Amelia "Amy" Gardner is a fictional character on The West Wing, played by Mary-Louise Parker.

Amy - a women's rights activist, first appeared in the season three episode The Women of Qumar where she went up against Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) about prostitution laws. It was evident that she and Josh were old friends and their flirtation, and subsequent relationship, took up much of the storyline in season three. Amy's passion for her work, and place in Josh's life, delighted some - such as First Lady Abigail Bartlet (Stockard Channing) - and despaired others such as Josh's longtime love interest, his assistant Donna Moss (Janel Moloney).

In the season finale of the third season, Posse Comitatus, Josh had to place his loyalty to his job over his relationship with Amy, and the couple broke up.

Amy, however, returned in season four as she assisted the group, particularly Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) in running for election to Congress. Later she returned permanently as Chief of Staff to the First Lady. The season ended with Josh and Amy together again, but turmoil as the First Daughter Zoey (Elisabeth Moss ) was kidnapped, in the season's penultimate episode Commencement. In this same episode, Amy voiced the question that viewers had wanted to ask Donna for four years: "Are you in love with Josh?"

Rumors had abounded that show creator Aaron Sorkin was to add Parker to the main cast, but the timing never worked out, as she took time off to film Angels in America.

However, Parker became pregnant and was written out of the show in the fifth episode of the fifth season, Constituency of One, in which Amy realised that her method of working didn't always fit with that of President Bartlet (Martin Sheen). Amy quit working at the White House and ended her second relationship with Josh Lyman.

Amy has reappeared on the West Wing in the episode Freedonia (season 6, episode 15) as the debate preparation person for Rep. Matt Santos (D-TX).

See also

• The West Wing
• Characters on The West Wing
• List of The West Wing episodes