Actor John Aylward dies at age 75 after suffering from declining health
American actor, John Aylward, has died at age of 75.
According to Deadline, the ER and West Wing actor passed away overnight Monday May 16, at his home in Seattle,
His wife, Mary Fields, told the publication her husband had been in declining health. She confirmed his death to his long-time agent, Mitchell K. Stubbs.
‘I was shocked,’ Stubbs told the outlet. ‘He was a wonderful actor and a phenomenal human being.
‘He was a dream client, a friend, and a dream person. He was proud of his film and television work, although his life in the theater was where he was the happiest,” Stubbs said.
Born in Seattle on Nov. 7, 1946, Aylward graduated from the actor’s training program at the University of Washington in 1970 and founded the Empty Space Theatre in 1973. His first television gig was the 1976 telefilm The Secret Life of John Chapman.
His breakout role on the small screen came 20 years later when he earned the role of Anspaugh on ER when he was 50. Until that point, Aylward worked consistently in theater across North America.
He appeared in stage roles at the Kennedy Center with Kentucky Cycle and at Lincoln Center with City of Conversation. A classically trained actor, Aylward performed everything from Shakespearean roles to farce with plays by Alan Ayckborne and dramas by David Mamet, Arthur Miller, and Tennessee Williams.
His standout roles included a stint as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, Richard III, Scrooge in Inspecting Carol , and Shelley Levine in Glengarry Glen Ross, a role he played twice.