John Spencer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | John Speshock Jr. December 20, 1946 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | December 16, 2005 (aged 58) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Laurel Grove Memorial Park, Totowa, New Jersey |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1963–2005 |
| Television | Leo McGarry on The West Wing |
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 political drama series The West Wing and for his role as attorney Tommy Mullaney in L.A. Law. His performance on The West Wing earned him a Primetime Emmy Award in 2002.
Early life
John Spencer was born John Speshock Jr., on December 20, 1946, in New York City, and was raised in Totowa, New Jersey.[1] He was the son of blue-collar parents Mildred (née Benzeroski), a waitress, and John Speshock Sr., a truck driver.[2] Spencer's father was of Irish and Czech descent,[3] while his mother was of Ukrainian and Rusyn ancestry.[4][5] Spencer’s parents were disappointed when he chose to become an actor.[6] With his enrollment at the Professional Children's School in Manhattan in 1963, Spencer found himself sharing classes with such fellow students as Liza Minnelli and violinist Pinchas Zukerman. He attended Fairleigh Dickinson University, but did not complete a degree.[1] Spencer often referred to himself as a "dyed-in-the-wool liberal" and described Franklin Delano Roosevelt as one of his heroes.[7]
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 WarGames. He won an Obie Award for the 1981 off Broadway production of Still Life, about a Vietnam War 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, in Execution of Justice, alongside Stanley Tucci and Wesley Snipes. Spencer became a full-fledged supporting actor with the hit 1990 courtroom thriller Presumed Innocent, portraying a tough veteran homicide detective, starring opposite Harrison Ford. 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 Billy Crystal's basketball referee in Forget Paris and a prickly FBI Director in Michael Bay's film The Rock.
L.A. Law
In 1990 Spencer joined the cast of the television series L.A. Law, playing street-wise attorney Tommy Mullaney from 1990 to 1994.[8][9] 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.[10] Spencer said he and co-star Cecil Hoffman spent time in New York City to prepare for the role.[11]
The West Wing
In 1999, Spencer was cast as Leo McGarry on the NBC political drama series The West Wing. Spencer's character was White House Chief of Staff to fictional U.S. President Josiah Bartlet. Like Spencer, McGarry was a recovering alcoholic and compulsive worker.[12] McGarry's character was also a former US Air force pilot who served in the Vietnam War.[13]
Spencer's character would later be chosen as Jimmy Smits' character's running mate. Spencer's role on the show earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series 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.[14]
Spencer quit drinking in 1989 after over 20 years of addiction to alcohol.[15]
Death
Spencer died of a heart attack in a Los Angeles hospital on December 16, 2005.[4] At his private funeral, his West Wing castmate, Kristin Chenoweth, sang the musical number "For Good" from the Broadway musical Wicked. Spencer's remains were interred at Laurel Grove Memorial Park in his hometown of Totowa, New Jersey.
Several paid tribute to him, including Martin Sheen, Dulé Hill, Joshua Malina, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, Alan Alda, Jimmy Smits, Aaron Sorkin, Allison Janney, James Mangold, David E. Kelley, and Bradley Whitford.[16][17]
At the time of his death, Spencer had filmed two West Wing episodes that were in post-production – "Running Mates" and "The Cold"[18] – in which he and Jimmy Smits played candidates for vice president and president, respectively.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Echoes | Stephen | |
| 1983 | WarGames | Air Force Captain Jerry | |
| 1985 | The Protector | Ko's Pilot | |
| 1985 | Key Exchange | Record Executive | |
| 1987 | The Verne Miller Story | George Sally | |
| 1987 | Hiding Out | Bakey | |
| 1989 | Far from Home | TV Preacher | |
| 1989 | Sea of Love | Lieutenant | |
| 1989 | Black Rain | Captain Oliver | |
| 1989 | Simple Justice | Detective Phil Sullivan | |
| 1990 | Presumed Innocent | Detective Lipranzer | |
| 1990 | Green Card | Harry | |
| 1992 | In The Arms Of A Killer | Detective Cusack | TV movie |
| 1992 | When No One Would Listen | Walter Wheeler | |
| 1995 | Forget Paris | Jack | |
| 1995 | Cafe Society | Ray Davioni | |
| 1996 | The Rock | FBI Director James Womack | |
| 1996 | Albino Alligator | Jack | |
| 1997 | Cold Around the Heart | Uncle Mike | |
| 1997 | Cop Land | Detective Leo Crasky | |
| 1998 | Lesser Prophets | Ed | |
| 1998 | Twilight | Captain Phil Egan | |
| 1998 | OK Garage | Bill Gunter | |
| 1998 | The Negotiator | Police Chief Al Travis | |
| 1999 | Ravenous | General Slauson |
Television
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom | Captain Hugh Paulsen |
Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Still Life | Obie Award[19] | Won |
| 2000 | The West Wing | Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Won | ||
| 2001 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Won | ||
| 2002 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Won | |
| Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated | ||
| 2003 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| 2004 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominated |
References
- 1 2 Lee, Jennifer 8. "Obituary: John Spencer, 'West Wing' actor". The New York Times. December 17, 2005.
- ↑ "John Spencer Biography (1946-)". Film Reference. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ↑ "West Wing Actor John Spencer Dies". People. December 16, 2015.
- 1 2 "Obituary: John Spencer, 58, actor on The West Wing" (PDF). The Ukrainian Weekly. January 1, 2006. p. 4.
- ↑ Custer, Richard D. "A Family Historian’s Guide to Discovering Carpatho-Rusyn Ancestry" Archived October 6, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. FEEFHS Journal. Volume 14, 2006. p. 9.
- ↑ "Obituary: John Spencer". the Guardian. December 19, 2005. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ↑ PBS. "Transcript of October 16, 2004 interview with John Spencer". The Tavis Smiley Show. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ↑ Ryon, Ruth (August 4, 2002). "Closing His Bel-Air Wing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
- ↑ "West Wing Actor John Spencer Dies". Peoplemag. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
- ↑ "John Spencer, 58; Actor Best Known for Emmy-Winning Role on TV's 'The West Wing'". Los Angeles Times. December 17, 2005. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
- ↑ "'L.A. LAW' DUO RESEARCHED OWN PAST". Orlando Sentinel. March 19, 1991. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
- ↑ "Obituary: John Spencer". the Guardian. December 19, 2005. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ↑ "An Khe - The West Wing Episode Guide". www.westwingepguide.com. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
- ↑ "Obituary: John Spencer". the Guardian. December 19, 2005. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ↑ "West Wing Actor John Spencer Dies". Peoplemag. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ↑ "Actor John Spencer has died". TODAY.com. December 18, 2005. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ↑ "John Spencer, 58; Actor Best Known for Emmy-Winning Role on TV's 'The West Wing'". Los Angeles Times. December 17, 2005. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ↑ Rebecca Williams (January 29, 2015). Post-Object Fandom: Television, Identity and Self-narrative. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 60–. ISBN 978-1-62356-210-6.
- ↑ "Obie Awards 1980s". Obie Awards. The Village Voice. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
External links
- John Spencer at IMDb