Watch Madeleine Albright's cameos in Gilmore Girls, Parks and Rec, and more
Madeleine Albright, who died Wednesday at the age of 84, is best known for serving as the first female secretary of state under former President Bill Clinton.
But after her time as America's chief diplomat, Albright embarked on a minor second career as an actress, playing herself in several movies and TV shows.
In a Season 7 episode of political comedy Parks and Recreation, Albright advises National Park Service Regional Director Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) on how to handle a dispute with one of her employees.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"You're right, once again, Madeleine Albright," Knope says.
"Can I have my pin back now?" Albright responds, indicating a silver and gold dove brooch Leslie is wearing. Albright was known for her extensive collection of pins, which she frequently "donned to communicate a message or a mood during her diplomatic tenure," according to the State Department website.
In a 2005 episode of Gilmore Girls, Albright appears in a dream sequence in which she snuggles up to Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) to wish her a happy birthday, repeating lines Rory's mother, Lorelai (Lauren Graham), delivered in Season 1.
"I just had a dream that Madeleine Albright was my mother," Rory tells her boyfriend when she wakes up.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
On Madam Secretary — which took its title from Albright's 2003 memoir — Albright appeared twice to provide guidance to fictional Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni). In the show's second season, Albright tells McCord, "There is plenty of room in the world for mediocre men. There is no room for mediocre women."
In the fifth season, Albright appeared alongside two other former secretaries of state — Colin Powell and Hillary Clinton — to warn McCord about the threat of nationalism and the importance of diversity.
Albright also appeared as herself in the 2011 film The Adjustment Bureau in a scene in which several real-life political figures hobnob with Matt Damon's congressman character.
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Homo Floresiensis: Earth’s real life ‘hobbits’Under the Radar New research suggests that ‘early human pioneers’ in Australia interbred with archaic species of hobbits at least 60,000 years ago
-
Homes by renowned architectsFeature Featuring a Leonard Willeke Tudor Revival in Detroit and modern John Storyk design in Woodstock
-
Looming drone ban has farmers and farm-state Republicans anxiousIN THE SPOTLIGHT As congressional China-hawks work to limit commercial drone sales from Beijing, a growing number of conservative lawmakers are sounding an agricultural alarm
-
Canada joins EU’s $170B SAFE defense fundspeed read This makes it the first non-European Union country in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative
-
Appeals court disqualifies US Attorney Alina HabbaSpeed Read The former personal attorney to President Donald Trump has been unlawfully serving as US attorney for New Jersey, the ruling says
-
White House says admiral ordered potential war crimeSpeed Read The Trump administration claims Navy Vice Adm. Frank ‘Mitch’ Bradley ordered a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat, not Pete Hegseth
-
Honduras votes amid Trump push, pardon vowspeed read President Trump said he will pardon former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who is serving 45 years for drug trafficking
-
Congress seeks answers in ‘kill everybody’ strike reportSpeed Read Lawmakers suggest the Trump administration’s follow-up boat strike may be a war crime
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
