John Aylward

John Aylward (November 7, 1946 – May 16, 2022) was an American actor known for his roles in popular television series. He portrayed the former DNC chairman Barry Goodwin in the NBC series The West Wing, and Dr. Donald Anspaugh in the NBC series ER. Aylward also lent his voice to the character Dr. Arne Magnusson in Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, he attended St. Joseph's Grade School and graduated from Garfield High School in 1965. Aylward completed the Professional Actor's Training Program at the University of Washington in 1970. He co-founded Seattle's Empty Space Theatre in 1973 and regularly performed at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. Aylward's talent caught the attention of Carol Flynt, co-producer of ER, who offered him an audition after seeing his performance in a production at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.