General Hospital Villain Randall England Dies at 75

Randall England, who played the villain Jack Slater on General Hospital in 1984 and 1985, died on September 25 at age 75 from esophageal cancer, Deadline reported.

England appeared on the ABC soap for roughly six months. His character, Jack Slater, anchored one of the show's most consequential storylines of the mid-1980s: the hunt for smuggled Aztec treasure. That arc also introduced Finola Hughes as Anna Devane, a role that made her a General Hospital fixture.

Who Was Jack Slater on General Hospital?

England debuted as Jack Slater on November 15, 1984. Viewers first met him not in Port Charles but in Texas, at the home of Mariah Ramirez (June Lockhart), grandmother of Felicia Cummings (Kristina Wagner).

Posing as a movie producer under the alias Matt Hines, Slater met Laura Spencer (Genie Francis) and questioned her about her husband, Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary) — specifically about Luke's Mexican-style boots. Laura grew suspicious immediately. She had good reason.

Slater actually worked for Sean Donely (John Reilly), then running a scheme to smuggle Aztec treasure out of Mexico. His assignment: track down Felicia.

Laura caught Slater going through Mariah's mail and stealing a letter from Felicia. She then overheard him on the phone reporting Felicia's whereabouts. Laura yanked the phone cord from the wall. When Slater manhandled her in response, Mariah knocked him out cold with a vase.

The takeaway: England's villain announced himself within weeks of his debut through deception, assault and a household vase to the skull.

What Happened During the Treasure Plot?

After regaining consciousness, Slater tied up Mariah and prepared to do the same to Laura. She fought back, knocked him down, and he fled. Mariah and Laura warned Frisco Jones (Jack Wagner) that Felicia was in danger.

At the end of 1984, Slater reached Port Charles and approached Felicia at Kelly's Diner. When he hit on her again in early 1985, Frisco punched him.

Slater continued colluding with Sean. The pair plotted to move the stolen treasure by helicopter and took Frisco and Felicia hostage to keep them out of the way.

Once the treasure reached Port Charles, Slater caught Peter Harrell (Judson Scott), Felicia's ex, breaking into the warehouse where the loot was stored. Slater stabbed him in the back. Felicia summoned Frisco's brother, Dr. Tony Jones (Brad Maule), to help Peter — but Slater was lurking, shot Tony and fled again.

How Did Slater's Story End?

Doctors saved Tony's life at General Hospital. Determined to finish him off, Slater posed as a sick patient to get admitted, then sneaked into Tony's room and threw a knife at him.

Robert Scorpio (Tristan Rogers) had recognized Slater's red boots and planted a dummy in Tony's place. Slater escaped once more. Sean ordered him to steer clear of Tony and dispose of the boots.

Slater instead stole cash and jewels from Sean's safe and fled to New York. There, on April 10, 1985, he sold stolen jewels to a fence for $100,000 and told her the Aztec treasure was in Sean's possession. The fence was Anna Devane — in Finola Hughes' very first General Hospital appearance.

Scorpio and Sean both tracked him to Manhattan. Sean reached him first, and Slater shot him.

Back in Port Charles, Slater framed Holly Sutton Scorpio (Emma Samms) for theft by planting a jade statue on her. Holly was arrested. Robert promised to find Slater and clear her name. Anna Devane instead helped Slater flee to Brazil, and Sean warned him he would be a dead man if he returned.

Slater returned anyway. After another attempt on Tony's life, he died in a shoot-out with Sean — shot dead on the spot, roughly five months after his on-screen debut.

England's Slater remains a marker in General Hospital history: the villain whose storyline delivered both the Aztec treasure saga and Anna Devane's first appearance, a character still central to the show decades later.