John Spencer, the actor who plays politician Leo McGarry in NBC television's The West Wing, has died of a heart attack at 58.
Spencer was a familiar face on US television shows
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The actor died in hospital in Los Angeles on Friday, his publicist said in a brief statement.
The seventh series of the political drama is currently being shown in the United States.
Spencer previously starred in NBC's LA Law series while big screen roles included Green Card and Copland.
The Associated Press notes that, in a sad parallel to
life, the Leo McGarry character also suffers a heart attack that forces
him to give up his White House job as chief of staff.
However, in the TV series, he recovers and returns to politics.
Spencer, who also starred in LA Law as attorney Tommy
Mullaney, received an Emmy Award for his performance in The West Wing
in 2002 and was nominated four other times for the drama.
Like his West Wing character, he was a recovering alcoholic and he once told AP:
"Like Leo, I've always been a workaholic, too. Through
good times and bad, acting has been my escape, my joy, my nourishment.
The drug for me, even better than alcohol, was acting."
John Spencer grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, the son of
working-class parents, and he studied at the Professional Children's
School in Manhattan.
His big break came in 1990 when he played Harrison Ford's detective sidekick in the 1990 courtroom thriller Presumed Innocent.
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