Remembering John Spencer

While out of town on business Friday I was stunned to receive a text message that John Spencer, the Emmy Award-winning actor who played Leo McGarry on The West Wing, had died of a heart attack. He would have turned 59 on Tuesday.

Spencer first came to prominence through a remarkable string of roles in 1989 and 1990, when he co-starred in such films as Sea of Love, Black Rain, and Presumed Innocent, and then joined the cast of L.A. Law for its final four seasons as New York attorney Tommy Mullaney. Following that he gained further recognition in films that included The Rock, Cop Land, Twilight, and The Negotiator, but it was the role written for him by Aaron Sorkin that would be his crowning achievement, earning him a stunning five consecutive Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actor. (He won in 2002, and was the first actor Sorkin cast.)

I didn't know him, but know people who did, and he seemed to be everything a fan would've hoped he was. He will be greatly missed.