John Spencer (born John Speshock Jr.; December 20, 1946 – December 16, 2005) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Leo McGarry on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

political drama series ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...

'' and for his role as attorney Tommy Mullaney in ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. The series cente ...

''. His performance on ''The West Wing'' earned him a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

in 2002, out of five total nominations.

Early life

John Spencer was born John Speshock Jr., on December 20, 1946, in New York City, and was raised in Totowa, New Jersey. He was the son of blue-collar parents Mildred (née Benzeroski), a waitress, and John Speshock Sr., a truck driver. Spencer's father was of Irish and

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

descent, while his mother was of Ukrainian and Rusyn ancestry. Spencer’s parents were disappointed when he chose to become an actor. With his enrollment at the

Professional Children's School The Professional Children's School (PCS) is a not-for-profit, college-preparatory school geared toward working and aspiring child actors and dancers in grades four through twelve. The school was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an ac ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

in 1963, Spencer found himself sharing classes with such fellow students as

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

and violinist

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. He attended

Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University () is a private university with its main campuses in New Jersey, located in Madison / Florham Park and in Teaneck / Hackensack. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University offers more than 100 degree prog ...

, but did not complete a degree.Lee, Jennifer 8
"Obituary: John Spencer, 'West Wing' actor"
''The New York Times''. December 17, 2005. Spencer often referred to himself as a "dyed-in-the-wool liberal" and described

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

as one of his heroes.

Career

Spencer began his television career on '' The Patty Duke Show'', and eventually began appearing in supporting roles in feature films beginning with 1983's ''

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''. He won an

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

for the 1981

off Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

production of ''Still Life'', about a

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

veteran, and received a Drama Desk nomination for '' The Day Room''. In 1986 he appeared on Broadway as Dan White, the killer of

Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised i ...

, in '' Execution of Justice'', alongside Stanley Tucci and

Wesley Snipes Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor and martial artist. In a film career spanning more than thirty years, Snipes has appeared in a variety of genres, such as numerous thrillers, dramatic feature films, and comedies, th ...

. Spencer was a supporting actor in the hit 1990 courtroom thriller '' Presumed Innocent'', portraying a tough veteran homicide detective, starring opposite

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. Regarded as a cinematic cultural icon, he has starred in Harrison Ford filmography, many notable films over seven decades, and is one of List of highest-grossing actors, the highest-gr ...

. Spencer's work also extended to video games, portraying the role of Captain Hugh Paulsen in the 1995 video game '' Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom''. Spencer's subsequent film and television work primarily consisted of supporting roles such as a colleague and friend to

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's basketball referee in '' Forget Paris'' and a prickly FBI Director in

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's film '' The Rock''.

''L.A. Law''

In 1990, Spencer joined the cast of the television series ''

'', playing street-wise attorney Tommy Mullaney from 1990 to 1994. Spencer originally was not going to take the role but after reading five pages of the script he was convinced and said "it was one of the best scripts I'd read". Spencer said the character's disheveled wardrobe was based on his own. Spencer said he and co-star Cecil Hoffman spent time in New York City to prepare for the role.

''The West Wing''

In 1999, Spencer was cast as Leo McGarry on the

political drama series ''

''. McGarry was

White House Chief of Staff The White House chief of staff is the head of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, a position in the federal government of the United States. The chief of staff is a Political appointments in the United States, politi ...

to the fictional U.S. President Jed Bartlet throughout the series' run. He was a recovering alcoholic, a compulsive worker, and a former U.S. Air Force pilot during the

. McGarry would later be chosen as Matt Santos's running mate in the show's seventh and final season. Spencer's role on the show earned him the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series is an award presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre, or ...

in 2002, for the show's third season episodes "Bartlet for America" and "We Killed Yamamoto."

Personal life

Spencer was married once and was divorced in the 1970s; he had no children. Spencer quit drinking in 1989 after over 20 years of addiction to alcohol. He gave up smoking in 1999. He was extremely close with his ''West Wing'' co-star

Martin Sheen Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. His work spans over six decades of television and film, and his accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and ...

Death

Spencer died of a heart attack in a Los Angeles hospital on December 16, 2005. p. 4. Many of Spencer's ''West Wing'' co-stars paid tribute to him at his funeral, including

Dulé Hill Karim Dulé Hill (; born May 3, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as personal presidential aide and Deputy Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff Charlie Young on the NBC drama television series ''The West Wing'', for wh ...

, Joshua Malina,

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Richard Schiff Richard Schiff (born May 27, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on ''The West Wing'', a role for which he received an Emmy Award. Schiff made his television directorial debut with ''The West Wing'', directing an ...

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner and a three-time Tony Award nominee, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pier ...

Jimmy Smits Jimmy L. Smits (born July 9, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing attorney Victor Sifuentes on the legal drama ''L.A. Law'', NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the police drama ''NYPD Blue'', and Matt Santos on the political dr ...

Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter, playwright and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. As a writer for stage, television, and film, Sorkin is recognized f ...

, Allison Janney,

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, David E. Kelley, and

Bradley Whitford Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he ...

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sang the musical number " For Good" from the Winnie Holzman and

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'' Wizard of Oz'' musical '' Wicked''. Spencer's remains were interred at Laurel Grove Memorial Park in his hometown of Totowa, New Jersey. At the time of his death, Spencer had filmed two episodes of ''The West Wing''’s seventh and final season that were in post-production – "Running Mates" and "The Cold" (Episodes 10 and 13, respectively). In both episodes, McGarry was portrayed as a candidate for vice president. The show's writers decided to adapt Spencer's absence by saying that McGarry died of a heart attack on election night. McGarry had already suffered a near-fatal heart attack in the show's sixth season. Spencer's name remained in the show's opening credits of each remaining episode aired in the months after his death.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards

, - , 1981 , ''Still Life'' ,

, , - , rowspan="3", 2000 , rowspan="13", ''The West Wing'' , Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series , , - ,

, , - , Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series , , - , rowspan="2", 2001 , Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series , , - , Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series , , - , rowspan="3", 2002 , Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series , , - , Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series , , - ,

Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film is a Golden Globe Award presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outst ...

, , - , rowspan="2", 2003 , Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series , , - , Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series , , - , rowspan="2", 2004 , Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series , , - , Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series , , - , 2005 , Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, John 1946 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male film actors American people of Irish descent American people of Czech descent American people of Rusyn descent American people of Ukrainian descent Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners California Democrats Fairleigh Dickinson University alumni Male actors from Paterson, New Jersey People from Totowa, New Jersey