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.
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"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.
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.
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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.
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