List of The West Wing characters
The television series The West Wing is a political drama series which was originally broadcast on NBC.
In addition to the main (regular) cast, there are numerous secondary characters who only appear periodically, and some characters who are mentioned but never appeared. Some have "disappeared" without explanation, and others who haven't been seen for a year or more who have reappeared without explanation.
Many actors noted for work in sitcoms, such as John Goodman, John Larroquette, Christopher Lloyd, Ed O'Neill, Matthew Perry, and Patricia Richardson have appeared in dramatic roles on The West Wing.
- Dolores Landingham — Kathryn Joosten (and Kirsten Nelson in flashback in "Two Cathedrals"): The president's executive secretary (Season 1–2). Killed in a car accident (Season 2 episode "18th and Potomac"). Included in flashbacks to her character (Seasons 3–4).
- Deborah "Debbie" Fiderer — Lily Tomlin: The president's executive secretary. Hired after the death of Mrs Landingham (Seasons 4–7).
- Margaret Hooper — NiCole Robinson: Assistant to the Chiefs of Staff Leo McGarry (Seasons 1–6) and C.J. Cregg (Seasons 6–7).
- Bonnie — Devika Parikh: Assistant to Communications Director Toby Ziegler (Seasons 1–5).
- Ginger — Kim Webster: Assistant to Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn (Seasons 1–7).
- Carol Fitzpatrick — Melissa Fitzgerald: Assistant to Press Secretary C.J. Cregg (Seasons 1–7).
- Cathy — Suzy Nakamura: Assistant to Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn (Season 1). Disappeared after the first series of The West Wing and was never mentioned again.
- Elsie Snuffin — Danica McKellar: Assistant to Deputy Communications Director Will Bailey (Season 4). Also step-sister to Will.
- Marina ("Rina") — Melissa Marsala: Assistant to Communications Director Toby Ziegler (Season 5).
- Nancy — Renée Estevez: President's Confidential Assistant (Seasons 1–7). Estevez is the daughter of Martin Sheen, who plays the president.
- Ed — Peter James Smith: White House staffer. Usually seen with Larry.
- Larry — William Duffy: White House staffer. Usually seen with Ed.
- Ryan Pierce — Jesse Bradford: White House intern assigned to Josh. The nephew of a powerful senator. Related to the 14th President of the United States Franklin Pierce (Season 5).
- Curtis Carruthers — Ben Murray: Succeeded Charlie Young as personal aide to the President (Season 6).
- Lionel Tribbey, played by John Larroquette, was the fourth White House Counsel to the Bartlet administration, but the first to appear in the series.
- Oliver Babish, played by Oliver Platt, was the fifth and final White House Counsel of the Bartlet administration, but the second of the only two characters to be shown in that position during the series (the other being Lionel Tribbey). He first appears advising President Bartlet when the President is considering revealing his diagnosis of multiple sclerosis to the public. He appeared connected to this plotline into season three, then returned to the series in season seven to participate in the White House's internal investigation into the military shuttle leak. He is later mentioned by Santos as a potential choice for Attorney General.
- Ainsley Hayes — Emily Procter: Associate (and proposed Deputy) White House Counsel (Seasons 2–3). Republican. Briefly reappeared in Season 7, wanting to become White House Counsel for the Santos Administration.
- Joseph 'Joe' Quincy — Matthew Perry: Associate White House Counsel (Seasons 4–5). Republican. Uncovered Vice President Hoynes's leaking of information in his affair with local socialite, Helen Baldwin, ultimately leading to Hoynes' resignation. He later is tasked by Toby to find out if the Supreme Court's ailing Chief Justice will resign, which he is angry about having to do.
- Mike Wayne — Benjamin Brown: Associate White House Counsel (Season 4–7). Dealt with Toby after he admitted being the source of the shuttle leak.
- Admiral Percy "Fitz" Fitzwallace — John Amos: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Seasons 1–5). Killed by terrorists while on a diplomatic mission following his retirement.
- General Nicholas Alexander — Terry O'Quinn: Succeeded Admiral Fitzwallace as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Season 5-6).
- Dr. Nancy McNally — Anna Deavere Smith: National Security Advisor (Season 2–7).
- Lieutenant Commander Jack Reese — Christian Slater: Aide to the National Security Advisor (Season 4) who briefly dates Donna.
- Commander Kate Harper — Mary McCormack: Deputy National Security Advisor (Seasons 5–7).
- General Alan Adamle — Gerald McRaney: Pentagon official. Meets with Leo to discuss the International Criminal Court in (3.6). Served with Leo in Vietnam.
- General Ed Barrie — Tom Bower: Army Chief of Staff. Appeared in episode (2.05) when he came under fire for planning to criticize the President upon retirement.
- General Shannon — Daniel Von Bargen: Appeared in (2.01) and (2.10). A four-star General in the US Air Force; he is referred to as "Jack" in his first episode and "Ken" in his second appearance. He seems to be the senior officer in the Sit. Room in 2.01 until Nancy McNally arrives.
- CIA Director George Rollie - Ryan Cutrona: Appeared in Seasons 1, 5 and 6. President Bartlet does not trust, like or respect him, but the senior staff note in 365 Days that his pariah status is useful because it prevents the President from tearing down anyone else during tense situations.
- Cashman — often mentioned alongside Secretaries Hutchinson and Berryhill, implied to be a senior official at one of the Executive Branch Departments, the Department of either State or Defense (Seasons 1-2).
- Ted Barrow — Ron Canada: Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Appears in Seasons 6-7.
- Bob Slattery — Thomas Kopache: Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. Appears in Seasons 3-7.
- Bobby Dunn — Gary Cervantes: Appears in (1.11), (1.22), (2.01), (2.10), and (2.21); apparently a State Department official.
- Colonel Chase — David Graf: Air Force official who advises Leo on a crisis with Iraqi oil smugglers in (2.07), and monitors the Missile Defense Shield test in (2.12).
- General Mitch Jensen - Christopher Kriesa: Advises the President on the Kashmir crisis in (1.11) and (1.12).
- Miguel "Mickey" Troop - Tony Plana: Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. Appears in Season 2.
- Ron Butterfield — Michael O'Neill: Head of the President's Secret Service detail (Seasons 1–7).
- Simon Donovan — Mark Harmon: Secret Service agent assigned to protect (and later developed a close relationship with) C. J. Cregg. Killed when he walked into an armed robbery (Season 3).
- Gina Toscano — Jorja Fox: Secret Service agent assigned to protect Zoey Bartlet (Seasons 1–2).
- Wesley Davis — Taye Diggs: In charge of Zoey Bartlet's secret service detail when she was abducted (Season 4).
- Molly O'Connor - Kimberly Bigsby: A young agent on Zoey's detail. Shot dead during the kidnapping of Zoey. One of Toby and Andy's twins was named in her memory. (Season 4)
- Randy Weathers - Shannon Marshall: Another young agent on Zoey Bartlet's detail (Season 4)
- Jamie Reed - John Antonini: Another young agent on Zoey Bartlet's detail (Season 4)
- Tom Connelly (Ep. 1.03): FBI Director.
- George Arnold — Michael Kagan (Ep. 5.18; 6.1): FBI Director.
- Mike Casper — Clark Gregg: FBI Special Agent (Seasons 2–5).
- Bruno Gianelli, played by Ron Silver, was a political operative introduced in the third season as the campaign manager of Bartlet's 2002 bid for reelection, and continued in this role through the fourth season. The character reappeared as the Eric Baker's campaign manager for the 2006 Democratic primary, only to become an independent consultant to Republican nominee Arnold Vinick after Baker withdrew from the race; the change of political affiliations mirrored Ron Silver's real-world change of party affiliation, as the actor campaigned for President George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election.
- Josephine "Joey" Lucas — Marlee Matlin: Political consultant, pollster often consulted by the White House and Democratic campaigns (Seasons 1–7). The character is also deaf (as is Matlin in real life).
- Kenny Thurman — Bill O'Brien: Joey Lucas's sign interpreter (Seasons 1–7).
- Connie Tate — Connie Britton: Bartlet-Hoynes re-election campaign staffer (Season 3); she's a likable woman who quickly befriends Sam Seaborn.
- Doug Wegland — Evan Handler: Bartlet-Hoynes re-election campaign staffer and speechwriter (Season 3); he's acerbic and lands on Toby Ziegler's wrong side, but ends up winning the staffers' respect with his good ideas and staunch belief in them.
- Kevin Kahn — Patrick Breen: Former friend of Sam Seaborn. Staffer on Ritchie's 2002 presidential campaign (Season 3), who ends up humiliating Sam by leaking an attack ad that made the Bartlet campaign look vindictive and stupid.
- Dylan Clark — Tim Kelleher: Hoynes' Campaign Manager (Season 6).
- Louise "Lou" Thornton — Janeane Garofalo: Santos-McGarry campaign Director of Communications. Santos Administration Director of Communications (Season 7).
- Ronna Beckman — Karis Campbell: Aide to Congressman Santos, Santos-McGarry Campaign (Seasons 6–7); President's Personal Secretary in the Santos Administration (Season 7).
- Edie Ortega — Diana-Maria Riva: Santos-McGarry Deputy Campaign Manager for Strategic Planning (Season 7).
- Bram Howard — Matthew Del Negro: Staffer, Santos-McGarry Campaign (Seasons 6–7); Personal Aide to President Santos (Season 7).
- Ned Carlson — Evan Arnold: Aide to Congressman Santos (Season 6); Staffer, Santos-McGarry Campaign (Seasons 6–7). Ned was reassigned to Santos's Congressional staff early in Season 7 with the intention of giving him a spot in the administration after the election, but he did not appear on the series after his dismissal from the campaign.
- Otto — Ramon De Ocampo: Speechwriter, Santos-McGarry Campaign (Season 7); Staffer in the Santos Administration (Season 7).
- Sheila Brooks — Patricia Richardson: Senator Vinick's chief of staff and Vinick-Sullivan campaign manager; She, like Vinick, was portrayed as level-headed and not overtly partisan. Often at odds with the more conservative voices in the Party, she left the campaign weeks before election day to placate the Republican base (Season 6–7). In her (and Vinick's) final episode appearance, Brooks is mentioned as possibly being hired as chief of staff to the Republican Senate Majority Leader.
- Jane Braun — Melinda McGraw: Vinick-Sullivan campaign manager after Brooks' resignation (Season 7); A very conservative activist who replaces Shelia in order to energize hard-core GOP voters, but also disgusts everyone by attempting to make an election night issue of Leo McGarry's death. Her outspoken partisanship puts her at odds with both Vinick and Bruno Gianelli.
- Bruno Gianelli — Ron Silver: (See above).
- Bob Mayer — Stephen Root: Vinick-Sullivan speechwriter (Season 6–7). Frequently mocked for his messy eating habits, Mayer becomes fast friends with Gianelli. On election night, the two briefly discuss forming a consulting firm, but Gianelli declines in favor of retirement from politics.
Media
- Danny Concannon — Timothy Busfield: senior White House correspondent for The Washington Post (Seasons 1–2, 4–5, 7).
- Greg Brock, played by Sam Robards, is a White House correspondent for the New York Times . Greg Brock is also the name of a real editor for the New York Times.[1] First appearing in the fifth season, the character, central to a season six storyline, became one of the most regularly referred to White House correspondents, second only to Danny Concannon. In that storyline, the New York Times printed a story written by Brock that alleged the existence of a classified military space shuttle which could be used to help three astronauts on the International Space Station that were running out of oxygen. The leak was initially suspected to be White House Chief of Staff C.J. Cregg, whose phone records showed a surprisingly large number of calls to Greg Brock over much of her tenure as White House Chief of Staff to that point. In the seventh season of the show, Brock went to jail after being held in contempt of court for failing to reveal the name of his source. White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler eventually confessed to the leak, saying that he acted alone, and that Brock was the only reporter to whom he leaked the information. The storyline regarding the leak and subsequent investigation has been compared by some to the Valerie Plame affair.[2][3]
- Roger Salier — Ivan Allen: Television anchor on News Center 4 (Seasons 1–7).
- Mark Gottfried — Ted McGinley: Talk show host of "Capitol Beat" (Season 2).
- Diane Mathers (5.07 & 6.07): Tough talk show host who interviewed Zoey Bartlet about her kidnapping and John Hoynes about his intentions to run for President again
- Taylor Reid — Jay Mohr: Conservative talk show host, baited C.J. Cregg by calling her a "chicken" (Season 5). Some reviewers have likened the character to Bill O'Reilly, the combative host of the news commentary show The O'Reilly Factor.[4]
- Katarina "Katie" Witt — Kris Murphy: White House Press Corps Reporter.
- Mark O'Donnell — Timothy Davis Reed: White House Press Corps Reporter. Episode 3:08 - says he is from Canada.
- Steve — Charles Noland: White House Press Corps Reporter.
- Chris — Mindy Seeger: White House Press Corps Reporter.
Family
Josiah Bartlet's family
Leo McGarry's family
- Mallory O'Brien — Allison Smith: Leo McGarry's daughter (Seasons 1–2, 4–7).
- Jenny McGarry — Sara Botsford: Leo McGarry's wife. Divorced him due to his work commitments (Season 1).
- Josephine McGarry — Deborah Hedwall: Leo McGarry's sister, who works as an educator (Season 2).
- Elizabeth McGarry — Leo McGarry's sister, mentioned in the episode "In Excelsis Deo" (Season 1).
C. J. Cregg's family
- Hogan Cregg - Evan Rachel Wood: CJ's niece (Season 3)
- Molly Lapham Cregg - Verna Bloom: CJ's stepmother and her former high school English teacher (Season 4)
- Talmidge Cregg - Donald Moffat: CJ's father, a retired math teacher with Alzheimer's disease. (Season 4)
- Grammy Cregg- Mentioned as the Mid-Western source of CJ's 'Hay is for Horses' witticism.
Josh Lyman's family
- Joanie Lyman - Josh's older sister who died in a fire when she was babysitting him.
- Noah Lyman - Josh's father. Died on the night of the Illinois primary (during Bartlet's first Presidential campaign).
- Mrs. Lyman - Josh's mother and only living relative. She lives in Florida and Josh usually goes down to visit her during holidays.
Toby Ziegler's family
- Andrea Wyatt (Kathleen York): Ex-wife of Toby Ziegler, Congresswoman from Maryland.
- Molly Wyatt - Toby and Andrea's daughter, named after Molly O'Conner, the secret service agent shot and killed the night of Zoey Bartlet's kidnapping (Season 4, 7)
- Huckleberry "Huck" Wyatt - Toby and Andrea's son, named after Andrea's grandfather (Season 4, 7)
- Jules "Julie" Ziegler (Jerry Adler) - Toby's father, former Murder Incorporated employee, retired ladies raincoat maker (Season 4)
- David Ziegler - Toby's brother, NASA astronaut, commits suicide in season 6
Donna Moss's family
- Aunt Barbara- Aunt from Wisconsin who Donna leads on private tour.
- Uncle Ted- Uncle from Wisconsin who Donna leads on private tour.
Will Bailey's family
Charlie Young's family
- Deanna Young - Charlie's little sister
Matt Santos' family
- Helen Santos — Teri Polo: Matt Santos' wife (Season 6–7)
- Peter Santos - Matt Santos' son (Season 6-7)
- Miranda Santos - Matt Santos' daughter (Season 6-7)
- Jorge Santos - Matt's Santos' brother (Season 7)
Other characters
- Laurie — Lisa Edelstein: Sam Seaborn's friend. Law student working as a call girl (Season 1).
- Al Kiefer — John de Lancie: Democratic pollster who had a short relationship with Joey Lucas. The senior staff can't stand him and when Joey's abilities became apparent, she took over his previous role as the Bartlet Administration's top pollster. (Season 1)
- Larry Claypool — John Diehl: Freedom Watch lawyer (Seasons 1, 4) who spends his time filing lawsuits against President Bartlet and his staff in hopes of bringing down the administration.
- Bernard Thatch — Paxton Whitehead (Ep 2.10, Ep 6.07): Head of the White House Visitor's Office.
- Ann Stark — Felicity Huffman (Ep 2.11): Toby Ziegler's former friend, until she betrayed him when he tried to broker a compromise on patients' rights. Chief of Staff to the Senate Majority Leader.
- Lisa Sherborne — Traylor Howard (Ep 3.11): Sam Seaborn's former fiancée who now works for Vanity Fair. Sam broke off their engagement because she wanted to be cool, but also honestly because he wanted to leave the New York scene and work at the White House.
- Dr. Stanley Keyworth — Adam Arkin: Therapist specializing in trauma cases. Staff Therapist for the American Trauma Victims Association (ATVA) (Seasons 2–4). Has several sessions as the President's therapist as well.
- Jordan Elaine Kendall — Joanna Gleason: Leo McGarry's lawyer during the Bartlet MS hearings and love interest for several months (Season 3–4).
- Alana Waterman — Lee Garlington: Toby Ziegler's attorney, called upon when Toby confesses to the White House leak (Season 7)
- Jean Paul Pierre Claude Charpentier, Vicomte de Condé de Bourbon — Trent Ford: Zoey Bartlet's French boyfriend (Season 4).
- Colin Ayres — Jason Isaacs: Photographer who has a fling with Donna Moss in Gaza (Season 5–6).
- Lt. Colonel Gantry, the pilot of Air Force One, heard several times on personal announcements on the plane, seen informing the president in the conference room of Air Force One in the episode 'Angel Maintenance' (Season 4) on the status of the plane.
Pets
- Bess: Glen Allen Walken's pug.
- Gail: C.J. Cregg's pet goldfish. A gift from Danny Concannon. In the season 1 episode "The Short List," Josh Lyman told Danny that C.J. likes "goldfish." Although Josh was referring to snack crackers of the same name, Danny mistakenly believed he was referring to the aquatic creature;[5] after giving C.J. the fish, Danny mentions that the pet-store owner had named it "Gail." On the DVD commentary track for episode 14, "In Excelsis Deo," Aaron Sorkin, Thomas Schlamme, and Alex Graves mention that the prop masters created a tiny miniature Christmas ornament to place on the floor of Gail's fish bowl and that from then on, the prop masters often crafted tiny decorations related to the themes in a given episode, as when hostilities were escalating in India and Pakistan and the bowl contained a tiny bomb shelter.[6] They also mention that many scenes set in C.J.'s office throughout the succeeding seasons include shots of Gail's bowl and that as of the commentary's recording at the end of season four, the prop masters insisted that the specific goldfish used had never been replaced.[6]
- Henry: Amy Gardner's basset hound.
See also
Notes
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/opinion/30pubed.html
- ^ Clabby, Consuela. "Leaky Politics: The West Wing versus The Bush Administration." SMRT-TV. 31 October 2005.
- ^ "'The Ticket': Leak Investigation" FootnoteTV. 25 September 2005.
- ^ Joel Brown, New York Times Syndicate. "Time for first clips from 'Barbershop'," Ventura County Star (CA), February 25, 2004, "Life, Arts, and Living" section, page 4: "...C.J. takes another turn jousting with obvious Bill O'Reilly clone Taylor Reid (guest star Jay Mohr)."
- ^ Gail the Goldfish, describing Gail's introduction on the show, with screen shots that include some of the bowl ornaments from different episodes. Retrieved Jan. 2, 2009.
- ^ a b Aaron Sorkin, Thomas Schlamme, and Alex Graves. DVD Commentary, The West Wing: Season 1, episode 14, "In Excelsis Deo."