When Miranda took his curtain call after his final Broadway performance as Hamilton, the West Wing theme played for his bow. She received her first Emmy nomination in 2015 as a lead actress for the role. Tomlin's second album, 1972's And That's The Truth, featuring her character Edith Ann, was nearly as successful, peaking at No. In Eppur Si Muove, it was revealed she had a relative she lost to cervical cancer, which is often the result of the Human papillomavirus infection (HPV). He was the fifth person to serve in that role under President Bartlett. Allison Janney trained throughout her childhood to be an Olympic figure skater. took the opportunity to plant one on him, now that their professional relationship no longer precluded it. As he enters, he holds the door open. Tomlin performed this character as part of her, Tess/Trudy is a homeless bag lady who accosts theater-goers and various passers-by with her offbeat observations and tales of communications with extraterrestrials. Along with her for that ride was Jorja Fox as Gina Toscano, one of Zoeys Secret Service agents. Look at Ainsley and Joe, for example or Arnold Vinick, played by Alan Alda, who is a great senator and couldve made a good president. "[22], Tomlin collaborated again with director Robert Altman in what would prove to be his last film, A Prairie Home Companion (2006). "What I lack in memory I more than make up for in deductive reasoning," the president tells Fiderer during a rocky job interview. The series had a budget of $2.7 million per episode in its first season. : Suzy Nakamura, who played Cathy, has since gone on to plenty of other work, popping up in many different films and tv shows. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Tomlin has been generally quiet about her sexuality. But most people don't do extended monologues in character. The West Wing: 10 Characters Who Disappeared Without An Explanation, treatment from Josh as he gave to Amy and Donna, the poor treatment she initially received, which hasn't aged all that well, Arnold Vinick, played by Alan Alda, who is a great senator, 10 Underrated West Wing Quotes That Are Ridiculously Meme-Worthy. Readers of TV Guide voted the cast of The West Wing their Best Drama cast of all time, receiving 37% of the votes, beating Lost, which received 23%. The show frequently employed a device in which characters have conversations while walking through the office halls or from one meeting to another. During the 2008 Emmy Awards, Tomlin appeared as part of a tribute to the influential 1960s television series Laugh-In. Television critic Heather Havrilesky asked, "What rock did these morally pure creatures crawl out from under and, more important, how do you go from innocent millipede to White House staffer without becoming soiled or disillusioned by the dirty realities of politics along the way?". She starts to relate the time she talked about notoriously secretive Woody Allen . There's gonna be a second interview? The goldfish and goldfish bowl then become permanent parts of C.J. She'd seen the show the night before and wanted to persuade me to write the sister into a future episode so that she could play the part. On TV's West Wing, why did Lily Tomlin's character previously get fired from the White House? Cregg) & Bradley Whitford (Josh Lyman) also worked together on episode 4.9, Mom: Bad Hand and British Royalty (2017), of Mom (2013) as Bonnie & Mitch respectively. I got pretty pretty well doinked. [30] The series plan was scrapped due to Joosten's illness, a recurrence of lung cancer; Joosten died on June 2, 2012, twenty days after the onscreen death from cancer of her character Karen McCluskey. NBC "The West Wing" Web site: http://www.nbc.com/westwing/, Lily Tomlin's Web site: http://www.lilytomlin.com, EDITOR'S NOTE _ Lynn Elber can be reached at lelber"at"ap.org. It was possibly intended to have her and Josh enter a romantic relationship but Sorkin decided the character just wasn't the right fit for the series. In adulthood, his passions and tastes have evolved to include other fantastical tales, reality tv, and comedy. In the same letter, she praised Toby Ziegler for saving Social Security in an earlier episode. Despite his charm and charisma, Sam was written out of the show in the fourth season as a result of disagreements over pay and the diminishing size of his role on . variety comedy in the 1960s, Lily Tomlin has switched between television, I thought maybe I could do a character like (former Texas Governor) Anne Richards, because Anne was a friend of mine. September 1, 2022, 5:30 AM. The Secretary of Agriculture, played by Harry Groener, is named Roger Tribbey, and the White House Counsel, played by John Larroquette, is named Lionel Tribbey. Ronald L. Ziegler was Nixon's Press Secretary, while the Director of Communications in this show is called Toby Ziegler. Tomlin provided a voice for the film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, which was released in August 2009. She said, "What the hell's going on? The show was praised for its high production values and repeatedly recognised for its cinematic achievements. Martin Sheen also played the President (albeit in another character's premonition) in The Dead Zone (1983). Lily Tomlin(born on September 1, 1939) is an American actress, writer, producer, and comedian. In 1970, AT&T offered Tomlin $500,000 to play her character Ernestine in a commercial, but she declined, saying it would compromise her artistic integrity. The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat. Anniversary; . "She's very focused, very intelligent and very imaginative." And he's a very free-form kind of guy anyway. In season one, episode nineteen, "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet", during the meeting in the Roosevelt room about gay soldiers in the military, Toby makes his point by sarcastically asking "What the hell is going on at Lackland Air Force Base?" "The language is very dense, filled with ideas and intelligence and observations and questions. In 2012, seven years after those episodes first aired, the U.S. Air Force admitted to having completed a classified 469-day military mission of a previously secret, unmanned, Boeing-built, reusable X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle. The West Wing is noted for developing the "walk-and-talk"-long Steadicam tracking shots showing characters walking down hallways while involved in long conversations. There was the torturous plotting employed to set up the addition of Mary-Louise Parker and Lily Tomlin to the cast next fall. At the beginning of the show's sixth season, Israel's ambassador flew from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles to visit the set of the show. The couple first met back in 1971 when Tomlin invited . Also, in the 1990s, Tomlin appeared on the popular sitcom Murphy Brown as the title character's boss. When he asked C.J. Kind of a waste of Stephen "Jimmy James" Root, if we're being honest. DVD. In March 2007, two videos were leaked onto YouTube portraying on-set arguments between Russell and Tomlin, in which among other things he called her sexist names. Tomlin decides the little figurines are alpacas, most likely a keepsake from her desk on The West Wing, where her character, a former alpaca farmer, served as executive assistant to Martin Sheen . [37][38], Tomlin has been involved in a number of feminist and gay-friendly film productions, and on her 1975 album Modern Scream she pokes fun at straight actors who make a point of distancing themselves from their gay and lesbian charactersanswering the pseudo-interview question, she replies: "How did it feel to play a heterosexual? The album hit No. I tried to get on `Lawrence Welk,' but it didn't work.". The video described the event as "like Reddit, but without the weird stuff." In 2005 and 2006, she had a recurring role as Will Truman's boss Margot on Will & Grace. Final project of John Spencer, who quit acting in movies to fully concentrate in his role as Leo McGarry (which earned him one Emmy and two SAG Awards). Aaron Sorkin's award-winning political drama TV series, The West Wing, still remains today one of America's most beloved television shows. In 2010, for the 20th anniversary of Entertainment Weekly Magazine, EW reunited Martin Sheen (President Josiah Bartlet), Allison Janney (C.J. She started her career as a stand-up comedian as well as performing off-Broadway during the 1960s. Between 19792008, writing specials competed alongside, Kelli Bender, "Lily Tomlin Reprises Ernestine Role for PETA's New Ad Blasting SeaWorld,", Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play, Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, List of awards and nominations received by Lily Tomlin, Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series, Outstanding WritingComedy-Variety or Music Special, Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program, "Emmys 2018: Keep an eye on 'Grace and Frankie' in Best Comedy Series", "Obituary for Lillie Mae Tomlin, 1914-2005 (Aged 91)", "Cleveland Evans: With Tomlin's help, Lily blossoms again", "Lillie M Tomlin - United States Social Security Death Index", "Mary Jean Tomlin - United States Census, 1940", "Lily Tomlin Mysterious Modest and Multifaceted", "Lily Tomlin, Playing Lakeland Next Week, Dishes on Her Act, Sexuality and Retiring", "Lily Tomlin in Madison Ave. debut with Peter Lynch", "Chart beat: Katy Perry, Kathy Griffin, Miley Cyrus", "What a Character. After leaving the show, Aaron Sorkin claimed that when he began watching the season five premiere (the first episode to be written without him) he turned it off after less than a minute, and never watched another episode. Rob Lowe left the series in the fourth season reportedly due to not getting a salary increase. Alexander Butterfield was a Deputy Assistant to Nixon, while the Secret Service Agent assigned to President Bartlet is named "Ron Butterfield". Les Meres et Debutantes Club of Greater Lansing, National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress, New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress, The New York Public Library Theatre Collection, The National Theatre Company of Great Britain, Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lily_Tomlin&oldid=1137593064, Articles with dead external links from July 2019, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2011, All articles containing potentially dated statements, TCMDb name template using numeric ID from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Ernestine was a brash, tough and uncompromising, Mrs. Judith Beasley is a housewife and mother from. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939)[1] is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. On the bright side, it did mark the end of the series' most embarrassing subplot ever: the painfully coy flirtation between Presidential press secretary C.J. "Does that come with tights and a cape?" "I liked the show immensely. She starred as Frankie Bergstein on the Netflix series Grace and Frankie, which debuted in 2015 and earned her nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.[2]. This was subsequently corrected. In television parlance, this is called a "walk and talk" scene, though some "West Wing" fans also dubbed the exchanges "pedeconferences". Everything above the fold (the banner, the headline, and the main three or four stories) are the most important parts of the newspaper. Had she stayed on the show she likely wouldve figured in the same way as her fellow assistants. The drive-up "West Wing" entrance most often filmed for the show is actually a set used to cover a large door to one of the two sound stages used by the production company. She was highly capable and intelligent, there to do a job, but along the way, Leos charisma and confidence worm their way into her heart. Moira Kelly starred only in the first season as Mandy Hampton, a political consultant for President Bartlett. Tomlin said in 2006: I certainly never called a press conference or anything like that. Martin Sheen has played the U.S. President many times throughout his career, most notably as John F. Kennedy in a 1983 miniseries. It was possibly intended to have her and Josh enter a romantic relationship but Sorkin decided the character just wasnt the right fit for the series. This was a direct tribute to the famous photograph of President John F. Kennedy taken during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Channing won, having done ten episodes, but was now part of the opening sequence. Her solo show then toured the country and was made into a record album titled On Stage. I was more offended than anything that they thought we'd make a deal. | Mary Jean 'Lily' Tomlin is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer. Back in the West Wing, Sam fills in for Josh as the President's "wide-angle lens," and the President (Martin Sheen) again interviews feisty secretarial candidate Debbie Fiderer (Lily Tomlin). There was also the oddly affected guest performance by James Brolin as Florida governor Robert Ritchie, the George W. Bush dope-elganger wholl oppose President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen) in next seasons election. The others nominated were Martin Sheen (for Lead Actor), Richard Schiff, Dul Hill and Bradley Whitford (for Supporting Actor), and Janel Moloney and Mary-Louise Parker (for Supporting Actress). Viewers of The West Wing may think the death of presidential secretary Dolores Landingham was caused by a drunk driver plowing into her brand-new car. If a lowly TV critic like me knows you should always check to make sure a collar is working solo before holstering your weapon, wouldnt a veteran Secret Service agent have known that? Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from. Also in 2003, she was recognized again by Women in Film with the Lucy Award in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television. The benefit also featured interstitial guest appearances from When We All Vote co-founders Lin-Manuel Miranda (a West WIng superfan) and Michelle Obama. [33], Tomlin stated in 2008, "Everybody in the industry was certainly aware of my sexuality and of Jane in interviews, I always reference Jane and talk about Jane, but they don't always write about it. Unfortunately, it seems that the entire White House Counsel's office are all residents of Mandyville. [47], In December 2014, she was one of five honorees for the annual Kennedy Center Honors. Her father was a factory worker and mother was a nurse's aide. This time, the video announcement (titled "Big Block of Cheese Day Is Back, and It's Feta Than Ever") featured White House Press secretary Josh Earnest and West Wing cast members Bradley Whitford, Joshua Malina, Mary McCormack, Dul Hill, Richard Schiff, Allison Janney, and Martin Sheen. The year was 1972 and Tomlin, about a year into her relationship with the great Jane Wagner but over two decades away from coming out publicly as gay, made an appearance on The Dick Cavett Show . From those conversations, Attie modeled the character of Matthew Santos after Obama's political and personal life. SIUE's most successful season at the Division I level came to a close Thursday with an 81-75 loss 2023 Edwardsville Publishing Company, LLC, See inside: Abandoned Millennium Hotel in St. Louis, Edwardsville fire squads fight McDonald's/Circle K blaze, Pizzeria in Troy has roots in Naples, Italy, 120-apartment complex planned in Glen Carbon, Nearly 5 miles of Illinois Route 157 to get resurfaced this year, Multiple animals rescued in Glen Carbon house fire, 'Wayne's World' among March movies at Wildey in Edwardsville. Kayla Blake's real name is Elsie Sniffen. Although she attended a Southern Baptist church as a child, she later grew to become irreligious. His introduction was quite fun as Josh sussed out that he is a Republican applying to work for a Democratic president. Nevertheless, Moloney was credited as a guest star for the entire first season. Janel Moloney originally auditioned for the part of CJ Cregg. Originally broadcast in 1969. "Are the other kids going to like you? [31], Tomlin reprised her role as Professor Frizzle in the 2017 Netflix sequel The Magic School Bus Rides Again, a continuation of the original series.[32]. In '77, I was on the cover of Time. New York: Carousel Films, 2000. Debbie Fiderer, who was introduced in the fourth season as eccentric, Although the show did choose to acknowledge Margaret as also being pregnant, there was never any clue given about the identity of the baby's father, whether or not Margaret was married or partnered, or even whether Margaret kept the baby herself, or gave it up for adoption. Look back at her groundbreaking career and longtime love story with wife Jane Wagner in photos. [3] In 1977, her performance as Margo Sperling in The Late Show won her the Silver Bear for Best Actress and nominations for the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Actress. In the Roosevelt Room of the Bartlet White House, portraits of both Roosevelts are hung. ("It's not called Show Art, it's Show Business.). The fold refers to the outer fold of a newspaper. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Lucille the Rubber Freak is a woman addicted to eating rubber, whose monologue details her habit from its beginning (chewing the eraser on pencils) to her obsessive rock bottom (eating the tip off mother's cane). Then Lily Tomlin walked in as Debbie Fiderer and the world was right again. To repay the favor, Charlie convinced . Spencer hastened to add that he meant "political mistress", but Channing did not qualify the assessment. Her young looks have over the years raised rumors among fans and critics that . It runs deep.' Lily Tomlin has been quite famous on Broadway. James Cromwell (former President Newman) played Mr. Skolnick in all four movies. On the bright side, it did mark the end of the series most embarrassing subplot ever: the painfully coy flirtation between Presidential press secretary C.J. James Hong (the Chinese Ambassador) played Snotty in the second movie. During Season 4, in episode "Evidence of Things Not Seen", Will Baily (Joshua Malina) stops in at a staff poker game before leaving on a military assignment. Sheen is currently starring alongside Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda in Grace and Frankie. Aaron Sorkin liked it so much that he wrote it into the next episode of the show ("Six Meetings Before Lunch") as a ritual of C.J.'s. Seventeen actors and actresses from Aaron Sorkin's first show Sports Night (1998) appeared in this show, including Joshua Malina, Janel Moloney, Felicity Huffman, Ted McGinley, Lisa Edelstein, John de Lancie, Allen Garfield, and Clark Gregg. 10 TV Shows That Actually Stuck The Landing, Friends: The Progressively Harder Match The Scene To The Season Quiz, 10 TV Character Deaths Fans Still Aren't Over. The West Wing has received praise from critics, political science professors, and former White House staffers and has been the subject of critical analysis. Following the departure of Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme after season four, Richard Schiff felt that most of the new writers didn't really understand the character of Toby, and would write him just as grumpy, without nuances. And Tomlin will no doubt be hired as Bartlets new executive assistant, even though she showed up for her interview stoned (to quote Dule Hills Charlie). Tomlin says the secret to their 45-year . What episode did Lily Tomlin join West Wing? It's located at the Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California, and can be seen from the street by looking in off Forest Lawn Drive (although often obscured by the many trailers used by the show's cast members). Deborah Fiderer "That's one of the things that the documentary does a . Deborah Fiderer A lot of her story involved her relationship with Charlie Kelly, but her most impactful arc was when she was kidnapped in season four. The show won her a Tony Award and was made into a feature film in 1991. She now stars as Frankie Bergstein in the Netflix comedy series Grace and Frankie . In a strange coincidence, John Spencer (Leo McGarry) while playing an Air Force missile silo Commander in the 1983 movie "War Games", failed to launch his missiles during a test. was too googly-eyed to ask. With over 250 acting credits listed on IMDb, it's not surprising that the guy has racked up a net worth of $60 million. EGOT, having won a Tony, a Grammy and six Emmys for her comedy, drama and Liz Smith, the late famous gossip columnist said . This was the first American drama series to react to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Matlin first appeared as Joey Lucas in the first-season episode "Take this Sabbath Day"; in all, she appeared in 17 episodes over the run of the series. During a 2014 Screen Actors Guild Foundation interview with Roger Rees (moderated by writer Rick Elice, Rees's husband), Elice said that Rees had originally auditioned to play Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, and it eventually came down to a choice between Rees and John Spencer, who won the role. And everybody's supposed to be extremely intelligent and fairly witty," she adds, with a small, self-mocking laugh. Moloney did the whole season as a regular cast member, and Parker only did seven episodes as a Guest Star. Disparities in cast salaries led to very public contract disputes, particularly by Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, and Bradley Whitford. He did return in season six and was even hired as White House Deputy Chief of Staff by CJ Craig. At the end of its run in May 2006 and celebrated at its final Emmy appearance in August 2006, The West Wing (1999) ended up with a grand total of twenty-six Emmys, the most in history for a drama series, tied with Hill Street Blues (1981). ", She saw that there was an opening when a car wreck eliminated Mrs. Landingham, who was played by Tomlin's friend Kathryn Joosten. Alex was about to write a short biography, but he got distracted by something shiny instead. Therefore, after digging up that secret, maybe he determined working there might not be the best fit, and thus he was gone quickly and never heard from again. The West Wing is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential television series of all time. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. running and critically acclaimed, despite a shaky reception to its first In 2013, Timothy Busfield married Melissa Gilbert. It was only after the pilot was filmed that it was decided to make him a regular cast member. Lily Tomlin, original name Mary Jean Tomlin, (born September 1, 1939, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.), American comedian, writer, and actress who first found success on the television show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-Inwhere she created a number of memorable charactersand later embarked on a notable film career that highlighted her adeptness at both comedic and serious roles. West Wing's 'C.J. Tomlin starred opposite Jane Fonda, Martin Sheen, and Sam Waterston in the Netflix original series Grace and Frankie. After seven TV seasons (and two terms in his fictional White House . So far, we know that Fiderer was fired from a previous White House post because she stepped on bureaucratic toes helping Charlie (Dule Hill) get hired as the president's aide. This helped the crew while filming, as the sixth season of the show is dedicated to Middle Eastern relations. | Janel Moloney was never supposed to be a regular. John Goodman (President Glenallen Walken) was the football coach in Revenge of the Nerds (1984). this is Aaron sorkin's only TV series to not focus on the behind the scenes of a television show. In "That Would Be Enough," Eilza sings, "So long as you come home at the end of the day. From the long list of amazing television series in the 21st century., The West Wing is widely considered near the top of that list for its clever dialogue and emotionally resonant stories. 1974 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety, Variety or Music Special. She's scheduled to appear in 10 episodes this season. That idea was abandoned when Poitier's fee was, in Thomas Schlamme's words, "very high", and John Wells was able to ascertain that Poitier was not interested when his manager asked Wells to stop calling. Fiderer's subsequent colorful job history of gambler and alpaca farmer have been sketched in, along with some evidence of political activism, but her personal life remains a cipher. Jeannette Du Bois. During the run-up to the 2020 presidential election (and also during a global pandemic), many members of the West Wing cast reunited in person to perform a staged reading of the episode "Hartsfield's Landing" as a benefit for When We All Vote, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that aims to increase voter participation and close the race and age gap in elections. Like Sam, Ainsley too returned briefly in the final season, this time taking up the position of White House Counsel for the Santos administration. It was an orderly transition Sunday night as President Jed Bartlet left office and "The West Wing" came to a graceful end. In a 2006 LA Times article, real-life former White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers (a consultant on the show), revealed that the relationship between press secretary C.J. Actors originally considered to play the President included Alan Alda, Sidney Poitier, and Jason Robards, Jr. Martin Sheen (President Josiah Bartlet) is 5'7". Tomlin, 63, has approached other series she admired, gaining guest roles on "Homicide: Life on the Street" and a memorable "The X-Files" episode in which she and Ed Asner were paired as mischievous married ghosts. Smart, gutsy and eccentric, Fiderer promises to keep Bartlet on his toes. Spanning 7 seasons, The West Wing still has a few storylines that were never resolved. Tomlin's third comedy album, 1975's Modern Scream, a parody of movie magazines and celebrity interviews featured her performing as multiple characters, including Ernestine, Edith Ann, Judith, and Suzie. In 1969 Lily joined Laugh-In and became an instant success on the already established program, in which in addition to appearing in general sketches and delivering comic gags, she began appearing as the regular well-known characters she created. He has also played Robert F. Kennedy, John Dean (White House counsel under Richard Nixon) and Confederate General Robert E. Lee (in Gettysburg (1993)). On stage, that translates to a flow of memorable lines including "I've always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific." But the show's end . Marlee hit it out of the park, and so I always looked for opportunities to have her on the show." Ainsley Hayes, played by Emily Proctor, was an exciting addition to the series in season two, and it seemed like she could be there to stay. He likened the experience to "Watching someone make out with my girlfriend.". Although he dropped off the map in Season three, it was still implied that he retained his position until the end of the Bartlett administration and it was also implied that he became the Attorney General for President Santos. In 1992, she was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award. That would be enough," a reference to President Bartlet telling his daughter Ellie, "The only thing you ever had to do to make me happy was come home at the end of the day." Fiderer is the new personal secretary to President Bartlet on "The West Wing," taking Mrs. Landingham's old desk. She starts to relate the time she talked about notoriously secretive Woody Allen during production of his "Shadows and Fog" (1992), then stops. Shewas quite loyal to the President and implemented a series of rules and procedures to make his daily routine easier. Various Senior White House staff, Cabinet officials, and members of Congress were available to answer public questions online at various times during the day, including such people as Vice President Joe Biden, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, First Lady Michelle Obama, HUD Secretary Julian Castro, Labor Secretary Tom Perez, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, Senator Cory Booker, and many others. "Don't let me digress because I can digress from here to the parking lot," she warns. In 2003, she was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. What happened to Josh's sister? The set was the largest constructed for both a pilot and a television series to date. She started her career as a stand-up comedian as well as performing off-Broadway during the 1960s. Co-star Bradley Whitford pointed out the obvious chemistry between the characters of Josh and Donna, and Aaron Sorkin agreed. Mrs Landinghams Lily Tomlin's Amazing Life and Career in Photos. West Wing regulars reprising their roles included Dul Hill (Charlie Young), Allison Janney (C. J. Cregg), Rob Lowe (Sam Seaborn), Janel Moloney (Donna Moss), Richard Schiff (Toby Ziegler), Martin Sheen (President Bartlet), and Bradley Whitford (Joshua Lyman).