John Spencer

Acting

John Spencer

Born 1946-12-20 · New York City, New York, USA

John Spencer (December 20, 1946 – December 16, 2005) was an American actor. He first gained recognition for his captivating performances on Broadway, particularly in The Great White Hope (1969). Spencer transitioned to film, showcasing his versatility in movies like The Rock (1996) and The Negotiator (1998). On television, Spencer had one of his first on-screen roles in The Patty Duke Show, and later became known as a main cast member on L.A. Law starting in its fifth season. His portrayal of White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry on The West Wing (1999-2006) brought widespread acclaim, earning him five Emmy Award nominations, including a win in 2002. Spencer passed away on December 16, 2005, at the age of 58.

Acting credits

The Rock poster
7.2

When vengeful General Francis X. Hummel seizes control of Alcatraz Island and threatens to launch missiles loaded with deadly chemical weapons into San Francisco, only a young FBI chemical weapons expert and notorious Federal prisoner have the skills to penetrate the impregnable island fortress and take him down.

The Rock

1996

Cop Land poster
6.8

Freddy Heflin is the sheriff of a place everyone calls “Cop Land” — a small and seemingly peaceful town populated by the big city police officers he’s long admired. Yet something ugly is taking place behind the town’s peaceful facade. And when Freddy uncovers a massive, deadly conspiracy among these local residents, he is forced to take action and make a dangerous choice between protecting his idols and upholding the law.

Cop Land

1997

The Negotiator poster
7.1

The police try to arrest expert hostage negotiator Danny Roman, who insists he's being framed for his partner's murder in what he believes is an elaborate conspiracy. Thinking there's evidence in the Internal Affairs offices that might clear him, he takes everyone in the office hostage and demands that another well-known negotiator be brought in to handle the situation and secretly investigate the conspiracy.

The Negotiator

1998

WarGames poster
7.1

High school student David Lightman has a talent for hacking. But while trying to hack into a computer system to play unreleased video games, he unwittingly taps into the Department of Defense's war computer and initiates a confrontation of global proportions. Together with his friend and a wizardly computer genius, David must race against time to outwit his opponent and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.

WarGames

1983

Sea of Love poster
6.6

Seen-it-all New York detective Frank Keller is unsettled - he has done twenty years on the force and could retire, and he hasn't come to terms with his wife leaving him for a colleague. Joining up with an officer from another part of town to investigate a series of murders linked by the lonely hearts columns he finds he is getting seriously and possibly dangerously involved with Helen, one of the main suspects.

Sea of Love

1989

Black Rain poster
6.6

Two New York cops get involved in a gang war between members of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. They arrest one of their killers and are ordered to escort him back to Japan. However, in Japan he manages to escape, and as they try to track him down, they get deeper and deeper into the Japanese Mafia scene and they have to learn that they can only win by playing the game—the Japanese way.

Black Rain

1989

Green Card poster
6.1

Urban horticulturalist Brontë Mitchell has her eye on a gorgeous apartment, but the building's board will rent it only to a married couple. Georges Fauré, a waiter from France whose visa is expiring, needs to marry an American woman to stay in the country. Their marriage of convenience turns into a burden when they must live together to allay the suspicions of the immigration service, as the polar opposites grate on each other's nerves.

Green Card

1990

Presumed Innocent poster
6.8

Rusty Sabich is a deputy prosecutor engaged in an obsessive affair with a coworker who is murdered. Soon after, he's accused of the crime. And his fight to clear his name becomes a whirlpool of lies and hidden passions.

Presumed Innocent

1990

Ravenous poster
6.8

After arriving at his new, remote Army outpost, Capt. John Boyd and his regiment aid a wounded frontiersman who recounts a horrifying tale of a wagon train murdered by its supposed guide – a vicious U.S. Army colonel gone rogue. Fearing the worst, the regiment heads out into the wilderness to verify the gruesome claims.

Ravenous

1999

The Protector poster
6.0

Billy Wong is a New York City cop whose partner is gunned down during a robbery. Billy and his new partner, Danny Garoni, are working security at a fashion show when a wealthy man's daughter, Laura Shapiro, is kidnapped. The Federal authorities suspect that Laura's father is involved with Mr. Ko, a Hong Kong drug kingpin, so the NYC police commissioner sends the two cops to Hong Kong to investigate.

The Protector

1985

All Revved Up poster
5.6

A lovely school teacher finds herself the victim of a scam artist - a garage owner who delights in ripping off his customers. Soon, she has two eager young men, her lizard-loving neighbour and his friend, on her side to help her exact revenge on the sleazy mechanic, who is the leader of a stolen car ring.

All Revved Up

1998

Twilight poster
6.1

A retired detective accepts a simple task, unaware that it will tear open old, forgotten, but deadly wounds.

Twilight

1998

Albino Alligator poster
5.7

While escaping from a foiled robbery attempt, three thieves find themselves surrounded by police at a New Orleans bar--only they're not the people the police are searching for.

Albino Alligator

1997

Forget Paris poster
6.3

Mickey Gordon is a basketball referee who travels to France to bury his father. Ellen Andrews is an American living in Paris who works for the airline he flies on. They meet and fall in love, but their relationship goes through many difficult patches.

Forget Paris

1995

Hiding Out poster
5.8

A very successful stock broker is called to court to testify against a mob boss who was into some inside trading. Andrew Morenski must become Max Hauser and go back to high school for protection from the mob.

Hiding Out

1987

Far from Home poster
5.5

Charlie Cox should have stopped for gas in California. While he's on a cross-country trip with his teenage daughter, Joleen, his car hits empty in a creepy town in Nevada. With nary a drop of fuel to be found, Charlie and Joleen stop for the night at a dilapidated trailer park. There, Joleen catches the eye of two teenage boys, Jimmy and Pinky -- either of whom could be the serial killer currently terrorizing the town.

Far from Home

1989

From the Files of Joseph Wambaugh: A Jury of One poster
4.0

In the first of a potential series of films inspired by the real-life experiences of Los Angeles police officer turned bestselling author Joseph Wambaugh, an on-the-skids detective, with memories of having accidentally shot and killed his partner while they were pursuing a pair of bank robbers, tries to put his life back in order.

From the Files of Joseph Wambaugh: A Jury of One

1992

Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor poster
6.4

The alleged suicide of a gubernatorial candidate triggers a series of mysterious deaths leading to the governor's mansion, and "Wild" Bill McKenzie, a friend of Perry Mason, is on the case.

Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor

1994

In the Arms of a Killer poster
4.6

A young detective falls in love with a witness in a murder case and suddenly becomes a suspect herself.

In the Arms of a Killer

1992

Lesser Prophets poster
5.6

The police have three bookies under surveillance, but they escape and set up shop elsewhere. By chance, one of the police finds them; instead of turning them in, he demands money that his brother, now a suicide, had lost to them

Lesser Prophets

1997

Cafe Society poster
4.9

New York 1952. Mickey Jelke inherits a big sum of money and spends his nights in Manhattan, painting the city red. Night after night, he can be found in one Broadway bar or the other, in the company of disreputable persons like pimps and prostitutes. One day,a shady cop, aided by Mickey's own girlfriend, Patricia, decides to accuse him of running a prostitution network. A scandal breaks out.

Cafe Society

1997

Once Again poster
7.0

Aging rocker flies home to Hoboken, New Jersey, for his elderly father's wedding, meets a nine year old boy who is playing the piano in his dad's apartment, and has a shock.

Once Again

1987

The Verne Miller Story poster
10.0

Upon his release from prison, Verne Miller works his way into Al Capone's organization. He becomes a top assassin and earns Capone's trust. However, Miller's failing health and an over-sized ego get him into trouble with the law and Capone.

The Verne Miller Story

1988

Cocaine and Blue Eyes poster
4.3

Michael Brennen, a San Francisco private eye gets dragged into a drug-smuggling operation while searching for the girlfriend of a deal client, leading Brennen to a politically prominent family.

Cocaine and Blue Eyes

1983