Randolph Mantooth definitely fit the bill when he made a bankable name for himself in the TV medic series Emergency! as strong but sensitive paramedic/firefighter John Gage. Tall, dark and quite handsome, he was of Seminole Indian heritage, born in Sacramento, California, one of four children to a construction engineer. His childhood was somewhat physically unsettling in that his father's job career had the family moving frequently from state to state. Randy attended San Marcos High School in the Santa Barbara area of California where he participated in school plays. He received a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York following his studies at Santa Barbara City College.

Randy was discovered in New York by a Universal talent agent after performing the lead in the play "Philadelphia, Here I Come," and returned to California. He slowly built up his resume with work on such dramatic series as "Adam-12,", "McCloud," "Alias Smith" and "Marcus Welby, M.D." This led to TV stardom on the popular "Emergency!" series in 1972 which ran over five seasons. As a change of pace, he tried comedy and earned series roles on the short-lived Operation Petticoat and "Detective School" (1979)_ , as well as pursued the guest star route on episodics. He was also prominently seen in the high-profile mini-series Testimony of Two Men and _"Seekers, The" (1979) (mini)_ .

After a career lull in the early 1980s, Randy found a new direction in his career with daytime soaps. He played Clay Alden in the soap opera _"Loving" (1983/I)_ from 1987 through 1990, then left for personal reasons before returning to the show in 1993, this time in the role of Alex Masters. The soap was later revamped and entitled The City but it lasted only two more years. Since then he has regularly appeared on "General Hospital," "One Life to Live" and "As the World Turns," where he has played both good guys and villains. Randy has frequently returned to his theater roots in such productions as "Footprints in Blood," "Back to the Blankets," "Wink Dah," "The Independence of Eddie Rose," "The Paper Crown," "The Inuit" and, most recently "Rain Dance" off-Broadway in 2003.


Forced to cut his hair in compliance with real LA County Fire Department standards, Mantooth added the phrase: "Make room for a long-haired fireman" to his autograph on technical advisor Jim Page's copy of the pilot script. His 7th out of his 9th year participating in an Annual All-Star-Game in Szot Park in Chicopee, Massachusetts. [29 July 2000] In 1997, he made a guest appearance on "Diagnosis Murder" (1993) starring Dick Van Dyke, which reunited him with former "Emergency!" (1972) co-star Robert Fuller. Bought a 13-1/2 acre ranch in Agoura, California, in the 1970s that was later destroyed by the devastating "Malibu Fire" on October 15, 1978. His old friend and "Emergency!" (1972) co-star, Kevin Tighe, was Best Man at his 2002 wedding. Did a play with Don Knotts and Rue McClanahan in a stage production of "The Man with The Dirty Mind.". On "Emergency!" (1972), his character was a firefighter, in real-life, he wasn't a firefighter. Serves as Honorary Chairman and Spokesperson for the Non-Profit County of Los Angeles Fire Museum Association, and recently received an award for his efforts from the International Association of Fire Chiefs' EMS section. As a teenager, he was a fan of "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960).