Emergency! Actors You May Not Know Passed Away
"Emergency!" is a medical drama series that largely set the tone for later shows like "Grey's Anatomy" and "ER." It first hit television screens in 1972 and was the brainchild of Jack Webb and Robert A. Cinader, two producers who had previously worked on successful shows such as "Adam-12" and "Dragnet."
Starring the likes of Robert Fuller, Julie London, and Bobby Troup, the show follows a group of emergency responders — including paramedics and firefighters — who set up a new ambulance rescue unit that becomes the standard throughout the U.S. In fact, the show directly influenced how ambulance crews operated in the country and led to improved medical training for first responders.
On the air for six seasons, made up of 122 episodes and six TV movies, "Emergency!" was a hit for NBC. But because the series is now more than 50 years old, many of the actors who starred in it are sadly no longer with us. Here are some "Emergency!" actors you may not know passed away.
Michael Norell
Michael Norell was an actor and screenwriter who only had two notable onscreen acting roles throughout his career. This included a single appearance in the crime drama anthology series "Police Story," but Norell is undoubtedly best remembered for his role in "Emergency!" as firefighter captain Henry Stanley, making 110 appearances from 1972 until 1978.
While starring in the show, Norell began writing episodes and chose to concentrate on that side of the entertainment industry after "Emergency!" ended. He subsequently worked as a writer on shows like "The Love Boat," "Nash Bridges," "The Magnificent Seven," and the television movie "She Knows Too Much."
Norell is one of the more recent "Emergency!" actors to have died. His death was reported on May 12, 2023, with little information revealed in an obituary posted online. No cause of death was provided, although it was confirmed that he was living in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania when he died. He was 85 years old.
Tim Donnelly
Like many of the other actors involved in "Emergency!," Tim Donnelly is arguably best remembered for the part he played in the series. The actor was responsible for portraying the firefighter Chester B. Kelly. He went on to be a mainstay of the series throughout its run, appearing in 122 episodes between 1972 and 1978, often alongside the likes of Marco Lopez, Mike Stoker, and Michael Norell.
"Emergency!" was not Donnelly's first acting gig. He had previously been cast in television series like "The Legend of Jesse James" and "The Virginian," as well as the movie "The Secret of Santa Vittoria." After his stint on the medical drama came to an end, Donnelly subsequently had roles in "The Death of Ocean View Park" and "CHiPs" before his final television role in a 1984 episode of "The A-Team."
At 77 years of age, Tim Donnelly died in September 2021 at his home in New Mexico. According to The Hollywood Reporter, his family revealed that his death came about as a result of complications from surgery.
Art Balinger
In "Emergency!," Art Balinger played Battalion Chief Conrad, one of the leaders of the firefighters who regularly appear in episodes of the medical drama. However, his role in the show wasn't quite as involved as many others, and he only appeared in a total of 13 episodes between 1972 and 1975. His time on the show proved to be one of his final roles before retirement, with Balinger subsequently having parts in "Project U.F.O.," "The Return of Captain Nemo," and the 1982 series "Code Red."
Before being cast in "Emergency!," he worked on various television series and movies, with his screen debut coming in a 1953 episode of "Fireside Theatre." Balinger had a significant part in "The Towering Inferno" as the ceremony announcer, but by the early 1980s, he had retired from acting altogether.
According to a memorial post from the Television Academy, Balinger died in 2011 at a nursing home in Oregon. The post makes no mention of a cause of death, but he was 96 at the time.
Julie London
For many people, Julie London is probably better known as a singer than an actor. The American entertainer had a string of hits during the 1950s and 1960s, with a notable single in the form of the Arthur Hamilton song "Cry Me a River." In total, she released more than 30 albums and was one of the most popular pop and jazz performers of her time.
However, London was also a noted actor, making her film debut in 1944 when she appeared in "Nabonga" as one of the leads alongside Buster Crabbe. She went on to appear in a number of Westerns, including "Saddle the Wind" and "Man of the West," and continued to appear on film and television for more than three decades. Her role in "Emergency!" was that of head nurse Dixie McCall, a part she held through the show's entire run, appearing in 126 episodes.
London died in 2000 at the age of 74. According to reports at the time, the actor was living in Los Angeles, and the cause of death was cardiac arrest, likely due to the effects of a stroke she had several years earlier.
Bobby Troup
Bobby Troup is an actor and musician who had roles in a number of television shows and films during his career. As a singer and songwriter, he created the song "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" and wrote music for a number of prominent artists. Meanwhile, he had appearances in the film "M*A*S*H" and "First to Fight" before landing a lead role in "Emergency!"
"Emergency!" proved to be one of Troup's final major roles on screen, with just a few smaller appearances coming after the series ended. This included a brief stint in the miniseries "The Rebels," based on John Jakes' historical novel. His time on "Emergency!" saw him play doctor and surgeon Joe Early, one of the three main characters, appearing in 126 episodes in total.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Troup died in 1999, a year before his co-star and wife Julie London. He was 80 at the time of his passing and lived in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood in Los Angeles. The cause of death was given as a heart attack.
William Bryant
William Bryant was an American actor who began his career in the late 1940s. In fact, his first on-screen appearance came in 1949, when he had an uncredited role in the war film "Twelve O'Clock High." Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he was a familiar face on television and in films, with credits in "Escape from San Quentin," "How to Murder Your Wife," and "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" Bryant also played recurring characters in shows such as "Hondo," "Combat," and "Branded."
On "Emergency!," Bryant had a semi-regular role. Throughout the run of the show, he made 19 appearances, playing various firefighter characters. He continued a career in acting following the conclusion of the series, with more than 200 credits to his name, although he failed to land any major roles during that time. The actor largely retired from acting in 1994, with his final live-action part coming in "Freddy Pharkas, Frontier Pharmacist." Bryant died in 2001, having provided voicework for a small number of projects in the last few years of his life.
Vince Howard
Vince Howard seemingly had little interest in acting during his youth, although he was a keen musician and performed in several groups while serving in the army and back home. He got his big break in 1963 when he was spotted performing in a bar and was cast in "Mr. Novak" as the history teacher Mr. Peter Butler. In a career that spanned over a hundred films and television shows, he appeared in everything from "Lethal Weapon 3" to "Star Trek: The Original Series."
Although Howard wasn't one of the stars of "Emergency!," he was still a consistent player in the show and a figure that any fan will remember. He played police deputy Vince across 51 episodes of the medical drama, with the character eventually rising through the ranks to become a sergeant by the time of his final appearance in 1978.
In July 2002, just a few days before he was due to celebrate his 73rd birthday, Howard died after being diagnosed with leukaemia. His final on-screen role had come eight years earlier in an episode of "Murder, She Wrote."
Sam Lanier
Of all the actors who had recurring roles in "Emergency!," Sam Lanier is almost completely unique. That's because he never actually appeared in the show, so even longtime fans would likely find it difficult to recognize him. That very likely would change, though, if they heard his voice, as Lanier lent his vocal talents to the radio dispatcher for some 56 episodes over a seven-year span. His only other acting role was an uncredited appearance as another radio dispatcher in an episode of "The Hardy Boys" in 1978.
The reason for his lack of credits is that Lanier was not actually an actor. He was a real-life radio dispatcher who worked for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. His calm composure and soothing voice meant he was recommended to the show's producers and instantly given the job. After the show ceased production, Lanier left his role with the fire department and took up an advisory position due to a heart condition. He died from a heart attack in May 1997 while attempting to help victims of an accident outside his home at the age of 65.
William Boyett
William Boyett began his acting career in the early 1950s, having previously served in the Navy during World War II. His first role came in the television series "Stars Over Hollywood," and he quickly established himself as a reliable actor. However, Boyett was also somewhat typecast, usually called upon to play police officers or military personnel.
In "Emergency!," he played Chief McConnikee, a station chief in the Los Angeles Fire Department, making nine appearances over the course of three years between 1976 and 1978. Prior to that, he played a recurring character in "Adam-12" for more than 100 episodes and 65 episodes of "Highway Patrol." He also voiced Hammerhead in the animated "Spider-Man" series.
The actor died on December 29, 2004, with the Los Angeles Times reporting that he was 77 at the time of his death. According to the newspaper, Boyett was living in Mission Hills, Los Angeles at the time of his death. His cause of death was linked to both pneumonia and kidney failure, both of which he was being treated for.
Ted Gehring
Ted Gehring was a veteran actor who had more than 170 screen credits to his name by the time he passed away in 2000. Throughout his long career, which first began in 1965 when he landed the role of Gregg in the television series "Ben Casey," he had roles in a wide range of shows, including "The Fugitive," "Hondo," "Bonanza," and "Little House on the Prairie." However, he's probably best known for his roles in films such as "Bad Company" and "The Thomas Crown Affair."
By the time he was cast in "Emergency!" as Barney McMillan, Gerhring was already a familiar face on television screens. He made sporadic appearances throughout the entire run of the medical drama, showing up in nine episodes in total. His final credit came in the television series "1st & Ten," although he also had a recurring role in the sitcom "Alice" and the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" before his death. He died in 2000 at the age of 71 in Missouri.
Dick Hammer
Like some other actors who appeared in "Emergency!," Dick Hammer was chosen because of his actual profession. A seasoned firefighter and a successful athlete in his younger days, he had already appeared in a series of Aunt Jemima pancake commercials before he landed the role. His part in the series came to an abrupt end when he quit the show during its first season. That meant he only appeared in nine episodes, playing a fire captain in the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Outside of "Emergency!" Hammer was also well known for playing the part of the Marlboro Man in advertisements for the cigarette company in print and on billboards. Once he left the show, he also returned to his role as a real-life firefighter and continued in that role until his retirement. There's debate over the exact cause of his death, with some sources stating he died of prostate cancer. However, a People article suggested that he died of lung cancer. What is clear is that he was just 69 years old when he passed away and was one of several people who had portrayed the Marlboro Man to die due to complications from cancer.
Gary Crosby
The son of famous singer Bing Crosby, Gary Crosby was a singer and actor who rose to fame performing alongside his siblings at a young age. By the 1950s, he had established himself as a performer in his own right and was even hosting his own musical variety show on radio. Around the same time, Crosby moved into acting, appearing in television shows such as "Shower of Stars," "The Milton Berle Show," and "Ben Casey."
He was cast in "Emergency!" in 1972 and appeared in the first season. Yet, he never had a regular role and returned to the series several times up until 1975, playing different characters throughout the five episodes he appeared in. The Los Angeles Times reported that he died in 1995, with his funeral service held on August 29 of that year. He was 62 at the time of his death, and the cause given was lung cancer.
Steven Marlo
Steven Marlo was a veteran actor who appeared in more than 80 television series and movies after making his screen debut in the 1956 show "Studio One." Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, the actor had guest roles in everything from "Highway Patrol" to "Stagecoach West." Having previously served in the Air Corps, he pursued an acting career in New York, working as a taxi driver to make a living while auditioning for various roles.
He later had recurring parts in the likes of "Ben Casey" and "The Rifleman" before he landed the role of the Battalion Chief of Station 14 in "Emergency!" Marlo went on to appear in six episodes of the medical drama between 1973 and 1978, meaning that only ardent fans of the show are likely to immediately recognize him. The Everett Herald reported that he died in November 2019 at the age of 92, but no cause of death was provided by his family.
Virginia Gregg
Virginia Gregg was a prolific actor who had over 200 screen appearances in addition to her countless roles in radio dramas. Having started her performing career as a musician, she transitioned to acting in 1937 and appeared in a wide array of radio shows such as "The Zero Hour" and "The Adventures of Sam Spade" before becoming a regular on television and film screens.
In her career, Gregg appeared in a number of Jack Webb productions, including "Dragnet" and "Adam-12," in addition to her roles in "Emergency!" She was featured in six episodes of the show between 1972 and 1975. Gregg also had a strong association with the "Psycho" series. She provided the voice for Mrs. Bates in the original movie and reprised the role for "Psycho II" and "Psycho III."
After being diagnosed with lung cancer, Gregg later died in September 1986, according to The New York Times. She was 70 years old at the time of her passing and died at Encino Hospital in Los Angeles.
Lew Brown
Born in 1925, Lew Brown was a character actor who first began his career at the end of the 1950s. His screen debut came in the television series "Playhouse 90," and he had guest roles in "Maverick," "Two Faces West," and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" throughout the early 1960s. By the mid-1960s, he began to receive recurring roles, portraying different characters in six episodes of "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" and Deputy O'Hara in "The Fugitive."
Like many other actors who starred in "Emergency!," Brown also had roles in other Jack Webb projects like "Adam-12." Additionally, he was a regular in the Western series "Gunsmoke." Brown went on to play various figures in "Emergency!" between 1972 and 1975, appearing in a total of five episodes. He continued to act up until 1992, with roles in "Days of Our Lives" and "Dallas." The actor died in 2014 at the age of 89 at a hospital in California, according to the Los Angeles Times.