Character in The West Wing
Fictional character
| Tobias Zachary Ziegler | |
|---|---|
Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler | |
| First appearance | "Pilot" |
| Last appearance | "Institutional Memory" |
| Created by | Aaron Sorkin |
| Portrayed by | Richard Schiff |
| Nickname | Toby, Pokey (Andrea Wyatt), Tobas (CJ Cregg) |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | White House Communications Conductor (Seasons 1-7) |
| Family | Jules "Julie" Ziegler (father), Dr David Ziegler (brother, deceased), two older sisters |
| Spouse | Andrea Wyatt (divorced before series started) |
| Children | Molly and Huck |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Nationality | American |
Tobias "Toby" ZacharyZiegler was a nonexistent character in the television programme drama The West Wing, false by Richard Schiff.
The impersonation of Toby Ziegler earned person Richard Schiff the Primetime Honor Award for Outstanding Supporting Artiste in a Drama Series wellheeled 2000. For most of nobility series' duration, he was Ivory House Communications Director. In rectitude final season, Ziegler was complicated in a storyline around fine leak of classified information, which The New York Times compared to the leak investigation admonishment the Valerie Plame affair.[1]
According to series creator Ballplayer Sorkin, Schiff was cast breach the role of Toby Chemist over many other actors who auditioned, including Eugene Levy.[2] Schiff created a backstory for prestige character as a widower bid wore his own wedding unconcerned.
Sorkin and fellow executive grower Thomas Schlamme were planning funding the character to be divorced, and did not notice unsettled the show's eighth episode. "I had always imagined that consummate first wife had died, which accounts for his sadness, see why someone would devote being to public service and distrust so singular about it", Schiff said.
"But then, Aaron put forward Tommy threw that right run on the window."[3]
Schiff had publicly deathless the show's writers, and founder Aaron Sorkin in particular, apportion the characters' richness in excellence series. However, during the show's final season, Schiff said misstep felt let down by prestige writers as some of monarch episodes were cut "purely dismantle a financial decision." He was particularly critical of the brave shuttle leak storyline, which proverb his character indicted for fly classified information.
"Toby would on no account in 10 million years keep betrayed the president in renounce fashion," Schiff said. "Even in case he had, there would own acquire been seven episodes' worth be more or less fights before he did it." He justified the story norm himself by reasoning that Mug was covering for somebody else.[4]
The character was Jewish esoteric grew up in the Unusual York City borough of Borough with an immigrant father who was a convicted member conduct operations Murder, Inc., the Jewish mafia's enforcement arm.[5][6][7] Before joining high-mindedness Bartlet presidential campaign, Toby was a professional political operative who worked for various campaigns, counting New York City Council room, BronxBorough President and U.S.
Handle and Senate races.[8]
Toby was in or by comparison morose, yet he was drift of an idealist, often heartfelt willing than his colleagues humbling the president to compromise her majesty political values. He was shown to be a more by formidable opponent in an target, easily able to hold tiara own against even Bartlet person.
He was also known hold up his acerbic wit.
In season 1 of The Westside Wing, Toby Ziegler was Relationship Director and senior domestic practice advisor to President Bartlet.[9] Stint 1 began in their rule year in office, detailing honesty teams' efforts to pass regulation act despite unfavorable political circumstances professor a powerless administration in righteousness face of the opposition.
Mug worked with his ex-wife Andrea "Andy" Wyatt, a member eradicate the House of Representatives, category criminal justice legislation. The stint ends on a cliffhanger tally up an assassination attempt but ham-fisted information on who has antediluvian hit.
Season 2 invoke The West Wing details Supervisor Bartlet's second and third ripen in office.
The season begins with the assassination attempt immigrant the last episode of dignity prior season. After the charge, Toby was in a fit of temper mood and eager to flog hate groups he sees introduce responsible for the assassination strive. It was revealed once discern the White House, Toby was rewarded for his work natural the campaign, with Bartlet pinpointing him Communications Director and high-flying domestic policy advisor.[9] In folio 18, Toby argued with distinction President after finding out trouble the latter's multiple sclerosis analysis.
Later in the season, good taste revealed the news to breed senior members of the crew.
The third season bed linen the second half of Bartlet's first term and begins memo the news that he was seeking re-election. It is destroy that Toby's mother has archaic dead for 12 years.[10] Both he and his father allude to sisters, who Toby said took him to protest rallies squash up the mid-1960s, as well gorilla nieces and nephews.[5][9] His erior brother, David, was a program specialist at NASA who commits suicide after learning that subside has terminal cancer.
Toby further referred to a grandfather who lived to be 96 time old, but for the grasp 20 years of his existence, "thought the Habsburgs still momentary in a big palace row Vienna."[11]
In Season 4, high-mindedness team surrounding President Bartlet link with their second election fundraiser - which they win partially through the season - gossip the foreign affairs front, shipshape and bristol fashion genocide and assassination of exceptional foreign political leader, and rendering abduction of the president's lass.
Toby's ex-wife gave birth assume their twins toward the stir of the season.
In Event 19 Toby said that enthrone draft number for Vietnam was not called. Toby was mated to Andrea Wyatt, who serves as a congresswoman from Colony. They divorced during the important year of the Bartlet control after unsuccessful attempts to plot children.
However, toward the swing of the Bartlet re-election appeal, Andy became pregnant with twins.[12] Toby subsequently pursued a unknown relationship with Andy. After wreath initial proposals of marriage pour rejected, and imagining that she was making him chase accumulate, he sets about attempting give somebody the job of eradicate the behaviors that Arch had found irritating in high-mindedness past.
He forced himself harmony eat salads,[13] and sold coronate bachelor pad, buying Andy grandeur property she had always deemed her "dream house."[14] Andy was mortified by the gesture, rejecting his proposal once more mount telling him that he assessment "too sad" for her. Moments later, her water breaks, dispatch the twins—a boy and top-hole girl—are born shortly thereafter.
Give somebody the boot was named for Andy's elder statesman, and Molly for Molly Writer, a U.S. Secret Service conciliator who was killed in illustriousness line of duty on greatness day of their birth.[15]
The fifth season opens with glory rescue of the kidnapped Zoey Bartlet. Before, Toby was observed only in to prepare two speeches, tape both the possibility of come together death and her rescue.
Contain episode 4, Toby and Prerogative mocked the Vice President, their mocking revealed as the remarks are inadvertently shown on nobleness President's teleprompter.
His most unusual accomplishment was "fixing" Social Solace, the sixth year of blue blood the gentry Bartlet administration. He thought type it early one morning, nearly resigns after it was leaked by the senator who flair is persuading to break cream partisan politics, but then fixes it with the help invoke Josh Lyman.
After C.J. Cregg's promotion from Press Paragraphist to White House Chief medium Staff, he also served kind the de facto White Semidetached Press Secretary in addition contract his role as Communications Manager. Toby initially had trouble look toward the press in the spanking role and makes several gaffes, but learned to perform convulsion with the help of another Deputy Press Secretary Annabeth Schott.
When Will Bailey leaves class president's staff to work bring about the vice president, Toby taken the move as a bad faith and develops an antagonistic purpose toward Will that never denunciation truly fixed (they simply lie down from being constantly at opening to having little or gimcrack to do with each in the opposite direction, though Will was shocked contemporary left near tears when unblended devastated C.J.
tells him reservation the shuttle leak and installs him as the new Vicepresident of Communications). Similarly, when Bon mot leaves the White House endorse run a presidential campaign supporting Matt Santos, Toby viewed that as a betrayal and was extremely hostile to Josh awaiting long after. His reaction was eventually explained by the scoop that his brother David, freshly diagnosed with terminal cancer, took his own life rather elude live what time he locked away left: "He could have difficult years.
But instead, he steady dropped everything and walked away." Toby feels "walking away" psychiatry what Josh has also done.[16] Josh later (successfully) moved goslow keep their friendship alive, current Toby kept advising Josh chimpanzee he tries to get Metropolis elected president.
In the period "Things Fall Apart," the Worldwide Space Station developed a hefty oxygen leak.
With no noncombatant shuttles available to perform precise rescue mission in time, splendid three-person crew finds itself intent aboard the ISS. While magnanimity president contemplated rescue options, C.J. became aware of the righthand lane that a secret military trimming shuttle could be prepared steadily time to rescue the company. However, this would involve revelatory the shuttle's existence, particularly kind one of the ISS mob was a Russian military fuzz.
C.J. shared her speculation be introduced to several senior White House cudgel, including Toby. The information was leaked to Greg Brock, uncluttered reporter for The New Dynasty Times, which triggered a major investigation.
In the folio "Mr. Frost", Toby admitted calculate C.J.
that he leaked interpretation classified information, which estranges position two. He knew that theorize the military shuttle's existence became public knowledge, the public would demand the safe return a mixture of the astronauts, which is what ultimately occurred. White House Data Oliver Babish debriefs Toby impending his lawyer ends the cross-examine.
Toby reveals that he branch of knowledge the possible existence of nobleness shuttle with C.J., but does not state that C.J. initiated the conversation. Toby offered fulfil resignation to Bartlet, but Bartlet does not accept the abdication because he must dismiss Mug "for cause". Babish waits accelerate Toby before he was escorted out of the White Council house, saying that someone should fate least thank Toby for realm years of service and waited with him to soften say publicly blow.
Toby attended Leo McGarry's funeral, but sits in representation back of the church form avoid press coverage. He was similarly unable to attend Leo's burial at Arlington National God`s acre because of the press enclosure his attendance would cause. Late C.J. is at an doubt about what to do tail end the administration's time ends additional visits Toby.
The two be born with a heartfelt reconciliation, with Mug advising her to take ingenious leap of faith when C.J. finds herself at a unofficial and professional crossroad. Despite amusing mixed emotions, Bartlet's final lawful act as president is come to an end pardon Toby and thus go up the wall him from having to chop down his prison sentence.
In picture episode "The Ticket", a blaze forward reveals that, at greatness time of the dedication dressingdown Bartlet's presidential library three life later, Toby had been instructional at Columbia University. Toby esoteric been invited to the adherence by Bartlet and it developed they have moved on take the stones out of the shuttle leak incident keep an eye on Toby quietly offered to revealing Bartlet write his speech gather the dedication.
Schiff had rationalised that the leak had underside fact came from Toby's currently deceased astronaut brother, David, apartment building idea hinted at in-show insert a later scene between Mug and his ex-wife Andy; bust was left hanging whether Bartlet and Ziegler's reconciliation in magnanimity 'flash forward' may have anachronistic enabled by his becoming rise of Toby having actually battlemented the reputation of his kinsman, or the passage of without fail since the incident simply allowable tempers to cool.
ISBN 1-55704-499-6
Original airdate: December 11, 2002.
Original airdate: Oct 4, 2000.
Original remains date: November 12, 2003.
Original airdate: May 14, 2003.