John Ingle, who taught acting to eventual Oscar winners Richard Dreyfuss and Nicolas Cage, then starred as stately patriarch Edward Quartermaine for two decades on ABC’s "General Hospital," died Sept. 16, his family reported. He was 84.
Ingle, who gained his first acting credit at 53, played Quartermaine from 1996 until December 2003, then returned in April 2006 when the show’s producers responded to popular demand. In the interim, he starred as Mickey Horton on NBC’s "Days of Our Lives."
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His daughter Jennifer noted on Facebook that her father, in a wheelchair, returned to the "General Hospital" set Aug. 24 for what “will undoubtedly be his last performance on the show. His scene was small, and he had very few words … but his presence on the set was monumental,” she wrote.
“Beginning with a standing ovation by the entire cast and crew as we entered the set, to the line of people waiting to hug and wish him well, it was a day that he (and we) will remember forever.”
Ingle began teaching acting at Hollywood High School in the mid-1950s, then worked at Beverly Hills High School until the 1980s. His other students included Swoosie Kurtz, David Schwimmer, Jonathan Prince, Julie Kavner, Stefanie Powers, Joanna Gleason and Albert Brooks.
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Ingle also had regular roles on "The Land Before Time" and "The Drew Carey Show" as well as guest-starring stints on such series as "Dallas," "Scarecrow and Mrs. King," "Newhart," "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd," "Gimme a Break!," "Family Ties," "Big Love," "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation."
His film résumé includes "Heathers" (1988), "RoboCop 2" (1990), "Death Becomes Her" (1992) and "Batman & Robin" (1997).
A native of Tulsa, Okla., Ingle graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles and became a teacher of English and theater.
His wife of 58 years, singer Grace Lynne Martin, whom he met at Occidental in 1949, died Feb. 11. They had five daughters and lived for decades in Altadena.
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