John Spencer(1946-2005)
- Actor
John Spencer was born John Speshock III in Paterson, New Jersey, the only son of Mildred (Benzeroski), a homemaker and occasional waitress, and John Speshock, a truck driver. He grew up near Paterson, New Jersey, and left
at age 16 to attend the Professional Children's School. In 1963, he
landed a recurring role on The Patty Duke Show (1963). After that ended, he attended
Fairleigh Dickenson University and later New York University, but
dropped out to return to acting. John had been an acknowledged
alcoholic, who remained sober ever since getting therapy. He had quit
smoking in 1999, which he described as "hell on earth". He passed away
of a heart attack on December 16, 2005. He will be missed.
