The television series The West Wing is a political drama series which was originally broadcast on NBC.
During its seven seasons the ensemble cast of stars, recurring stars, and guest stars earned 157 acting nominations (often competing in the same category against other members of the cast) across a variety of award-granting organizations, earning 30 awards. Many actors noted for work in sitcoms appeared in dramatic roles on The West Wing, including John Goodman, Alan Alda, John Larroquette, Christopher Lloyd, Ed O'Neill, Matthew Perry, Patricia Richardson, Lily Tomlin, Wayne Wilderson, and Daniel von Bargen.
Main cast = Main cast (credited) = Recurring cast (2+) Character Portrayed by Seasons Reunion Special 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sam Seaborn Rob Lowe colspan="4" colspan="2" Mandy Hampton Moira Kelly colspan="7" C. J. Cregg Allison Janney colspan="8" Toby Ziegler Richard Schiff colspan="8" Leo McGarry John Spencer colspan="7" Sterling K. Brown colspan="7" Josh Lyman Bradley Whitford colspan="8" Josiah Bartlet Martin Sheen colspan="8" Charlie Young Dulé Hill colspan="8" Donna Moss Janel Moloney colspan="7" Abbey Bartlet Stockard Channing colspan="2" colspan="5" Will Bailey Joshua Malina colspan="3" colspan="4" Kate Harper Mary McCormack colspan="4" colspan="2" colspan="1" Matt Santos Jimmy Smits colspan="5" colspan="2" colspan="1" Arnold Vinick Alan Alda colspan="5" colspan="2" colspan="1" Annabeth Schott Kristin Chenoweth colspan="5"
White House staff +White House StaffCharacterActorTitlesJosiah "Jed" BartletMartin SheenPresident of the United States (season 1–7)Former Governor of New HampshireFormer U. S. Representative from New HampshireNobel laureate in Economics Joshua "Josh" LymanBradley WhitfordWhite House Deputy Chief of Staff (season 1–6)Campaign Manager for Santos–McGarry Campaign (Seasons 6–7)White House Chief of Staff (season 7)Leo Thomas McGarryJohn SpencerWhite House Chief of Staff (Seasons 1–6)Special Counselor to the President (season 6)Democratic vice-presidential nominee (season 6–7)Vice President–elect of the United States (season 7)Former Secretary of LaborVietnam War veteranClaudia Jean "C.J." CreggAllison JanneyWhite House Press Secretary (Seasons 1–6)White House Chief of Staff (Seasons 6–7)Charles "Charlie" YoungDulé HillPersonal Aide to the President (Seasons 1–6)Deputy Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff (Seasons 6–7)Donnatella "Donna" MossJanel MoloneySenior Assistant to White House Deputy Chief of Staff (Seasons 1–6)Media Specialist and Campaign Spokesperson for Bob Russell (season 6)Deputy Press Secretary for Santos–McGarry Campaign (season 7)Chief of Staff to the First Lady (season 7) Tobias Zachary "Toby" ZieglerRichard SchiffWhite House Communications Director (Seasons 1–7)Samuel Norman "Sam" SeabornRob LoweWhite House Deputy Communications Director (Seasons 1–4)Candidate for California 47th congressional district (season 4)White House Deputy Chief of Staff (season 7)William "Will" BaileyJoshua MalinaWhite House Deputy Communications Director (Seasons 4–5)Chief of Staff to Vice-president Bob Russell (Seasons 5–7)White House Communications Director (season 7)Congressman from the Oregon 4th congressional district (season 7)Annabeth SchottKristin ChenowethDeputy Press Secretary for Media Relations (season 6)Campaign Staffer for Santos–McGarry Campaign (season 7)Press Secretary to the First Lady (season 7) Madeline "Mandy" Hampton (Moira Kelly): Political consultant during Bartlet's first campaign. Worked as a media consultant at Lennox-Chase after the campaign. Briefly consults for Democratic Senator Lloyd Russell before being hired by the White House as a political consultant and media director (season 1). She is not seen or mentioned again after the first season. Amelia "Amy" Gardner (Mary-Louise Parker): Head of the Women's Leadership Coalition and influential women's rights activist. Works as a political consultant for Senator Howard Stackhouse when he runs for president. Later hired as the Chief of Staff for the Office of the First Lady. Resigns after she upsets the President (Seasons 3–5). Agrees to become the Director of Legislative Affairs in the Santos administration (season 7). Clifford "Cliff" Calley (Mark Feuerstein): Majority Counsel for the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee during the Bartlet censure proceedings (season 3) and a Republican. During the censure hearings, he helps facilitate a schedule delay which allows Leo McGarry to avoid potentially damaging testimony. Briefly hired as Deputy Chief of Staff by C.J. Cregg (season 6), where he helps orchestrate a Democratic vote on stem cell research that the Republican Speaker of the House has stymied. Angela Blake (Michael Hyatt): Worked for Leo McGarry while he was Secretary of Labor. While a political consultant, she is hired to be Director of Legislative Affairs (season 5), fulfilling Josh Lyman's duties while he is benched for causing a Democratic Senator to defect. She is not seen or mentioned again after the budget crisis is over and Josh regains his effective leadership.
Other White House staffers
Dolores Landingham (Kathryn Joosten and Kirsten Nelson in flashback in "Two Cathedrals"): The President's first executive secretary (season 1–2) and a close confidante dating back to his high school days. Her death in a car accident at the end of season two (episode "18th and Potomac") briefly shakes Bartlet's faith. Appears in flashbacks (Seasons 3–4). Referred to simply as "Mrs Landingham" almost always by everyone, including the president. Deborah "Debbie" Fiderer (Lily Tomlin): The President's second and final executive secretary, hired after the death of Mrs Landingham (Seasons 4–7). Charlie arranges her first interview with the President against her own wishes, in which she is groggy from prescription medication and performs badly by confessing to being both a professional gambler and an alpaca farmer. Charlie later successfully pushes for her to be re-considered. President Bartlet learns the reason she lost her previous White House personnel job — she had defied the Director of Personnel by hiring Charlie rather than a wealthy Bartlet supporter's unqualified son — and, though appearing very quirky, he sees she is actually very smart and capable, he hires her on the spot. Margaret Hooper (NiCole Robinson): Assistant to chiefs of staff Leo McGarry (Seasons 1–6) and C. J. Cregg (Seasons 6–7). She is somewhat eccentric and often focused on the minutiae of life. Particularly devoted to and protective of Leo — frequently found snooping in on his private meetings — but she has a rebellious streak, so they are often at odds with their working styles. She is visibly pregnant in season 6, with no clear information about the father, and her baby is never seen on the show. After Leo is fired from his position by the President, she is convinced to stay on as C.J.'s assistant. Bonnie (Devika Parikh): Assistant to Communications Director Toby Ziegler (Seasons 1–5). Carol Fitzpatrick (Melissa Fitzgerald): Assistant to Press Secretaries C. J. Cregg and Toby Ziegler (Seasons 1–7). Ginger (Kim Webster): Assistant to Communications Director Toby Ziegler and Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn (Seasons 1–7). Cathy (Suzy Nakamura): Assistant to Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn (season 1). Elsie Snuffin (Danica McKellar): Assistant to Deputy Communications Director Will Bailey, as well as his stepsister (season 4). Cassie Tatum (Claire Coffee): Intern at the White House Press Office (season 4). Lauren Romano (Lara Phillips): Intern at the White House Press Office (season 4). Will Bailey often calls her by her last name to tell the Laurens apart (but still gets it wrong). Lauren Shelby (Kimberlee Peterson): Intern at the White House Press Office (season 4). Will Bailey often calls her by her last name to tell the Laurens apart (but still gets it wrong). Lauren Chin (Catherine Kwong): Intern at the White House Press Office (season 4). Will Bailey often calls her by her last name to tell the Laurens apart (but still gets it wrong). Marina ("Rina") (Melissa Marsala): Assistant to Communications Director Toby Ziegler (season 5). Causes consternation among staff members by wearing revealing outfits in the West Wing office areas, raising concerns over potential harassment complaints or perceived lack of professionalism. After an emotional moment in which she admits no one likes her, Toby takes pity and recruits her as his assistant, which she proves to be adept at. Nancy (Renée Estevez): President's Confidential Assistant (Seasons 1–7). Estevez is the real-life daughter of Martin Sheen. 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 and nephew of a powerful senator; great-great-great-grandson of the 14th U.S. president, Franklin Pierce (Season 5). Toward the end of that season, he becomes a top aide to a Democratic congressman whom Josh dislikes, and is not seen or mentioned after that. Curtis Carruthers (Ben Murray): Succeeds Charlie Young as personal aide to the President (season 6).
Office of the White House Counsel
Lionel Tribbey (John Larroquette): The fourth White House Counsel of the Bartlet administration and the first to appear in the series (albeit only once, in season 2). He has very liberal views and is animated and theatrical. Oliver Babish (Oliver Platt): The fifth and final White House Counsel of the Bartlet administration and the second of the two characters to be shown in that position during the series (Season 3 and 7). Diligent and zealous, he first appears in season three advising President Bartlet on disclosing his multiple sclerosis to the public. He returns in season seven to participate in the White House's internal investigation into the military shuttle leak. After Toby Ziegler confesses, Babish interrogates and recommends he be fired; in private, however, he expresses sympathy and thanks Toby for his service. He decamps to a law firm in the wake of the outgoing Bartlet Administration and is mentioned by Santos as a potential choice for Attorney General. He is described by Josh Lyman as "smart and tough". Ainsley Hayes (Emily Procter): Associate (and proposed Deputy) White House Counsel (Seasons 2–3). Conservative Republican from North Carolina. Graduate of Harvard Law School, she is notable for her rapid-fire speech patterns and love of Gilbert and Sullivan musicals. After she soundly defeats and embarrasses Sam in a debate on the political talk show Capital Beat, President Bartlet tells Leo McGarry to offer her a job as Associate White House Counsel. Initially believing the offer is either a joke or a terrible idea, she declines, but reconsiders upon seeing the White House staff in action during a crisis. Primarily, she serves as a foil to Sam Seaborn, making him reconsider his position on policies. She briefly reappears in season 7, wanting to become White House Counsel for the Santos Administration with Josh planning on getting her a meeting with Santos. Joe Quincy (Matthew Perry): Associate White House Counsel who replaces Ainsley Hayes (Seasons 4–5). Republican. He uncovers Vice President Hoynes's leaking of information during an affair with local socialite Helen Baldwin, ultimately leading to Hoynes's resignation. He is later asked by Toby to try and convince Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Ashland, whom he once clerked for, to retire, a task he performs very reluctantly upon seeing his cognitive decline. Mike Wayne (Benjamin Brown): Associate White House Counsel (seasons 4–7). Deals with Toby after he admits to being the source of the military space shuttle leak. Richard Squire (Michael Kostroff): Associate White House Counsel (season 6). Graduate of Yale Law School and a Rhodes Scholar.
Situation Room