John Spencer, the actor who played vice-presidential candidate Leo McGarry in US television series 'The West Wing', has died aged 58.
Spencer died of a heart attack on Friday after being admitted to a Los Angeles hospital the previous day. He would have been 59 on Tuesday.
His character in the political drama had suffered a heart attack in the last series that forced him to give up his White House job.
West Wing actress Allison Janney paid tribute to Spencer, describing him as a "consummate professional actor".
Spencer had previously starred in 'LA Law' as attorney Tommy Mullaney. He played a streetwise lawyer on the David E Kelley drama that was in sharp contrast to the show's otherwise glamorous cast and setting.
He received an Emmy Award for his work on 'The West Wing' in 2002 and was nominated on four other occasions.
Spencer grew up in Paterson, New Jersey and studied at the Professional Children's School in Manhattan.
In recent years, he worked both on studio and independent films, including 'The Rock', 'The Negotiator', and 'Albino Alligator'.
