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.
-
5 drawn-out cartoons about the ongoing government shutdownCartoon Artists take on government employee cosplay, which side blinks first, and more
-
Political cartoons for November 1Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include insurance premiums, early voting in NYC, and more
-
Salted caramel and chocolate tart recipeThe Week Recommends Delicious dessert can be made with any biscuits you fancy
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
