Acting

Randolph Mantooth

Born 19 September 1945 · Sacramento, California, USA · Died 9 July 2026 at 80

Randy DeRoy Mantooth (September 19, 1945 – July 9, 2026), known professionally as Randolph Mantooth, was an American actor who worked in television, documentaries, theater, and film for more than 50 years. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he was discovered in New York by a Universal Studios talent agent while performing the lead in the play Philadelphia, Here I Come! After signing with Universal and moving back to California, he slowly built up his resume with work on such dramatic series as Adam-12 (1968); Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969); McCloud (1970), and Alias Smith and Jones (1971). Mantooth portrayed paramedic John Gage in the 1970s medical drama Emergency! and spoke regularly at Firefighter and EMS conferences and symposia across the United States while maintaining an active acting career. He was a spokesperson for both the International Association of Firefighters [IAFF] and the International Association of Fire Chiefs [IAFC] for firefighter health and safety, and was honored over the years with numerous awards and recognition. He appeared in numerous films and television series in lead and supportive roles including miniseries adaptations of Testimony of Two Men (1977) and a starring role as Abraham Kent in The Seekers (1979). Through the 1990s and 2000s, he appeared in daytime soap operas, earning him four Soap Opera Digest Award nominations. He frequently returned to performing in theatrical productions. He served as an associate artist at Jeff Daniels' Purple Rose Theatre. His performances include Mark Kaufman's Evil Little Thoughts, Black Elk Speaks, Carey Crim's Morning after Grace, Lanford Wilson's Rain Dance, and numerous works by Native American playwrights including William S. Yellow Robe Jr.