48 celebrities you may have forgotten were on 'The West Wing'

Gabbi ShawAug 10, 2021, 02:12 IST

The cast of "The West Wing."James Sorensen/NBC/Newsmakers

"The West Wing" aired for seven seasons and 156 episodes from 1999 to 2006.
Throughout its run, plenty of familiar faces showed up for five episodes or less.
Amy Adams, Glenn Close, and Laura Dern all walked and talked their way through the show.

Glenn Close appeared in an episode in season five as Judge Evelyn Baker Lang, who goes on to become the chief justice of the Supreme Court.

Close. NBC

Connie Britton appeared in four episodes as Connie Tate, a member of President Jed Bartlet's re-election team.

Britton. NBC

Laura Dern had a memorable one-episode stint as US Poet Laureate Tabatha Fortis in season three.

Dern. NBC

While "Friends" was still airing, Matthew Perry appeared in three episodes of season four in 2003.

Perry. NBC

Before "NCIS," Mark Harmon appeared as Agent Simon Donovan, a Secret Service agent, throughout season three.

Harmon. NBC

A young Evan Rachel Wood played Hogan Cregg, the niece of White House press secretary CJ Cregg, in season three.

Mark Harmon and Wood. NBC

A young Amy Adams appeared in season four's premiere as a character named Cathy.

Adams. NBC

Ed O'Neill played the governor of Pennsylvania, Eric Baker, for four episodes in season six.

O'Neill. NBC

Jane Lynch had a blink-and-you-miss-it role as an unnamed reporter in two episodes.

Lynch. NBC

Gabrielle Union played a character named Meeshel in a season-five episode.

Union. NBC

The legendary John Goodman appeared as Speaker of the House Glen Allen Walken in seasons four and five.

Goodman. NBC

Before he was an Oscar winner, JK Simmons played Harry Ravitch, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman in a pivotal episode in season seven.

Simmons. NBC

Felicity Huffman, an Aaron Sorkin regular, appeared as Ann Stark in season two.

Huffman. NBC

Before "Parks and Recreation," Nick Offerman played Jerry, a wolf enthusiast, in the fifth episode of the entire show.

Offerman. NBC

Christian Slater played Lieutenant Commander Jack Reese, a brief love interest for Donna, in three episodes throughout season four.

Slater. NBC

"House" star Lisa Edelstein recurred in season one as Laurie, who was a sex worker to pay for law school and a friend of deputy communications director Sam Seaborn.

Rob Lowe and Edelstein. NBC

The '80s star and future "Stranger Things" villain Matthew Modine played Marco, a high school classmate of CJ's in an episode in season four.

Modine with Allison Janney. NBC

"Sex and the City" star Evan Handler appeared in three episodes as another campaign staffer on Bartlet's re-election campaign, Doug Wegland.

Handler. NBC

You may not recognize him without his platinum blond Lucius Malfoy wig, but that was Jason Isaacs as Colin Ayres in seasons five and six.

Isaacs and Janel Moloney. NBC

Noah Emmerich appeared in one episode as Bobby Zane, a lawyer who asks Sam for a favor.

Emmerich. NBC

"Sweet Home Alabama" actress Mary Kay Place played Surgeon General Millicent Griffith in three episodes.

Place. NBC

Gerald McRaney was in two episodes as US Air Force General Alan Adamle, an old friend of chief of staff Leo McGarry.

McRaney. NBC

James Brolin played the Republican presidential candidate Governor Robert Ritchie in two episodes.

Brolin. NBC

Secret Service Agent Wesley Davis was played by Taye Diggs for two episodes in season four.

Diggs. NBC

Iconic character actor Hector Elizondo played Dalton Millgate in an episode in season three.

Elizondo. NBC

Before "Battlestar Galactica," Edward James Olmos played Judge Roberto Mendoza, a candidate for the Supreme Court, in two episodes.

Olmos. NBC

Cress Williams is now known as the superhero Black Lightning, but before that he was Lester, a campaign staffer in season seven.

Williiams. NBC

"Breaking Bad" star Dean Norris appears as Republican Party Chairman Steve Hodder in season seven.

Norris. NBC

After appearing in two episodes of season four as Tyler, John Gallagher Jr. would go on to star in Aaron Sorkin's next drama series, "The Newsroom."

Richard Schiff, Gallagher Jr., and Bradley Whitford. NBC

William Fichtner appears as Judge Christopher Mulready, another Supreme Court nominee, in season five's "The Supremes."

Glenn Close and Fichtner. NBC

David Ramsey is now a huge part of the CW's Arrowverse, but first he had a brief role as one of the Santos campaign's aides in season seven.

Ramsey with Bradley Whitford. NBC

You may recognize Carl Lumbly from his role on "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," but first, he appeared in season one as Jeff Breckenridge.

Lumbly. NBC

Legendary TV actress CCH Pounder played Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Deborah O'Leary in "Celestial Navigation."

John Spencer and CCH Pounder. NBC

Fellow TV legend John Larroquette popped up in one episode as lead White House counsel Lionel Tribbey.

Larroquette. NBC

"Deadwood" icon Ian McShane played a Russian negotiator in an episode in season three.

McShane. NBC

James Cromwell played one of the last living former presidents, President D. Wire Newman, in an episode of season five.

Cromwell. NBC

Dr. Richard Webber himself, James Pickens Jr., appeared in season five as the unnamed mayor of Washington, DC.

Pickens Jr. NBC

Professor Lawrence Lessig is played by Christopher Lloyd in season six's "The Wake Up Call."

Richard Schiff and Lloyd. NBC

Before "Modern Family," Ty Burrell played Tom Starks, a Rotarian who wants to talk to Sam about seatbelt laws.

Burrell. NBC

The same year she began playing Paris Geller on "Gilmore Girls," Liza Weil played a similar character named Karen Larson in season one.

Weil and Rob Lowe. NBC

Eric Stonestreet, another future "Modern Family" star, appeared as an unnamed staffer in season two.

Stonestreet. NBC

Bellamy Young might've gotten a taste for the White House when she played lawyer MaryLou Meriwether in season five.

Bradley Whitford and Young. NBC

In her second on-screen role ever, "Pretty Little Liars" star Ashley Benson (left) appeared in "Game On," an episode in season four.

Benson on the left. NBC

Similarly, future "Community" star Danny Pudi played an unnamed aide in his first on-screen role in season seven.

Pudi. NBC

David Burtka's character's name was literally "Intern Bruce" in an episode in season three.

Burtka. NBC

Jorja Fox is now best known for her 296 episodes of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," but first she played Secret Service Agent Gina Toscano in seasons one and two.

Fox. NBC

"The Wire" star Lance Reddick played a DC police officer in a beloved episode.

Reddick. NBC

Any "Homeland" fan would recognize Navid Negahban, aka Abu Nazir, as Maz in season five's "Memorial Day."

Negahban. NBC

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