John Spencer (I) Interview and Bio

'West Wing's' John Spencer was a genuine talent

Television and movies are full of faces you recognize but can't quite place, people whose work is always worth a watch, even if they won't ever become a household name.

John Spencer was one of those faces, and one of the best. The 58-year-old Emmy-winning actor, known most recently as former White House chief of staff and current vice presidential candidate Leo McGarry on The West Wing, died Friday of a heart attack.

"We're shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden death of our friend and colleague," West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin and executive producer Tommy Schlamme said in a joint statement. "John was an uncommonly good man, an exceptional role model and a brilliant actor. We feel privileged to have known him and worked with him. He'll be missed and remembered every day by his many, many friends."

They're not kidding about the friend part. During its heyday, West Wing cast members were pretty much locks for Emmy nominations, which meant they usually were in competition against each other. In 2002, when Spencer won for best supporting actor in a drama, the television coverage used the standard split-screen that allows us to see the nominees' reactions when the winner is announced. Instead of donning the usual disingenuous smiles those who don't win plaster on their faces, fellow cast member Bradley Whitford (himself a winner) leaped from his chair and cheered as rabidly as any sports fan might for a game-winning field goal. Other cast members did the same. It was a genuinely moving moment, and one that showed the regard in which Spencer's colleagues held him.

The West Wing has gone from must-see critical darling to abandoned stepchild, and, despite a modest revival in quality this season, deservedly so. Where once its dialogue crackled with wit and intelligence, it now settles for volume and posturing. That might be how politics works in real life, but it's not nearly as much fun to watch.

But even when its members were given lesser lines to recite, The West Wing's cast remains top-notch, and Spencer never lost his way. The idea of an aging, recovering drug addict and alcoholic who, ironically, nearly died after a massive heart attack being put on a national ticket is ludicrous, but Spencer made the most of it, playing up the exhaustion and pettiness of the campaign trail. It wasn't like the glory days, when Leo knew everything about everything, and wasn't afraid to say so.

An NBC spokesman said it was too early to know how Spencer's death would be written into the show.

It's a mistake to pretend that you really know the people who show up on your television set, even if you've met them, but I especially liked Spencer. I hadn't been working as The Republic's television critic long when a publicist called and asked if I'd like to interview him during The West Wing's first season. Sure, whatever, was my basic response. Something to do on a slow day.

What a moron.

The interview took place on one of Spencer's rare days off. Not only was he gracious and chatty - he used the word "gig" to describe his acting jobs, which I thought was a hoot coming from the would-be chief of staff - but when I was done asking questions he insisted that we stay on the line so that he could ask me questions: Do you have a family, do you like your job, that kind of thing. When we finally finished, he said to be sure to look him up if I was ever in Los Angeles.

So, after the Television Critics Association's awards banquet the following year, I did. You probably don't remember this, I began, and he cut me off. "I said if you're ever in LA, look me up."

Exactly. Nothing more than exchanged pleasantries came of it, but it was still a nice moment, courtesy of a guy who, no matter what role he was playing, on-camera or off, provided plenty of them.

Biography

John was the only son of a lower middle-class family. His father, John Speshock, was a truck driver. His mother, Mildred, was a homemaker and an occasional waitress. He grew up near Paterson, New Jersey, but left at age 16 to attend the Professional Children's School. In 1963, he landed a recurring role on The Patty Duke Show. After that ended, he attended Fairleigh Dickenson University and later New York University, but dropped out to return to acting. John had been an acknowledged alcoholic, who remained sober ever since getting therapy. He had quit smoking in 1999, which he described as "hell on earth".

Born: 20 December 1946, New York, New York, USA

Died: 16 December 2005, Olympia Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA (heart attack) (aged 58)

Birth Name: John Speshock

Height: 5' 6½" (1.69 m)

Awards: Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 8 nominations

Credited Years: 1964 - 2004

Biography

John was the only son of a lower middle-class family. His father, John Speshock, was a truck driver. His mother, Mildred, was a homemaker and an occasional waitress. He grew up near Paterson, New Jersey, but left at age 16 to attend the Professional Children's School. In 1963, he landed a recurring role on The Patty Duke Show... more »

Salary

• The West Wing (1999): $70,000/episode(2001)

Trivia

• January 2000 - John lived with his long-time girl friend, actress-choreographer Patricia Mariano.

• Made stage debut in 1987 in "Carousel".

• As a child, he won several 4H awards for the tomatoes he grew. He was an avid gardener. He also collected art & antiques, and was involved in both the New York and L.A. AIDSWalk, which benefits local clinics and AIDS patients.

Other Works

• TV commercial (voice) for AIM Funds (2001)

• Co-starred with Brian Kerwin on Broadway in 'Glimmer, Glimmer and Shine' by Tony-winning playwright Warren Leight, spring 2001.

• Narrator of TV Commercial for L.L. Bean clothing (Aug 2003)