donald Mantoothconfirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. Donald said the actor “had been sick for years and was getting thinner and thinner.”
The actor rose to fame in 1972 when he was cast as the wise but bold Johnny Gage. Kevin TigheRoy DeSoto is on It's an emergency!the first drama composed by Jack Webb again Robert A. Cinader.
The series followed the firefighters and paramedics of the Los Angeles County Fire Department's fictional Station 51 and ran for six seasons in 1977 before returning to the TV movie series.
Before taking on the job-defining role, Mantooth admitted he had no idea what paramedics was.
In a 2013 interview with the Television Academy Foundation Discussions in the series, Mantooth recalls finding out that his character was a paramedic, and his first reaction was, “'What's a paramedic?'” He went on to comment, “At that time, there was only one. [a handful] all over California.'”
He also revealed that at first he was reluctant to take the place because it meant cutting his hair.
It's an emergency! it turned out to be more than just a television hit. When the series began, there were only 12 emergency response units operating across North America. Within three years, 46 US states had passed laws allowing paramedics to use emergency medicine, and within ten years, more than half of Americans lived within 10 minutes of an emergency rescue unit or ambulance. The show's impact has long been praised for helping to raise awareness and support for modern emergency medical services.
Reflecting on the legacy of the series, Mantooth acknowledged the show's significant influence.
“When you take life-saving equipment out of the hospital and into the field, the number of lives saved is incalculable,” said Mantooth, The Hollywood Reporter. “The stars just came together on this show for a purpose, a great purpose.”
He continued, “I will be remembered for driving a car with the same name as General Lee, not that there is anything wrong with that plan. Rather, I will be remembered for something that changed emergency medicine, forever. How lucky can one person be?”
Over there Emergency!, Mantooth enjoyed a television career that spanned decades, including two runs on the ABC soap Lovewhere he portrayed Clay Alden and later Alex Masters. He appeared again General Hospital, As the World Changes again One Life to Live.
