Randall England, 'General Hospital' Villain Jack Slater, Dies at 75

Randall England, the actor who played villain Jack Slater on "General Hospital" across more than 30 episodes, died September 25 in Los Angeles, his family has announced. He was 75.

England's family confirmed the death but did not state a cause. They noted that memorial donations can be made to the Esophageal Cancer Action Network (ECAN) — an indication, though not a confirmation, of the illness involved. The family has said nothing further.

What did his career span?

England began working in 1978 with an uncredited role in the TV movie "Ruby and Oswalk." His first credited television appearance came in 1984, in an episode of the series "This Is the Life." That same year brought the casting that defined his television career: Jack Slater, a villain on "General Hospital," a role he inhabited for more than 30 episodes of the long-running soap.

His screen work after the soap included:

• Two episodes of "Baywatch" in the late 1990s
• The voice of Butler in the 2008 film "Beverly Hills Chihuahua"
• A final screen credit in the 2018 film "Shiner"

England also produced, and his credits behind the camera included the documentary The Needs of Kim Stanley — a project that connected back to his own training. He studied acting with Kim Stanley and with Stella Adler, two of the most demanding teachers in American acting.

What did he do on stage?

Theater was a third track. England appeared in productions of "All My Sons," "The Glass Menagerie" and "The Three Sisters." The Chekhov production earned him a Drama League Award for best ensemble cast — the one concrete honor in a career that otherwise ran on steady work rather than prizes.

Where did he come from?

England was born September 22, 1951, in Oklahoma City, and graduated from the University of Oklahoma. He began modeling in the early 1970s and worked in New York, London, Zurich, Milan and Los Angeles before building a career across television, film and theater. The modeling years paid for the acting ones, as they did for many of his generation.

He is survived by daughter Micaela Reed (Sam); grandchildren Katherine and Julian; mother Catherine Burgess; sister Linda Baker; and extended family.

England's death closes a credit list that runs from 1978 to 2018 — forty years of work that never made him a household name but kept him working across every medium the business offered, from daytime soap to voice work to Chekhov.