John Spencer was especially good at making authority seem like a job somebody had to do. We rate him for the steadiness he brings to an ensemble, above all as Leo McGarry in The West Wing.
Fi1m perspective
When the talk gathers speed in The West Wing (1999), John Spencer's Leo McGarry gives it some welcome weight. He makes the White House Chief of Staff feel like a colleague others can work with. Martin Sheen's Josiah Bartlet has authority and enough warmth to remain enjoyable company. Spencer supplies the down-to-earth colleague a more idealistic lead needs, without making him seem less important. We believe in the working relationship without needing the programme to stop and explain it.
That usefulness had been established well before Leo. Following WarGames (1983), his film debut, Presumed Innocent (1990) provided the breakthrough role of Detective Dan Lipranzer. He spent 1990–1994 playing the street-wise attorney Tommy Mullaney in L.A. Law, a sustained television part alongside the film supporting work. He was repeatedly cast in law enforcement and government roles, suited to his shrewd, straight-talking manner. These were supporting jobs, but they required someone who could make the leading characters seem to have colleagues worth consulting.
The Rock (1996) puts him behind another imposing job title, FBI Director James Womack, in Michael Bay's loud, implausible action film. It is good company, though the editing sometimes makes the action harder to follow than it needs to be. Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris are the chief reasons we keep following the nonsense. Spencer belongs to the film's supporting company, and we would not make it the first stop for his work. For that, television gives us considerably more to go on.
The West Wing also makes clear how much he benefits from other actors who know what they are doing. Bradley Whitford gives Josh Lyman a quickness that can be exhausting, while Richard Schiff makes Toby Ziegler abrasive enough to keep agreement from seeming automatic. We felt reassured by Spencer's steadiness amid that bustle; Leo gives all the clever talk someone solid to address. The dialogue sometimes congratulates itself, and even this cast cannot make earnestness an unfailing virtue. Start here for Spencer, and watch the working relationships when the speeches begin to sound pleased with themselves.
Biography
John Spencer (born John Speshock Jr., 20 December 1946 – 16 December 2005) was an American actor. He was best known for portraying White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry on the NBC series The West Wing (1999–2006).
Spencer began his career with a recurring role on The Patty Duke Show in the mid-1960s. He appeared in supporting roles in films including WarGames (1983), Presumed Innocent (1990), The Rock (1996) and The Negotiator (1998), and played attorney Tommy Mullaney on L.A. Law (1990–1994). He received an Obie Award for his stage work in Still Life (1981).
His performance as McGarry earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2002, along with four additional Emmy nominations. Spencer died of a heart attack in Los Angeles.
