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John Aylward passed away at the age of 75. The news was revealed by his agent Mitchell W. Stubbs. His wife, Mary Fields, stated that Aylward died at his home on May 16 from natural causes. Stubbs mentioned in a message,
“John was a wonderful actor and a great friend to many. He was proud of his film and television work although his life in the theatre was where he was the happiest. He was a good man.”
Everything known about John Aylward
Born on November 7, 1946, he attended St. Joseph’s Grade school and then Prep High School. He graduated from Garfield High School in 1965. He then graduated from the Professional Actor’s Training Program at the University of Washington in 1970.
He was among the founders of Seattle’s Empty Space Theatre in 1973 and worked as a company member at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. Medical drama ER's co-producer, Carol Flynt, saw him in a 1996 production of Psychopathia Sexualis at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and offered him an audition.
He was then cast as Dr. Donald Anspaugh in ER. His character was a surgeon and a leading hospital board member who served in many leading positions at County General. Dr. John Carter, played by Noah Wyle, went to him when he wanted to switch from surgery to emergency medicine.
Aylward made his screen debut in the 1976 television film, The Secret Life of John Chapman. He also appeared in the dramedy series Northern Exposure and movies like Seven Hours of Judgment and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.
John then became famous for his role as former DNC chairman Barry Goodwin on NBC’s The West Wing. The character was an adviser to Matt Santos’ presidential campaign and the head of President-elected Santos’ transition team.
He was a series regular on the 2000 NBC drama The Others. He made guest appearances and played recurring roles in other series, starting with Northern Exposure in 1990. He then appeared in Ally McBeal, The Practice, Judging Amy, Boston Legal, The X-Files, Shameless, Yellowstone, and others.
Aylward appeared in some television movies like The Escape, With a Vengeance, Stamp of a Killer, etc. He made his final television appearance in Briarpatch in 2020 and played a recurring role. His film credits include The Crazies, Water for Elephants, A Million Ways to Die in the West, and the recent 2020 film, The Way Back.
Fans pay tribute on Twitter
John Aylward became a familiar name for his flawless performances in films and TV series. Aylward’s fans expressed their grief on Twitter when they heard about his death:
Aylward is survived by his wife, Mary Fields.
