The West Wing Cast: Where Are They Now?

A third member of the West Wing family that has passed away is Ron Silver, who played campaign manager Bruno Gianelli across four seasons of the show. A political kingmaker, he is initially brought on board to mastermind President Bartlet’s campaign for election to a second term, before switching political affiliations and aligning himself with Republican Arnold Vinick in his contest against Democrat Matt Santos, pursuing an ambitious 50-state strategy that gradually caves in.

Gianelli’s change in allegiances was based on reality. Actor Ron Silver, a lifelong Democrat, became a Republican after the 9/11 attacks, believing his party’s response to the threat of terrorism wasn’t significant enough. In interviews he claimed that this led to him being vilified on set, where most of his co-stars were (and remain, if their social media feeds in the current American political climate are anything to go by) ardent liberals.

Silver died at the age of 62 in early 2009, just two months after the transition from President Bush to President Obama. It isn’t known if he changed his affiliation once more (posthumous claims by his brother would seem to indicate that he did), but what is known is that he left behind a solid legacy as a character actor, having won a Tony and been nominated for an Emmy for his performance as Bruno.