Profile Text
Birth Name: John Speshock, Jr.
Date of Birth: December 20, 1946
Place of Birth: Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
Date of Death: December 16, 2005
Place of Death: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Ethnicity: * father – Slovak * mother – Ukrainian, Rusyn
John Spencer was an American actor. His roles included the series The Patty Duke Show , Ryan’s Hope , Another World , As the World Turns , L.A. Law , Trinity , and The West Wing ; the films WarGames , Hiding Out (1987), Sea of Love , Black Rain , Presumed Innocent , Green Card , Forget Paris , Cafe Society (1995), The Rock , Albino Alligator , Cop Land , Cold Around the Heart , Twilight (1998), The Negotiator , and Ravenous ; the made-for-tv movies In the Arms of a Killer and When No One Would Listen ; and the video game Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom .
John was the son of Mildred (Benzeroski/Benzerowski), a waitress, and John Speshock/Spaschak, a truck driver, plastic moulder, and construction contractor. He was raised in Totowa, New Jersey.
While John was described as having been of part Irish ancestry, it does not appear that this is accurate.
John’s paternal grandfather was named John Speshock. John was Slovak.
John’s paternal grandmother was named Anna Yetsko. Anna was Slovak.
John’s maternal grandfather was named Michael Benzeroski/Bincarowski. Michael was born in Pennsylvania, to parents from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
John’s maternal grandmother was named Mary Motsko. Mary was born in Pennsylvania, to parents from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Sources: Obituaries of John and his parents – https://www.findagrave.com
John’s father on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
John’s mother on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org