Aylward died of natural causes at his Seattle home, his agent Mitchell Stubbs confirmed to the site. “John was a great actor and a good friend to many,” Stubbs said in a statement. “He was proud of his film and television work, although he was happiest in the theater.”
Aylward got his debut role in 1976 in the television movie ‘The secret life of John Chapman’. He went on to appear in the drama series “Northern Exposure” and in films such as “Seven Hours to Judgment” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.” He was best known to the general public for the role of Dr. Donald Anspaugh in the popular medical drama series ‘ER’ and the role of Barry Goodwin in the political drama series ‘The West Wing’.