A film and television actor of more than 30 years, John Aylward (ER, The West Wing), died Monday at the age of 75, as his longtime agent announced, according to CNN. He was best known for his performances as Dr. Donald Anspaugh on NBC’s ER and Barry Goodwin on The West Wing.
After graduating from the University of Washington School of Drama in 1971, Aylward primarily worked in theater for 15 years, and later moved to television in the 1990s with CBS’ Northern Exposure. He also appeared in shows like Family Law, The Practice and Mad Men. Aylward was later featured in over 70 episodes of ER over the course of its 15 seasons.
After officially announcing his client and friend’s death, Stubbs told CNN, “He was a wonderful actor and a phenomenal human being.”
In a 2009 interview with the Seattle Times, Aylward previously spoke about his show’s immense popularity and his character’s personality.
“I wanted him to be more than just a one-dimensional hard-ass. The show was true to the medical profession, and to the characters’ behaviors,” he said. “Anspaugh was pragmatic and sensible about his job. He had a lot of experience, and he cared about the young Dr. Carter, toward whom he felt sternly paternal. I tried to bring as much humanity to the guy as I could.”
“The producers and casting directors always did an excellent job hiring really nice people,” he added. “There was never a bad apple in the group, and a lot of prominent people appeared on the show.”
Aylward’s final roles included appearances on USA Network’s Briarpatch and Peacock’s Yellowstone. He is survived by his wife Mary Fields.