The West Wing
NBC (ended 2006)
Cast & Crew
EDIT
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Alan Alda
Senator Arnold Vinick
Alan Alda, born on January 28, 1936, began his acting career at the age of 16 in Barnesville, Pennsylvania. While in college at Fordham University, Alda was able to perform on stage in Rome with his father, the late Robert Alda, on television. However, his acting career began with "Secret File, U.S.A." Afterwards, his acting career slowly began to build up, until he finally joined M*A*S*H, of which became his biggest success. Since M*A*S*H, Alda has won well over 25 awards, including 6 Golden Globes, 5 Emmys, and 7 People's Choice Awards.
Not only has Alda starred on television and the silver screen, but he has also appeared on Broadway multiple times. His performance on Broadway's Fair Game of Lover won him a Theatre World Award, and his acting on The Apple Tree earned him a Toby Nomination.
Nearly fifteen years before his success on M*A*S*H, Alda married Arlene Weiss on March 17, 1957. Since then, they have had three daughters: Eve, Elizabeth, and Beatrice. Besides acting, Alda has written two books: Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned and The Last Days of M*A*S*H, of which he co-wrote with his wife, Arlene.moreless -
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Kristin Chenoweth
Annabeth Schott
Kristin Chenoweth is a well-known TV, film, and stage actress and musician. She graduated from Oklahoma City University, where she earned a Bachelor's degree in musical theater and a master's degree in opera performance. Since then she has spent a considerable amount of time on Broadway and has made a few appearances on London's West End. In 2001, Kristin released her debut album, Let Yourself Go and in 2005 released her second album, As I Am. She has also performed for several other soundtracks of musicals and movies that she has been in. Kristin has appeared in numerous films and had a recurring role on NBC's The West Wing from 2004 - 2006. In 2007, Kristin was cast in the ABC comedy, Pushing Daisies.moreless -
Dule Hill
Charlie Young
Hill has been cast as one of the City Kids and was in the original cast of Bring in Da' Noise, Bring In Da' Funk. He has had guest roles on shows such as Ghostwriter, Cosby, Smart Guy, and New York Undercover. He also had an important role in the movie Holes in which he played Sam the Onion Man. He is currently pumping up for his own series as he says goodbye to his role on The West Wing. He will miss the show but hopes his own endeavours will be a success. Due to his association with the show he has appeared on Celebrity Poker Showdown and is a champion of sorts in that show's history. Hill is also finishing up two movies called Whisper and The Guardian which are both in post-production and scheduled to be released sometime in 2006. In the meantime his is working on his own series in which he plays one of the leading characters. The name of this series is Psych and it's set to premiere on Friday, July 7, 2006 on the USA Network. The show will partner up on Friday nights with the critically acclaimed series Monk. Hometown: Orange, New Jersey, USA Family: He is the youngest of two sons born to his Jamaican parents. His father is an investment banker and his mother an educator. Education: Seton Hall University. He dropped out college in his junior year to be in Bring in Da' Noise, Bring In Da' Funk. Significant Other(s): 2001, Dating actress Nicole Lyn. 2004, Married to Nicole Lyn. Factoids: Hill is a proficient tap dancer, a talent he displayed at the 32nd NAACP Image Awards with fellow tapster Savion Glover.moreless -
Allison Janney
Claudia Jean "C.J." Cregg
Allison comes from a family of performers -- her mother was an actress and her father and brother are musicians. Her youthful dreams of becoming an Olympic figure skater were curtailed by an accident in which she was injured colliding with a glass door. Education: Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio Neighborhood Playhouse, New York Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, London Discovered by Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward Height: 6' 0" Became engaged to actor Richard Jenik on May 17, 2004moreless -
Moira Kelly
Mandy Hampton
New York native Moira Kelly, well-known as the voice of Nala in Disney's Lion King and as Kate Moseley in the 1992 romantic comedy The Cutting Edge, has captivated film and television audiences worldwide with her voice, beauty, and talent since the early '90s. On television, she is recognized as Mandy Hampton, media consultant of President Josiah Bartlett (played by Martin Sheen), in the first season of The West Wing and as Karen Roe, the loving single parent of Lucas Scott (played by Chad Michael Murray) on One Tree Hill. Born to Irish immigrants in Queens, New York, Moira spent three of her childhood years in Ireland before her family moved back to the US and settled in Ronkonkoma, New York, where she was raised in a strict, middle-Catholic household. Influenced by her father who is a professional musician, she became an accomplished violinist, drummer, and flutist at a young age. She competed in opera and performed in the school production of Annie while at Connetquot Senior High School from where she graduated in 1986. Moira then attended Marymount Manhattan College in New York City but had to work part-time to support her education since her parents couldn't afford to. After graduating from college, Kelly and her friends packed their bags and went on a New York-to-L.A. road trip. Within a month of graduation, she filmed her first movie, The Boy Who Cried B!tch (1991). In 1992, Moira got her first leading role in The Cutting Edge as the rich, spoiled champion figure skater Kate Moseley, who was partnered with skillful and arrogant hockey player Doug Dorsey (played by D.B. Sweeney). That same year, she landed her first major role alongside Robert Downey, Jr. in Richard Attenborough's Charlie Chaplin biography, Chaplin. In the movie, she portrayed two characters -- the legendary comedian's first love, 15-year-old Heady, and his last wife Lady Oona Chaplin. In 1994, she was tasked to voice Adult Nala in Disney's blockbuster animation The Lion King and in its sequels and video game counterparts in the following years. On television, Moira's first stint as a series regular came in 1998 as she played the newly-wed Annie Cornell on the short-lived CBS romantic family drama To Have & To Hold. The following year, she starred as White House media consultant Dr. Madeline Hampton on The West Wing. However, her character was taken out of the show after only one season. In 2003, Moira moved to the small town of Tree Hill as cafe owner and single mother Karen Roe on CW's (then WB) popular teen drama One Tree Hill. Overall, this angel-faced devout Irish Catholic who once dreamed of becoming a nun has established a solid acting career that will be remembered by film and television fans for years to come.moreless -
Rob Lowe
Sam Seaborn
Rob Lowe was a member of the infamous "Brat Pack" in the 1980s. Some other members included Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, and Judd Nelson. -
Joshua Malina
Will Bailey
Joshua Malina graduated from Yale University after earning a B.A. in theatre. Josh made his first professional appearance on Broadway as a part of Sorkin's A Few Good Men (He is credited as being in the play from Nov 15, 1989 through Jan 26, 1991). Later he had a bit part as an extra in the movie version. Later Sorkin would cast him as Jeremy in the series Sports Night. After the show was cancelled, Josh continued to act in movies and took guest starring spots in several TV shows.
Malina resides in Los Angeles with his wife Melissa and two children, Isabel and Avi. Josh enjoys playing poker and helped create Celebrity Poker Showdown.moreless -
Mary McCormack
Kate Harper
Studied at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and at the William Esper Studio. 1987 graduate of the Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison, New Jersey. Theater work: "Cabaret" on Broadway as Sally Bowles "A Fair Country" at Naked Angels The Atlantic Theatre Company Alice's 4th Floor Sister of actor Will McCormack.moreless -
Janel Moloney
Donna Moss
Janel Moloney, was born and raised in Woodland Hills, California.
She is the daugther of two hair-dressers named John and Judy, and has two older siblings (Lance, who is a contractor, and Meegan, an attorney) and a twin sister, called Carey, a nurse.
She studied ballet for ten years, but continued to work at acting.
She studied acting briefly at the State University New York-Purchase, but soon returned to Los Angeles to begin s. Her acting teacher Roy London is known as her biggest inspiration.
She guest-starred on the tv series Sports Night where she was introduced to Sports Night (and The West Wing) executive producers Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme.
From 1999 until 2006 she portrayed Senior Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff, Donatella Moss on Sorkin's show The West Wing.
She was an Emmy Award nominee in 2004 and 2005.moreless -
Richard Schiff
Toby Ziegler
As the middle child of the three sons of Edward and Charlotte Schiff. Richard Schiff was born and raised on the East Coast. The Emmy Award winner began his career as a theater director in New York and later founded and served as the artistic director of the Manhattan Repertory Theatre where he directed both on-and off-Broadway productions. Reversing the usual trend, Richard eventually realized that, "What I really wanted to do was act." After hitting the boards in a few downtown productions, he nabbed roles in several independent feature films (including Robert Longo's Arena Brains with Michael Stipe, Steve Buscemi and Ray Liotta) before moving to Los Angeles. Keeping his ties to theater, Schiff joined Tim Robbins' award-winning Actors Gang and concurrently appeared in other productions, including a starring role as Goose in the West Coast premiere of David Rabe's Goose and Tom Tom, for which he received a Dramalogue Award for Best Actor. He was also awarded an Ovation Award for his role in Urban Folktales. Schiff rose to prominence by landing roles in feature films such as David Fincher's Seven with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman and City Hall with Al Pacino. Since his film debut, Schiff has appeared in over 40 features, including Spike Lee's Malcolm X, Danny DeVito's Hofa, Nora Ephron's Michael and co-starred as the heroic Eddie Carr in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park: The Lost World. In 1998, he co-starred in two of the year's biggest hits, Deep Impact and Dr. Doolittle, and received critical acclaim for his role in Living Out Loud with DeVito. Most recently, Schiff starred in the films Heaven and Forces of Nature. His additional big-screen credits include Numbers, starring John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow, and What's the Worst That Can Happen? starring Martin Lawrence and Danny DeVito.
Prior to The West Wing, Schiff was perhaps best recognized on TV for his stirring portrayal of the struggling Barry Roth on the critically acclaimed series Relativity. He has also carved a niche as a guest star, with memorable performances on such shows as Ally McBeal, The Practice, Chicago Hope and NBC's ER. He was most recently seen in the movie Ray, a movie for which Jamie Foxx won an Oscar.
Schiff won a 2000 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work as the White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler on The West Wing. He was nominated for that role again in 2001 and 2002. Schiff's birthday is May 27. He is married to actress Sheila Kelley (L.A. Law, Sisters). They have two children: Gus, and Ruby. The Schiff Family currently resides in Los Angeles, California.moreless -
John Spencer
Leo McGarry
John was born in December 1946 in New York, to Mildred, a waitress, and John Speshock, a truck driver. He is of Irish and Ukranian descent. At 16 he attended the Professional Children's School in New York, and later Fairleigh Dickinson University, but did not finish his degree. His TV work began in The Patty Duke Show, but is best known to audiences for his roles on LA Law and The West Wing. John passed away in December 2005, just a few days before his 59th birthday, and his death was tastefully included in The West Wing. He lived with his long-time girl friend, actress-choreographer Patricia Mariano up until his death.moreless -
Bradley Whitford
Josh Lyman
Brad grew up in Wisconsin, and was involved in theater in high school but never thought that he could do it professionally. He graduated June 4, 1977 from Madison East High School in Madison, Wisconsin. He went to Wesleyan University graduating in 1981 (he majored in both English and Theater) and later earned his Masters in Theater from Juilliard. After school he was in a number of Broadway and off Broadway plays including Curse of the Starving Glass (his first professional performance), A Few Good Men , and the lead in Coriolanus. Brad has been married to actress Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle) since August 15, 1992. The couple has 3 children : Frances (January 1998), George (December 1999) and Mary Louisa (December 2002). Bradley was raised as a Quaker, and along with his wife Jane, is against the death penalty.moreless -
Jimmy Smits
Matthew Santos
Jimmy was born in 1955 to a Surinamese father and Puerto Rican mother. His father was a silk screen plant manager and his mother was a nurse. He was two older sisters. From his days at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, he enjoyed acting. His family did not traditionally go far in education, and when he fathered a child at 19 and married young, things looked bleak. However, he went on to study drama at Brooklyn College, graduating in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts and Theatre degree. He also earned a BA and an MA (Cornell University). With small roles in shows like Miami Vice, he got his big break in 1986 in LA Law, and followed it up with an award-winning stint in NYPD Blue. He divorced Barbara after 8 years in 1983. Together they have two children (Taina (b. 1973) and Joaquin (b. 1983)), and has been with Wanda de Jesus since 1985. Jimmy's career has gone from strength to strength with small screen success in The West Wing and big screen appearances the Prequels to Star Wars.moreless -
Martin Sheen
President Jed Bartlet
His mother, Mary Ann Phelan, was an Irish immigrant, and his father, Francisco Estevez, was a Spaniard who came to the U.S. by way of Cuba. They met at citizenship school in Dayton. Martin was born Ramon Estvez in Dayton, Ohio in 1940 to an Irish mother (Mary Ann Phelan) and a Spanish father (Francisco Estvez), he was the seventh of ten children. He grew up in Bermuda but was the only one of the brood not to be born there. He was keen to be an actor even though his father disapproved, and claims he deliberately failed the entrance exam for the University of Dayton so that he could pursue an acting career. His first major role as on Broadway in The Subject was Roses in 1965, a role he recreated in the 1968 film adaption. He began workign in movies, from Catch-22 to Badlands and Apocalypse Now. His TV career was cemented when he played the President in The West Wing, a role that brought many award nominations. A man of convictions, Martin has been arrested over 70 times for his protests against nuclear weapons, for workers rights among many others. He married Janet Templeton (1961) and had 3 sons and 1 daughter: Emilio (b. 1962), Ramon (b. 1963), Charles (b. Carlos in 1965) and Rene (b. in 1967). He has three grandchildren (Taylor, Paloma and Cassandra).moreless -
Ryan Cutrona
CIA Director George Rollie
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Penny Griego
Newscaster
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Kathryn Joosten
Delores Landingham
Kathryn Joosten is a two time Emmy Award winning actress. Joosten did not began her to hone her craft until middle age in the 1980's, after she started taking acting classes in Chicago. She started her acting career at the age of 42. Prior to finding herself under the bright lights and behind the camera lens Joosten worked as a psychiatric nurse. By the time the mid-1990's had rolled around Joosten found her way to Hollywood, where she would take on many guest roles in some of televisions most beloved shows such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Roseanne, Dharma & Greg, Murphy Brown, and several others. In a 1997 episode of Frasier titled 'Roz's Turn', Joosten appeared as Vera, the mother and personal secretary of Frasier's conniving agent, Bebe Glazer, played by Harriet Sansom Harris. Little did the two actresses know that they would be reunited to play neighbors in the first season of the colossal ABC hit Desperate Housewives. As 1999 approached Joosten would find herself in the role that would put her on the map, a role that she would become well known for, as Delores Landingham, secretary to the president (played by Martin Sheen) on the wildly popular West Wing. Joosten played this part for two seasons, until her character's death in a car crash in 2001. She would lend her talents to the show twice more after her death in flashback episode. Joosten's role on The West Wing opened many doors for her and gave entrance into many significant guest spots on several extremely popular shows. Since 2001, she has appeared in such shows as Scrubs in the episode titled 'My Old Lady' which won her a Humaitas Prize. Some of her other credits include The X-Files, The Closer, Grey's Anatomy, Charmed, Will & Grace, and many others. Joosten also had a recurring role as one of the less intimidating incarnations of GOD on the now canceled TV series Joan of Arcadia. Most recently Joosten can be found living on Wisteria Lane portraying Mrs. Karen McCluskey on ABC's smash hit Desperate Housewives. Joosten's Mrs. McCluskey is the lonely and most often bickering neighbor of Felicity Huffman's character Lynette Scavo. With her role on Desperate Housewives Joosten has earned two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series in both 2005 and 2008. She has also received three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations alongside her fellow Housewives for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series from 2006 - 2008. While Kathryn Joostens name may not be one that everyone recognizes right off the bat her face and her talent certainly are. With an impeccable gift for comedic timing and the ability to make some of the most hateful characters seem lovable Joosten is definitely an A+ actress. It might have taken her a long time to begin her acting career but she isn't showing any signs of letting it go any time soon and for that we are truly happy.moreless -
Oliver Platt
Oliver Babish
Oliver Platt was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. His place of birth is often reported as Washington because that is where his parents resided at the time. His parents are Sheila Maynard, a former clinical social worker in Islamabad, and Nicholas Platt who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Zambia, the Philippines, and Pakistan. Oliver is the middle child of three sons. His older brother Adam is a writer for New York Magazine and his younger brother Nicholas Jr. is a publishing executive.
Due to his father's diplomatic career, Oliver Platt's family moved to many different places, including the Middle and Far East, and he attended many different schools. In 1983, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Drama from Tufts University, Massachusetts.
In September 1992, Oliver Platt married Mary Camilla Bonsal Campbell at the First Congregational Church in Kittery Point, Maine. Camilla Campbell works as a freelance assistant producer of documentary films in New York. They have three children, Lili (born in 1994), George (born in 1997), and Claire (born in 1999). Oliver Platt is mainly a movie actor and says that he enjoys playing interesting supporting roles. His major tv credits include the Award-winning role as Russell Tupper in Huff and recurring roles in The West Wing and Bored To Death.moreless -
Joanna Gleason
Jordan Kendall
Joanna comes from a show business family and is the daughter of game show host Monty Hall and Marilyn (Plotell) Hall, her mother was a writer-producer and Emmy-award winner. She has two siblings, Sharon, a television writer and Richard Hall, Richard Hall, an Emmy Award winning television producer.
She was married to acting teacher Paul G. Gleason (not the late actor Paul Gleason of "The Breakfast Club" fame) from 1975 to 1981, they have one son, Aaron Gleason. She was married to investment banker Michael Bennahum from 1984 to 1990. She married actor Chris Sarandon in 1994, becoming the step mother of his two daughters and one son; Stephanie, Alexis and Michael.
Joanna won a Tony Award in 1988 for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine's "Into The Woods."moreless -
Suzy Nakamura
Kathy
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Steve Ryan
Miles Hutchinson
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Roger Rees
Lord John Marbury
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Michael O'Neill
Ron Butterfield
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Jorja Fox
Gina Toscano
Jorja Fox was born Jorja-An Fox on July 7, 1968 in New York City, New York. Jorja was then raised in Florida.
Jorja attended Hoover Junior High in Indialantic, Florida.
Jorja is a part of Heather Grody's (The Murmurs singer/guitarist) HoneyPot Production.
Jorja went to Melbourne High School in Melbourne, Florida for two years before being "discovered" in a model search at a local mall.
Jorja has had numerous guest appearances on television shows such as ER, The West Wing, and Missing Persons.
Jorja had a small role in the movie Memento.
Jorja is currently staring as Sara Siddle on CSI. Jorja has been playing this role since Friday, October 13th, 2000.moreless -
Terry O'Quinn
Nicholas Alexander
Terry O'Quinn is known for his roles as Peter Watts on Millenium, F.B.I Assistant Director Kendall on Alias, Captain Thomas Boone on JAG, General Omar Santiago on Harsh Realm, and John Locke on the hit show Lost.
Terry O'Quinn has also done guest appearances on The West Wing, Miami Vice, and The X-Files and has appeared in movies such as Old School, Ghosts of Mississippi, The Rocketeer, and The X-Files.moreless -
Ivan Allen
Roger Salier
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Janel Moloney
Donna Moss
Janel Moloney, was born and raised in Woodland Hills, California.
She is the daugther of two hair-dressers named John and Judy, and has two older siblings (Lance, who is a contractor, and Meegan, an attorney) and a twin sister, called Carey, a nurse.
She studied ballet for ten years, but continued to work at acting.
She studied acting briefly at the State University New York-Purchase, but soon returned to Los Angeles to begin s. Her acting teacher Roy London is known as her biggest inspiration.
She guest-starred on the tv series Sports Night where she was introduced to Sports Night (and The West Wing) executive producers Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme.
From 1999 until 2006 she portrayed Senior Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff, Donatella Moss on Sorkin's show The West Wing.
She was an Emmy Award nominee in 2004 and 2005.moreless -
Timothy Busfield
Danny Concannon
Timothy Busfield was born in Lansing Michigan. His mother, Jean was the director for Michigan State University Press, and his father, Roger once taught theater arts in university.
He attended East Tennessee State University, where he appeared in his first production as Puck, in Robin Goodfellow a children's version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. He apprenticed at the Louisville Kentucky Actor's Theatre. He also traveled and performed in Europe in a New York rendition of Getting Out. He continued to work in theater in New York, including being the understudy for Matthew Broderick in Neil Simon's Broadway production Brighton Beach Memoir along with A Few Good Men, and Founder. He also started his own non-profit business, Fantasy Theatre, a company of five actors who solicited plays from California school children, ages 7-14. Timothy picked out the best, re-wrote them and had his group perform them for elementary and junior high schools.
Busfield was a young actor when he first appeared on television as Richard Mulligan's son on the sitcom, Reggie (1983). He followed up by joining the cast of the medical drama, Trapper John, M.D. (1979-86) for its last two seasons. Tim Busfield has also appeared in such TV-movies as Strays (1991), and the interesting drama Murder Between Friends (1994). His most notable Television series role was as Elliot Weston on the ABC series thirtysomething from 1987 - 1991. He was nominated for an Emmy every year the show aired, and won one for Best Supporting Actor in 1991. Tim Busfield is a diverse actor who can play the irresponsible guy to the caring family man.
In addition to acting, Busfield has directed many television shows from thirtysomething to Ed and First Years. Timothy held a recurring role on the series The West Wing for its entire run and is starring in Sorkin/Schlamme's new TV endeavor; Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
Timothy has been married twice: Radha Delamarter, an actress and director (until 1986) and Jennifer Merwin, a fashion designer, whom he married in 1988 but who started divorce proceedings in 2007.
He has three children: Wilson (or Willy), (b. 1982)from his marriage to Radha, and Daisy (b. 1989) and Samuel (b. 1991), from his marriage to Jennifer.moreless -
John Amos
Percy Fitzwallace
John Amos is former professional football player and an American actor, best known for playing James Evans, Sr. on the 1970s sitcom "Good Times" from 1974 to 1976, and for playing an adult Kunta Kinte in the groundbreaking mini-series, "Roots." Amos credits also include, Gordy Howard, the weatherman on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Captain Dolan on the show Hunter, also in the CBS police drama The District, and most resently as, Buzz in "Men In Trees" on ABC. He is a frequent guest-star on many shows, such as, "The Cosby Show," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "The West Wing" and "The A-Team." He can also be seen in many films, from "Coming to America," "The Beastmaster," "Let's Do It Again" and "Die Hard 2."moreless
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