List Of Veep Characters
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Veep ''Veep'' is an American political satire comedy television series that aired on HBO from April 22, 2012, to May 12, 2019. The series was created by Armando Iannucci as an adaptation of his sitcom ''The Thick of It''. The protagonist of ''Veep'' ...
'' is an American political satire comedy television series created by
Armando Iannucci Armando Giovanni Iannucci (; born 28 November 1963) is a Scottish satirist, writer, director, producer, performer, and panellist. Born in Glasgow to Italian parents, Iannucci studied at the University of Glasgow followed by the University of ...
. The series stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as
Selina Meyer Selina Catherine Meyer ( ; née Eaton) is a fictional character portrayed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the HBO television comedy series ''Veep''. Louis-Dreyfus has been critically acclaimed for the role, earning a record-breaking six consecutive P ...
. The first season premiered on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
on April 22, 2012.


Overview


Main characters

* Julia Louis-Dreyfus as
Selina Meyer Selina Catherine Meyer ( ; née Eaton) is a fictional character portrayed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the HBO television comedy series ''Veep''. Louis-Dreyfus has been critically acclaimed for the role, earning a record-breaking six consecutive P ...
(
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Eaton): Born Selina Catherine Eaton, a former Maryland senator who, in the start of the series, is the titular vice president, or "Veep", who has a strained relationship with the president. After the president declines to run for a second term, she begins campaigning for the presidency in Season 3. At the end of Season 3, she becomes president when he resigns for personal issues. Due to a complex manipulation of constitutional law, she loses the presidential race in Season 5. After trying to decide what her post-presidential legacy should be during Season 6, she decides to run for another term as president by Season 7. She is divorced with one daughter, but remains romantically entangled with her ex-husband during the first two seasons and the sixth. She seems to display little or no maternal instinct towards her daughter, credited due to a childhood where she suffered humiliations from her parents. Her political positions are described as socially compassionate and fiscally moderate. Louis-Dreyfus has received widespread critical acclaim for her performance, winning a record-breaking six
Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
and three
Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
, and receiving five consecutive
Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nominations. *
Anna Chlumsky Anna Maria Chlumsky (; born December 3, 1980) is an American actress. She began acting as a child, and first became known for playing Vada Sultenfuss in the film '' My Girl'' (1991) and its sequel, ''My Girl 2''. Following her early roles, she we ...
as Amy Brookheimer: the Vice President's Chief of Staff. She credits herself as the vice president's "trouble-shooter, problem-solver, issue-mediator, doubt-remover, conscience-examiner, thought-thinker and all-round everything-doer". Amy is constantly sacrificing her own reputation to save Selina's political credibility. She is known to be uptight and overly dedicated to her career, unwilling to settle down and have children, much to the dismay of her family. She has romantic history with Dan, and may still have feelings for him. She has a few different boyfriends throughout the series, including a fundraiser for Selina and a Western politician. Amy becomes Selina's campaign manager during her presidential run, but resigns as a result of the brief appointment of an equivocating, yet omnipresent, old friend of Selina's to the campaign team. She rejoins the Meyer team when a tie in the general election leads to a statewide recount in Nevada. At the end of season 6 it is revealed that after a one-night stand with Dan, she is pregnant with his child. However, she gets an abortion in Season 7, mainly due to Dan's inability to settle down. After being sidelined in Meyer's 2020 election campaign, she becomes the manager of Jonah Ryan's rival campaign, encouraging his populist platform (inasmuch as it would have denied Meyer the presidency). She is later punished by Meyer by having to serve under her previous role as the vice president's chief of staff to Jonah Ryan. Chlumsky previously portrayed a similar character, Liza Weld, in Iannucci's 2009 film, '' In the Loop''. She has received five consecutive
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
nominations for her performance. * Tony Hale as Gary Walsh: Selina's personal aide and body man. A long-term associate and confidant of Selina, Gary is portrayed as incredibly loyal and devoted. Gary states he has a bachelor's in
hotel management ''Hotel Management'' magazine is a trade publication produced by Questex, LLC. History and profile The magazine ''Hotel Management'' was established in New York in 1922 by Ahrens Publishers. It absorbed or merged with various other hotel managem ...
from Cornell University. In the fourth and fifth seasons, Gary is portrayed as having issues adapting to Selina's presidency, since he can no longer be as close to her as previously, due to lack of security clearance. When Selina fails to win reelection, he remains on as her personal aide. Hale describes Gary's loyalty to Selina stemming from the idea that the character "is one of those guys who never really had an identity. He attached himself to people to find who he was." Hale received two
Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
for his performance on the series, with three further nominations. *
Reid Scott Reid Scott (October 23, 1926 – March 2, 2016) was a lawyer and provincial judge in Canada, and a New Democratic Party of Member of Parliament for the Danforth electoral district, in Toronto, from 1962 to 1968, leaving federal politics when h ...
as Dan Egan: the deputy director of communications in the vice president's office, Dan is a highly ambitious, cutthroat up-and-comer in D.C. who takes pride in his contacts and networking skills. It is heavily implied though never stated that Dan Egan is Jewish. He has dated the daughters of influential politicians to get ahead in his career. He often butts heads with Amy, whom he previously dated (and it is suggested he may still have feelings for her). He has a brief stint as Selina's campaign manager for her presidential campaign but is fired from that position after having a nervous breakdown following several crises. He resumes his post in Communications but is fired as a scapegoat amid a data-theft scandal. After briefly working unsuccessfully as a lobbyist and as a CNN analyst, he returns to the campaign staff, as a senior campaign official. When Selina fails to win reelection, Dan goes to work at CBS. In Season 7, he joins Selina's new reelection campaign. However, after being dismissed once again, he falls back on state-level politics, inserting himself as Chief of Staff to Richard Splett in the various offices he holds in Iowan politics. After being fired by Splett to secure his nomination as Meyer's Secretary of Agriculture, Egan abandons politics to pursue a career in real estate. *
Timothy Simons Timothy Charles Simons (born June 12, 1978) is an American actor and comedian best known for his role as Jonah Ryan on the HBO television series ''Veep'', for which he has received five nominations and one win for the Screen Actors Guild Award f ...
as Jonah Ryan: the White House liaison to Vice President Meyer's office, he constantly clashes with most members of the Veep's office, particularly Amy. It is shown that he is disliked by everyone he encounters, even foreign politicians. In the third season, he is temporarily fired from the White House for running a blog disclosing insider information, leading him to create his own news website, ''Ryantology''. In season four, he works again as a liaison, this time between President Meyer and Vice President Doyle. He later works for the Meyer general election campaign, until a New Hampshire congressman dies. He is then drafted to run for that seat in order to secure Meyer's vote in the electoral college. He is elected and becomes a congressman, appointing Richard as his Chief of Staff; as he begins his congressional term, he is diagnosed with testicular cancer and undergoes treatment, entering remission by Season 6. According to Matt Walsh, Jonah Ryan was originally envisioned by the show's writers as "just a fat, short, heavy smoker", but was changed to his current characterization after Simons auditioned for the role. After the end of his disastrous congressional career, Ryan runs for president in 2020 on a nativist, populist platform. However, he is later appointed as Meyer's running mate, becoming vice president thereafter before being impeached in office. In 2020, he married his former step-sister who was later revealed to be his biological half-sister. * Matt Walsh as Mike McLintock: the vice president's director of communications. Mike has served as her communications director since her tenure as senator from Maryland. His career dedication is often questionable, to the extent where he pretends to have a pet dog so he can escape from work commitments. The other characters in the show often mock his lack of ambition, suggesting that he's reached the peak of his career. He is often portrayed as lacking the skills required for the job. In the third season, he marries a reporter named Wendy Keegan. In Season 4, Mike becomes the White House Press Secretary. In Season 5, Mike and Wendy attempt to adopt a baby. They ultimately adopt a Chinese toddler, and also have twins via a surrogate. In Season 6, he is employed by Selina to write her biography ''A Woman First'' but causes a scandal soon after its publication whereby the true nature of the Meyer Administration was revealed due to him leaving the diary he used for research at the offices of '' The Washington Post''. After being denied a position within the 2020 Meyer campaign, Mike returns to a career in journalism with his podcast "McLinTalk". His podcast is adopted as a segment on CBS albeit only for its (unintended) comedic value, with McLintock gaining the status of a veteran anchor by 2045. Walsh has received two
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
nominations for his performance. *
Sufe Bradshaw Sufe Bradshaw ( ; born November 30, 1979) is an American actress, best known for her role as Sue, the secretary and scheduler with an acerbic wit, to Vice-President Selina Meyer, in the HBO comedy series ''Veep''. Her prior acting credits include ...
as Sue Wilson: the vice president's personal secretary. A direct and no-nonsense personality, Sue boasts she is the third most important person in the world, as she is the one who arranges for people to see Selina, the second most important person in the world. During a committee inquiry into Selina's office, the chairperson states that Sue "could organize the D-Day landings and still have time for Iwo Jima." Sue becomes the Chief of Scheduling for the White House in Season 4. She remains in that capacity when President Montez is inaugurated, and when Meyer is re-elected in 2020. Bradshaw based her character on that of a DMV employee, elaborating that, "DMV workers are strait-laced and go by the book, and they don't have much time because there's so much to do in a day." (Seasons 1–5; cameoed season 7) *
Kevin Dunn Kevin Dunn (born August 24, 1956) is an American actor who has appeared in supporting roles in a number of films and television series since the 1980s. Dunn's roles include White House Communications Director Alan Reed in the political comedy '' ...
as Ben Cafferty: the White House Chief of Staff, under both the unseen former president and President Meyer. Although he is depressed and a high-functioning alcoholic, he is often very insightful and is treated with respect and even fear throughout Washington. Ben shows little regard for his co-workers or his job, and appears to love his nine-cup coffee thermos more than anything else. Selina refers to him as a "burned-out loser", but he apparently considers her a close friend and resolves to help her become president. Though he was planning on leaving the White House imminently, he agrees to remain with the administration indefinitely. When Selina fails to win reelection, he joins Congressman Ryan's staff with Kent. (Seasons 3–7; recurring season 2) * Gary Cole as Kent Davison: the Senior Strategist to the president, under both the unseen former president Hughes and later President Meyer. He is a number-cruncher, and is often referred to as being cold and robotic. His obsession with polling statistics is shown to negatively influence the President's decision-making during several episodes in the second season. Kent is also focused on the public images of Selina and Catherine. It is implied that he and Sue are in some form of ersatz relationship. Although Selina initially dislikes him, she comes to appreciate his useful polling and statistical data, and he becomes a key part of her Presidential administration. When Selina fails to win reelection, he joins Congressman Ryan's staff with Ben. He becomes Chief Strategist within Meyer's 2020 campaign but abandons politics entirely when Meyer decides to appoint Ryan as her running mate due to distribution of delegates at their party's brokered convention. Cole has received a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
nomination for his performance. (Seasons 4–7; recurring seasons 2–3) * Sam Richardson as Richard Splett: An amiable, if not always completely competent, campaign aide who fills in for Gary during Selina's book tour, later becoming Amy's assistant on Selina's presidential campaign, and then briefly Jonah's personal assistant. Splett is cheerful and often the butt of jokes. In Season 5, Selina promotes Richard after discovering he has a doctorate in electoral law. As part of Richard's promotion, Jonah becomes his assistant. When Jonah is elected to Congress, Richard becomes his Chief of Staff. Richard makes many allusions to his blog, splettnet.net. After losing the presidency, Selina hires him to be her Chief of Staff for the Meyer Fund. In season 6, he serves as a sperm donor to Catherine and Marjorie in the conception of their son, also called Richard. Over the course of season 7, Splett meteorically rises in his political career, serving as the mayor of Lurlene, Iowa (his hometown), Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Iowa and US Secretary of Agriculture under Meyer, before being elected President in 2040 (Seasons 4–7; recurring Season 3). * Sarah Sutherland as Catherine Meyer: Selina's reserved, put-upon daughter. Catherine is often caught in the middle of Selina's issues, especially with her father. She is shown as generally unable to gain her mother's respect or attention. She tends to have highly liberal views concerning social justice. During the first four seasons, she is a student at Vassar College and majors in film. She briefly attracts attention for dating a Persian student. Later, she dates and becomes engaged to a lobbyist who her mother does not like. Selina initiates the demise of their relationship by declaring they have broken up during an inquiry into her administration. Catherine goes along with the breakup to protect her mother's administration. She is seen in the fifth season to be filming a documentary based on the unprecedented Electoral College tie that concludes Selina's Presidential run, and becomes romantically involved with her mother's bodyguard and lookalike, Marjorie. The two subsequently marry. In Season 6 finale, she gives birth to a son conceived through Richard through artificial insemination, after whom her and Marjorie's son is named. In the final season, she suffers from postpartum depression. She appears to finally break ties with her mother when Selina uses Catherine's wedding to Marjorie to escape prosecution by the International Criminal Court and then promises to outlaw same sex marriage to gain enough support to win her party's nomination for president. She is last seen cheerfully offering margaritas to her wife and son as her mother's funeral is broadcast on television. (Season 7; recurring seasons 2–6; guest season 1) * Clea DuVall as Marjorie Palmiotti: Selina's bodyguard and lookalike. She later resigns when she begins a relationship with Catherine. In season 7, she and Catherine get married in Norway. She now serves as Director of the Meyer Fund. (Season 7; recurring seasons 5–6) * Emily Pendergast as Beth Ryan: Jonah's wife, introduced in the last season. She plays the part of the stereotypical politician's wife, often matter-of-factly going along with Jonah's antics as he runs for president. She is Jonah’s ex-step-sister but it is later revealed through Jonah’s birth certificate that they are in fact half-siblings (Season 7)


Recurring characters


Personal characters

* Andy Buckley as Ted Cullen: Selina's former lover. (Season 1) *
Zach Woods Zachary Woods (born September 25, 1984) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director and producer. He is best known for his roles as a series regular for three seasons as Gabe Lewis on the NBC sitcom ''The Office'', as Jared Dunn on the HBO ...
as Ed Webster: Amy's boyfriend who is often neglected in favor of her job. Woods also appeared in ''In the Loop'' as a State Department aide who was a rival to Chlumsky's character. (Seasons 2–3) *
Jessica St. Clair Jessica St. Clair is an American actress and improvisational comedian from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. With frequent collaborator Lennon Parham, she co-created and co-starred in NBC's ''Best Friends Forever'' and USA Network's '' Playi ...
as Dana: Gary's over-possessive girlfriend. She wants to move abroad and begin a cheese business with Gary, who declines at Selina's request. She has not been seen or mentioned since season 3. (Seasons 2–3) *
David Pasquesi David Pasquesi (born December 22, 1960) is an American actor and comedian. His screen credits include ''Groundhog Day'', ''Strangers with Candy'', ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', ''Return to Me'', '' The Ice Harvest'', ''Veep'', ''At Home with Amy Sed ...
as Andrew Meyer: Selina's ex-husband and occasional lover. He is disliked by Selina's staff, primarily for being one of her weaknesses. He is shown to have frequently cheated on Selina over the course of their on-off relationship. In order to not testify as part of a plea deal in regards to the Meyer Fund, Selina arranges for him to flee the country but unintentionally orders his murder. However, he is shown to have survived, attending Selina's funeral in 2045 (Seasons 2–3, 5–7) * Kathy Najimy as Wendy Keegan: a reporter and Mike's wife. In the fifth season, she attempts to have a baby with Mike via adoption and surrogacy, backfiring and resulting in them having three children. (Seasons 3–7) * John Slattery as Charlie Baird Jr.: A Wall Street executive with whom Selina becomes romantically entangled. After Leon West breaks the story that they have slept together, the two engage in a somewhat-forced courtship. He develops a close bond with Gary. He is described as being extremely affluent, and is a major benefactor to many museums. After he had slept with Selina but prior to their dating, her general election opponent Senator O'Brien had offered him the position of Secretary of the Treasury should he win. He later accepts the same position from President Montez upon her surprise win. (Season 5)


Politicians


House of Representatives

*
Dan Bakkedahl Dan Bakkedahl (born November 18, 1969) is an American actor and improvisational comedian. He is best known for starring as Tim Hughes on the CBS sitcom ''Life in Pieces'', as Congressman Roger Furlong on the HBO series ''Veep'', and as Steve Nuge ...
as Congressman Roger Furlong: an ambitious Ohio Congressman and ranking member of a congressional oversight committee. Ill-mannered and foul-mouthed, he constantly hounds the vice president's office and threatens investigations, even after he loses his campaign to be
Governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
. Despite this, however, Furlong supports Selina's presidential campaign by helping her prepare for a primary debate and doing post-debate "spin" on her behalf. In Season 6, he becomes the House Minority Leader. In Season 7, he is Chairman of the Party. (Seasons 1–7) *
Nelson Franklin Nelson Franklin is an American actor best known for his television roles in ''The Millers'', ''Traffic Light'', ''The Office'', ''New Girl'', ''Black-ish'', and ''Veep''. Life and career Franklin was born to father Howard Franklin, a screenwri ...
as Will: Congressman Furlong's aide. He is often subjected to vulgar verbal abuse from Furlong. The Congressman often makes him say demeaning things for his own amusement. Although he never says anything resembling a kind word to him, Furlong is seen to treat Will and his wife to an expensive dinner in Season 5 (albeit by stealing Mike McLintock's dinner reservation) and have them over to his house in Season 6, suggesting heavily veiled appreciation for his aide. In contrast to being the subject of Furlong's verbal abuse, Will is shown to be on amiable terms with anyone that Furlong happens to be talking with at the time. Will mentioned that he has assisted Furlong since he was fifteen. (Season 1–7) * David Rasche as Speaker Jim Marwood: Marwood serves as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who ends up in league with Tom James and attempts to deliver him the presidency by refusing to hold another House vote, though their actions inadvertently lead Laura Montez to be elected. (Seasons 2; 4–6). Rasche also appeared in ''In the Loop'' as an American official. * Paul Fitzgerald as Congressman Owen Pierce: a socially awkward
congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...
and previously one of Selina's rivals for the presidential nomination. He is described as completely incompetent. He holds great respect for President Meyer, and helps her swing a vote against his own wishes to protect her, possibly in exchange for an ambassadorship (likely to an Anglophonic nation, although he personally wishes to be posted to France). (Seasons 3–4)


Senate

* Phil Reeves as Secretary Andrew Doyle: Vice President under President Meyer, originally a senator and chairman of the
Senate Intelligence Committee The United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (sometimes referred to as the Intelligence Committee or SSCI) is dedicated to overseeing the United States Intelligence Community—the agencies and bureaus of the federal government of ...
. While serving as her vice president, he finds himself sidelined in a similar way as she had been by the former president, and Selina continually dismisses using him as an asset during her tenure in office. As vice president, he enlists Jonah as a liaison to the office of the president, asking him to be his "eyes and ears" in the West Wing. When Selina becomes her party's nominee, he declines to be Selina's running mate due to how he'd been treated as vice president, and steps off the ticket, but is forced to cite his reason as "prostate issues". In Season 5, Selina requires favors of Doyle when she is unavailable to appear in front of the press due to an eye-lift, and he strikes a deal to receive the office of the Secretary of State when she is elected, but Selina later promises Michigan Congressman Paul Graves the same position. Doyle hears about this and gets his revenge when he casts a deciding vote in the Senate hearing to determine the presidency. This gifts the Oval Office to Laura Montez instead of Tom James, which would've reinstated Selina as vice president, and in return President Montez appoints Doyle as Secretary of State. (Season 1–7) * Patton Oswalt as Teddy Sykes: the
Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
to Vice President Doyle. He sexually harasses Jonah and a number of female White House staff. In season 7, he is a registered sex offender, but has also become Jonah's campaign manager after lying that he underwent chemical castration. (Seasons 4–7) *
Brad Leland Brad Leland (born September 15, 1954) is an American film and television actor best known for his role as Buddy Garrity in the NBC/DirecTV series '' Friday Night Lights''. He has appeared in over 100 feature films and television shows and numerou ...
as Senator Bill O'Brien: an Arizona senator who is Selina's opponent in her presidential bid. He is described as a right-wing socially and fiscally conservative politician. (Seasons 1–2, 4–5) * Hugh Laurie as Senator Tom James: a charming
senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and Selina's new running mate after Doyle leaves the ticket. He served as a representative and senator from Connecticut. He is extremely popular with his colleagues and with voters. James is described as socially compassionate and fiscally moderate. Selina was reluctant to pick him as a running mate out of fear that he would remember a time they nearly slept together. He frustrates Meyer at his desire to be involved with the economy, going so far as to request to serve simultaneously as Vice President and Secretary of the Treasury. In the general election, loophole rules in the Constitution dictate that in certain circumstances, James could become the Acting President (and subsequently President), further angering Selina. He offers that, should this occur, he would like her to be his vice president. She later appoints him as her economy czar. He later serves as president from 2025 to 2033, becoming a successful president. Before the fourth season,
Armando Iannucci Armando Giovanni Iannucci (; born 28 November 1963) is a Scottish satirist, writer, director, producer, performer, and panellist. Born in Glasgow to Italian parents, Iannucci studied at the University of Glasgow followed by the University of ...
met with Laurie in the UK after learning that he was a fan of ''Veep''. The two began developing the character Tom James alongside the show's writers (also based in the UK). Iannucci describes Tom James as a "normal, but ambitious operator ... this is someone who seems to outdo elina Meyerin his ability." (Seasons 4–7) * Andrea Savage as President Laura Montez: Originally a senator from New Mexico, she becomes Senator Bill O'Brien's running mate in the presidential election. When there is a tie in the electoral college, a deadlock in the House of Representatives, and another tie in the Senate, Doyle ultimately votes for her, and she becomes president. President Montez is inaugurated in the season 5 finale, "Inauguration." Montez immediately accepts credit for Selina's efforts to free Tibet, and later comes under harsh criticism when this is revealed later in her presidency. She does not win reelection and is succeeded by Selina as president (although this is the result of Chinese election interference in collusion with the Meyer campaign). Several years later, she makes an appearance at Selina's funeral and her extensive plastic surgery is remarked upon. Even though her maiden name is Cunningham and she was raised in Cleveland, Montez pronounces her first name with a Spanish accent and frequently uses Spanish words in regular conversation, leading Selena to imply that Montez is pretending to be Latina for political reasons. (Season 5–7) * Toks Olagundoye as Senator Kemi Talbot, who Selina describes as a protege and considers as a running mate in her third run for the presidency. She ultimately enters the race against Meyer. She later served as president from 2033 to 2041, becoming a successful two-term president, delivering the main eulogy at Meyer’s funeral in 2045. (Season 7)


Other politicians

* Randall Park as
Minnesota Governor The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. ...
Danny Chung: a young veteran who is not shy about exploiting his military record for political gain. A member of the president's party, he covets the presidency himself and is seen as Selina's chief rival for the nomination after the president leaves office. A running gag is that Chung never appears on television without mentioning his military record. Selina offers him the position of running mate, but he declines. He is subsequently revealed to participate regularly in a Gilbert and Sullivan group along with Richard. (Season 1–6) *
Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Isiah Whitlock Jr. (born September 13, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as corrupt state senator Clay Davis on the HBO television series ''The Wire'' as well as being a frequent collaborator of Spike Lee. He has also a ...
as General George Maddox: the former
Secretary of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
and one of Selina's rivals for the presidential nomination. He appears to bear an unusually high degree of personal animosity towards Selina. He is forced to suspend his campaign after being unable to compete on the debate stage. When she secures her party nomination, she offers him the position of running mate, but rescinds the offer. (Seasons 2–4) * Diedrich Bader as Bill Ericsson: a high-profile campaign official, formerly the campaign manager for Joe Thornhill. He later abandons Thornhill, and Selina appoints him her new Director of Communications. When a scandal breaks that the Meyer campaign used stolen confidential medical data to send flyers appealing to bereaved parents of deceased children, the core characters band together to scapegoat him in their place, resulting in his imprisonment. His sentence is later overturned on appeal and he turns against Selina, claiming he is "consumed" by desire to destroy her. (Seasons 3–7) * Glenn Wrage as Joe Thornhill: a former Major League Baseball coach and one of Selina's rivals for the presidential nomination. He constantly uses sports analogies to describe politics, something which greatly annoys Selina and her staff. Despite a good early start in the primaries, he later loses momentum in the race. (Season 3) *
Martin Mull Martin Eugene Mull (born August 18, 1943) is an American actor, comedian and musician who has appeared in many television and film roles. He is also a painter and recording artist. As an actor, he first became known in his role on ''Mary Hartman, ...
as Bob Bradley: Selina's folksy, out-of-touch political advisor with a long history in politics. Ben Cafferty describes Bradley as his mentor. Selina recruits him to help with the recount in Nevada after the electoral college tie, but it is revealed that Bradley is extremely senile. His nickname is "The Eagle". (Season 5) *
Peter MacNicol Peter MacNicol (born April 10, 1954) is an American actor. He received a Theatre World Award for his 1981 Broadway debut in the play ''Crimes of the Heart''. His film roles include Galen in ''Dragonslayer'' (1981), Stingo in ''Sophie's Choice'' ( ...
as Jeff Kane: An
AARP AARP (formerly called the American Association of Retired Persons) is an interest group in the United States focusing on issues affecting those over the age of fifty. The organization said it had more than 38 million members in 2018. The magazin ...
lobbyist and influential political power broker in New Hampshire, and Jonah Ryan's uncle. He selects Jonah as a candidate for congress and is wholly responsible for getting him elected, remarking he could get "a Muslim AIDS virus" elected in New Hampshire. He frequently berates Jonah and is highly amused by his misfortunes, even laughing hysterically at the funeral for Jonah's father. He is one of the few people to recognize Richard Splett's political talent early on, expressing a desire to make him president (the final episode reveals Splett later became a highly respected two-term president). Another actor appeared as Jeff Kane in an uncredited appearance in the Season 3 finale, "New Hampshire". (Seasons 5–7) * Usman Ally as Mohammed bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Jaffar: The Ambassador of Qatar to the United States. He becomes a love interest for Selina, although their relationship is severed due to their racial differences. After Selina loses the presidency, they reunite and happily pursue a romantic and diplomatic relationship. Selina reluctantly breaks up with him before announcing her presidential campaign after being advised the relationship would hurt her politically. (Seasons 5–6) *
Matt Oberg Matthew French Oberg (born August 12, 1976, in Larchmont, New York) is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his roles in television series such as ''The Real O'Neals'' and ''Ugly Americans'' and ''Hart of Dixie ''Hart o ...
as Governor Buddy Calhoun (D-Nevada): Former State Secretary of Nevada and opposing candidate for the presidential nomination. After a brief relationship in Season 5, he announces his engagement to Amy in Season 6, although this ended after he announced his intention to withdraw from the Nevada gubernatorial election to focus on her. He later reappears running for the party nomination for president in 2020, before agreeing to be Selina's Secretary of Agriculture and giving her his delegates in exchange for her promise to ban same-sex marriages. (Season 5-7)


Other characters

*
Peter Grosz Peter Grosz is an American actor and television writer. He is most recognizable for appearing in Sonic Drive-In's "Two Guys" commercials, in which he appears as the straight man in a double act with improvisational comedian T. J. Jagodowski u ...
as Sidney Purcell: an oil lobbyist. Purcell attempts to gain power through the Meyer Vice Presidency via her environmental regulation committee. When Dan is fired, he works as a lobbyist for Purcell, who in turn ends up firing him as well. He joined forces with Tom James, who was secretly in his pocket as a lobbyist, to deny Meyer the presidency in a House vote. He is later arrested for bribing members of the Iowa State Government and State Legislature whilst acting as a lobbyist for a pesticide company. (Seasons 1–2, 4–5, 7) * Brian Huskey as Leon West: a veteran political reporter who frequently antagonizes Mike at briefings. He is later taken hostage in Iran, and Selina must retrieve him on a goodwill mission, although he is antagonized after learning that he was detained a day longer than necessary for publicity. In the Season 6 finale, it appears Leon has taken on Mike's role, much to everybody's glee. (Seasons 1–7) * Sally Phillips as Minna Häkkinen: the former Prime Minister of Finland. She first meets Selina on a state visit in the wake of an anti-Europe gaffe on Selina's part. She later holds a position with the International Monetary Fund, where she impresses enough world leaders that she now seems to work as a back-channel diplomat. She is known for being blunt about personal issues, taking things literally, socially awkward and clueless about the vitriol of American politics. (Season 2–3, 5–7) * William L. Thomas as Martin Collins: a Secret Service agent reassigned for laughing in Selina's presence. (Seasons 1–3) *
Jessie Ennis Jessie Hannah Ennis is an American actor, director, and writer. Personal life Ennis was born in Boston but moved to Los Angeles at the age of 2. She is the daughter of American actor and comedian John Ennis. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence ...
as Leigh Patterson: a competent and straightforward staffer for Selina, whose name is constantly misremembered by her and the rest of the White House staff. After she is scapegoated for the security breach that revealed the personal information of a child diagnosed with HIV, Lea reveals the Meyer campaign used stolen confidential medical data to appeal to bereaved parents, and testifies against the Meyer administration. (Season 4) * Lennon Parham as Karen Collins: an old university friend of Selina, whom she hired as a consultant and afterwards as a lawyer. She stands out by failing to make definite statements, repeating what others say and receiving credit from Selina, and consequently doesn't seem to be able to give good advice, annoying all other staff members. (Seasons 4–5, 7) *
Margaret Colin Margaret Colin (born May 26, 1958) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Margo Hughes on ''As the World Turns'' and as Eleanor Waldorf-Rose on ''Gossip Girl''. Early life Margaret Colin was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and w ...
as Jane McCabe: long-time anchor of '' CBS This Morning''. She is fired in season 6 for sexual harassment after spreading rumors she and Dan were sleeping together, but is later retried in season 7 after Dan is fired.(Seasons 6–7) * Paul Scheer as Stevie: a news producer of ''CBS This Morning''. (Seasons 6–7) * Rhea Seehorn as Michelle York: Tom James' deputy campaign manager and secret lover. To remove James become their party's presidential nominee at the 2020 brokered convention, Selina pressures her into reporting the relationship to the press as exploitative. She subsequently becomes Meyer's new Chief of Staff. (Season 7) * Andy Daly as Keith Quinn: Selina's 2020 campaign manager. Originally hired accidentally from Selina pointing at the wrong person in a picture, he seems a jovial, but naive man who can be of no help. However, he later turns out to have a vastly more cut-throat and devious personality, along with numerous corrupt connections to China that help in Selina's campaign. He later becomes a key advisor to Selina in her presidency. (Season 7)


References

{{Veep Veep (TV series) Television characters introduced in 2012
Veep ''Veep'' is an American political satire comedy television series that aired on HBO from April 22, 2012, to May 12, 2019. The series was created by Armando Iannucci as an adaptation of his sitcom ''The Thick of It''. The protagonist of ''Veep'' ...
Fictional politicians