The West Wing Cast: Where Are They Now?

Martin Sheen was already an acting legend by the time The West Wing first aired, having enjoyed a 30-year film career that incorporated Francis Ford Coppola’s timeless Apocalypse Now. The father of Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez (as well as Renee, who appeared in the background of all seven seasons), his role as President Jed Bartlet was originally envisaged as a minor one, with Sheen only contracted to appear in five episodes.

His brief and impactful appearance in the pilot prompted a rethink, however, and led to him being added to the main cast, after which he played a major role in almost every subsequent episode as his Presidency progressed mixed the everyday dealings of trying to pass bills in a legislature controlled by the opposition with assassination, kidnapping and scandal.

Now 80 years of age, Sheen has continued to perform in a number of prominent roles since the show’s conclusion, playing the Uncle Ben to Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man and small supporting roles in the likes of The Departed and Selma. He underwent heart surgery in 2015, but has remained active since through his role in Netflix’s Grace & Frankie, inspiring the titular relationship through his affair with his West Wing secretary Lily Tomlin’s husband.