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.
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.
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.
-
How the FCC’s ‘equal time’ rule worksIn the Spotlight The law is at the heart of the Colbert-CBS conflict
-
What is the endgame in the DHS shutdown?Today’s Big Question Democrats want to rein in ICE’s immigration crackdown
-
‘Poor time management isn’t just an inconvenience’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Witkoff and Kushner tackle Ukraine, Iran in GenevaSpeed Read Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear deal with Iran and an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine
-
Pentagon spokesperson forced out as DHS’s resignsSpeed Read Senior military adviser Col. David Butler was fired by Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is resigning
-
Judge orders Washington slavery exhibit restoredSpeed Read The Trump administration took down displays about slavery at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia
-
Hyatt chair joins growing list of Epstein files losersSpeed Read Thomas Pritzker stepped down as executive chair of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
