Leo McGarry

Leo Thomas McGarry is a fictional character played by American actor John Spencer on the television serial drama The West Wing. The character of McGarry, a former Secretary of Labor, spends much of the series as the White House Chief of Staff. The character is fictional President Josiah Bartlet's best friend and a father figure to the senior staff, particularly White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman. The role earned Spencer the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2002. Creation and development In crafting the character of Leo McGarry, series creator Aaron Sorkin said he envisioned John Spencer in the part but did not think he would be available. Although Spencer had recently decided he did not want to act in another TV drama series because of the long hours, he was so impressed by the pilot script that he took the part. Like the character, Spencer was a recovering alcoholic, and said he found he could relate to McGarry because "Leo's in recovery, too." In an earlier draft of the pilot script, dated February 6, 1998, McGarry is called "Leo Jacobi" and is described as being aged 55 and "professorial". Character biography