Actor John Spencer dies

The award-winning star of 'The West Wing' died of a heart attack at the weekend.

Dec 19 2005

Actor John Spencer, who played White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry on the hit TV show 'The West Wing', died of a heart attack at the weekend. He was 58.

Spencer, who also appeared in the films 'Black Rain', 'The Rock' and 'The Negotiator', won an Emmy for his work on 'The West Wing' in 2002, and was nominated a further four times for the show.

Born in New York City in 1946, he attended the Professional Children's School in Manhattan as a child before being cast as a boyfriend on 'The Patty Duke Show' in the 1960s.

Spencer then spent the next 20 years acting in off-Broadway theatre productions and a variety of TV parts before landing a role opposite Harrison Ford in the courtroom drama 'Presumed Innocent'.

That film's success lead to further work on the big screen, a recurring role on the hugely popular TV series 'LA Law', and 'The West Wing' role that made him a household name.

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