John Spencer portrayed Leo McGarry, the president's chief of staff on The West Wing.
		By Phil McCarten, Getty Images

Spencer, four days short of his 59th birthday, is best known to viewers as Leo McGarry, the chief of staff to West Wing President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen). This season, McGarry was the vice presidential running mate for Democratic nominee Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits).

Spencer's portrayal of McGarry, a tough politico and recovering alcoholic, earned him an Emmy for supporting actor in a drama in 2002. The character actor, a veteran of theater and film work, also received four other Emmy nominations for the role and a Golden Globe nomination.

Spencer, who grew up in New Jersey, also played streetwise attorney Tommy Mullaney on NBC's L.A. Law. His film roles include Presumed Innocent, Black Rain and Sea of Love.

West Wing executive producer John Wells, former executive producer Tommy Schlamme and creator Aaron Sorkin expressed sadness at Spencer's passing, as did executives from NBC and Warner Bros. Television, which produces the series, now in its seventh season.

"John was a wonderful actor, a pleasure to work with and a true gentleman, but most importantly, a generous and gracious friend. He will be missed by everyone who ever had the great fortune to know him," Wells said in a statement.

"We feel privileged to have known him and worked with him. He'll be missed and remembered every day by his many, many friends," Sorkin and Schlamme said in a statement.

Spencer appeared in seven of the 14 episodes that have been filmed; nine have been broadcast. It wasn't clear Friday how Spencer's death would affect West Wing episodes that remain to be shot this season.

In recent episodes, the show's presidential campaign has been moving closer to Election Day. Spencer's character, McGarry, suffered a heart attack in West Wing's fifth season, and left his chief of staff post during his recovery.

His death saddened others in the cast.

He was "one of those rare combinations of divinely gifted and incredibly generous," said Richard Schiff, who plays Toby Ziegler.

"There are very few personal treasures that you put in your knapsack to carry with you for the rest of your life, and he's one of those," Schiff said. He said Spencer had been struggling with health issues but seemed to have rebounded.

Actress Allison Janney, C.J. Cregg on the series, described Spencer as a consummate professional actor. "Everyone adored him," she said.

"We have all lost a dear, dear brother," said Bradley Whitford, who plays Josh Lyman.

Spencer grew up in Paterson, N.J., the son of blue-collar parents. With his enrollment at the Professional Children's School in Manhattan at age 16, he was sharing classes with the likes of Liza Minnelli and budding violinist Pinchas Zukerman.

As a teenager, he landed a recurring role on The Patty Duke Show as the boyfriend of English twin Cathy. Stage and film work followed. Then his big break: playing Harrison Ford's detective sidekick in the 1990 courtroom thriller Presumed Innocent.That role led to his hiring for the final four years of L.A. Law.

Spencer played a streetwise lawyer on the David Kelley drama that was in sharp contrast to the show's otherwise glamorous cast and setting.

After attending the Manhattan performing arts school, Spencer studied at Fairleigh Dickenson University. He then began working on stage in New York and in regional theaters, in plays including David Mamet's Lakeboat and Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie.

Spencer won an Obie Award for the 1981 off-Broadway production of Still Life, about a Vietnam veteran, and received a Drama Desk nomination for The Day Room.

His made his feature film debut with a small role in War Games; later he described his work in Presumed Innocent as a "watershed role."

In recent years, he worked both in studio and independent films, including The Rock, The Negotiator, Albino Alligator, Lesser Prophets and Cold Heart.

Spencer, an only child, is survived by "cousins, aunts, uncles, and wonderful friends," said his publicist, Ron Hofmann.