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Leslie KnopeEARLY LIFE
Although born in the neighboring rival town of Eagleton as a child, due to the raccoon infestation in Pawnee (or her mother's sins, as she likes to say), Leslie found a loving, diverse, active family in the many community programs offered by the wonderful city government of Pawnee. She vowed early on to give back to this vibrant and fascinating town by living a life of public service. Leslie graduated in the top 5% of her class at Pawnee North High School, where she was Co-Vice President of the Student Body and a member of Model United Nations, Key Club, Debate Club, Mock Trial, Young Republicans, Young Democrats, Young Independents (founding member), Drama Club, Historical Society, Orchestra, Color Guard, and junior varsity field hockey. She attended Indiana University, graduated summa cum laude from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and is a Hoosier athletics fans. Her father, Robert, passed away when she was 10 years old and resides in a cemetery in Florida.
BACKGROUND
Leslie is a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana who hopes to advance her career and improve her town, while working towards her goal of becoming the first female President. She and Mark Brendanawicz, a coworker of hers and reputable womanizer, hooked up leaving Leslie with romantic feelings towards him, although it meant nothing to Mark. Knope is a fan of Hillary Clinton (whom Amy Poehler spoofed during her tenure on Saturday Night Live), prominently displaying her official portrait as Secretary of State on the wall next to her door. In addition, she displays the photograph of Madeline Albright, Condoleezza Rice, Janet Reno, and Nancy Pelosi. Leslie is a proud member of numerous action committees in and around City Hall, including, but not limited to: the Equal Opportunity Committee, the Fun in the Sun Committee, the Clean Restroom Task Force, the Increased Access to Restrooms Task Force, the Handicapped Restroom Task Force, the Committee for Repainting Handicapped Parking Spaces Task Force, and the Task Force to Reduce the Number of Public Restrooms. Leslie had Triplets with her husband, Ben Wyatt, and she loves waffles (Wikia).
Andy Dwyer
BACKGROUND
Leslie is a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana who hopes to advance her career and improve her town, while working towards her goal of becoming the first female President. She and Mark Brendanawicz, a coworker of hers and reputable womanizer, hooked up leaving Leslie with romantic feelings towards him, although it meant nothing to Mark. Knope is a fan of Hillary Clinton (whom Amy Poehler spoofed during her tenure on Saturday Night Live), prominently displaying her official portrait as Secretary of State on the wall next to her door. In addition, she displays the photograph of Madeline Albright, Condoleezza Rice, Janet Reno, and Nancy Pelosi. Leslie is a proud member of numerous action committees in and around City Hall, including, but not limited to: the Equal Opportunity Committee, the Fun in the Sun Committee, the Clean Restroom Task Force, the Increased Access to Restrooms Task Force, the Handicapped Restroom Task Force, the Committee for Repainting Handicapped Parking Spaces Task Force, and the Task Force to Reduce the Number of Public Restrooms. Leslie had Triplets with her husband, Ben Wyatt, and she loves waffles (Wikia).
Andy Dwyer
BACKGROUND
At the start of the series, Andy Dwyer is the
boyfriend of Ann Perkins. The two met and fell in
love in college, but Ann matured faster than Andy
did and, while Ann entered into a career in nursing,
Andy remained lazy and spoiled. Andy is unemployed,
but the lead sing and guitarist for his rock band,
which has gone through numerous names including
"Scarecrow Boat," and more recently, "Mouse Rat." He
falls into the pit behind Ann's house and breaks his
legs. This causes Ann to Call Leslie's attention to
the pit which sparks Leslie's desire to have the pit
filled and turned into something new. He is later in
a relationship with April Ludgate, and tries to get
his life together by becoming a policeman. He passes
the written exam with a 100%, but fails the
personality test (Wikia).
April Ludgate
Ron
Swanson
EARLY LIFE
April Ludgate
BACKGROUND
April
Ludgate is a college student who starts out
working as an intern in the Pawnee parks and
recreation department. April is extremely
disinterested in the job, and acts very dry
and sarcastic around her co-workers. She was
assigned the internship because she
overslept on intern sign-up day, which she
blamed on her sister, Natalie, for not
waking her up. April is of mixed Puerto
Rican descent, and she speaks and
understands Spanish fairly well as a result.
April ironically claims of her Puerto Rican
heritage, "That's why I'm so lively and
colorful." Her favorite band is Neutral Milk
Hotel.
April was responsible for uploading the staff bios onto the Pawnee parks and recreation site, and she jokingly made a fictional bio for herself that reads as follows:
"April Ludgate was born in Bjork's house
in Iceland and grew up on Easter Island,
where her parents were giant stone
heads. She has the ability to fire beams
of tacos out of her hands, and she can
turn her legs into tigers. On Sundays,
April enjoys reading "Family Circus,"
and traveling through time. Her favorite
color is greenish-transparent, and her
favorite movie is the one you just
watched. April is in charge of uploading
the staff bios to the website, and no on
has checked over her work" (Wikia).
Ron
SwansonEARLY LIFE
Ron was born to
Tamara Swanson and was delivered by his future
wife, also known as Tammy 1, a candy striper at
the hospital. He cried for the first time when
he was 7, when he was hit by a school bus. When
Ron was 9, he began work in a sheet metal
factory and "within tow weeks, he was running
the floor." When he was 11 he was offered a job
at the Tannery where he could work with leather,
a dream he had always had. He tried to do both,
as well as finish middle school, but he
eventually realized he could only do one thing
at a time.
Ron claims to have attended a prom when he was 12 and (while he enjoyed himself) felt it was unnecessary to go to another one.
When college came around, his dad, feeling that college wasn't important, dropped Ron off at a metal factory. However, Ron hitchhiked and went to college anyway, where he said he learned a lot.
He has three brothers, one of whom is in the Air Force and another (or potentially the same) shot him in the foot with a nail gun when they were little.
Ron claims to have attended a prom when he was 12 and (while he enjoyed himself) felt it was unnecessary to go to another one.
When college came around, his dad, feeling that college wasn't important, dropped Ron off at a metal factory. However, Ron hitchhiked and went to college anyway, where he said he learned a lot.
He has three brothers, one of whom is in the Air Force and another (or potentially the same) shot him in the foot with a nail gun when they were little.
BACKGROUND
Ron Swanson
has been Director of the Pawnee Parks and
Recreation Department for six years. Ron
believes in the elimination of government
waste and has always brought the department
in under budget. Ron believes government
should be privatized and follow the business
model of the Chuck E. Cheese's family
entertainment chain. He has closed many
unnecessary recreational spaces during his
tenure, including the Portola Skate Park,
the Grice Dog Run, the Morris-Easton
Observatory, the Mohanga Native American
Heritage Center, and most public drinking
fountains. Ron has two ex-wives, both of
whom are named "Tammy," which is also the
name of Ron's mother. He is usually
non-confrontational and gives Leslie a lot
of leeway when running the department. He
jokingly keeps a claymore and a sawed off
shotgun on his desk, so people who ask for
things have to stare down the barrel. He
enjoys woodworking, breakfast meats, and the
works of Ayn Rand. He is also an avid hunter
and fisherman, and secretly moonlights as a
jazz saxophonist named "Duke Silver." Ron
has at least one unseen brother, who an
officer in the Air Force. He mentioned
having at least one other brother, Don, who
worked with him at Very Good Construction,
and possibly two other brothers as well. He
also mentioned an uncle who "does yoga" when
asked if his family had any history of
mental illness. He has been seen driving a
red Lincoln LS and an older model Ford truck
(Wikia).
Ben
Wyatt
BACKGROUND
Mark
Brendanawicz
BACKGROUND
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Ben
WyattBACKGROUND
Riding a wave of anti-incumbent
sentiment, Ben Wyatt was elected mayor
of the town of Partridge, Minnesota in
November of 1992, at the age of 18. His
immaturity and lack of experience led
him to being unofficially banned from
Partridge after he bankrupted the city
by creating a winter sports complex
called "Ice Town." He attended Carleton
College, where he had a radio show
called "Zoot Suit Wyatt." After
maturing, he becomes a state auditor and
helps cities escape bankruptcy. He goes
on to develop a relationship with Leslie
Knope, and they eventually wed and have
triplets (Wikia).
Tom
Haverford
BACKGROUND
Tom
HaverfordBACKGROUND
Tom Haverford is an Indian American.
He works as Leslie Knope's immediate
subordinate at the Pawnee parks and
recreation department, often serving
as her right-hand man. Tom displays
an extremely sarcastic, mischievous
and cocky attitude. He takes his
appearance very seriously, often
donning office-causal polo shirts
and fancy suits. Tom married his
college friend, Wendy, a Canadian
resident, to get her a U.S.
citizenship. Despite the marriage,
Tom aggressively flirts with other
women, which has prompted confusion
from people unfamiliar with his
arrangement with Wendy. He is
constantly pursuing women, even
during his marriage, as far as going
to strip clubs, hitting on Ann
Perkins, and judging at the Miss
Pawnee pageant. Tom has complete
authority over the Pawnee tennis
court reservation system, which has
brought him into close contact with
many attractive female tennis
enthusiasts. Tom's heroes include
Vin Diesel, Flo Rida, and Patrick
Jane (Wikia).
Donna Meagle
BACKGROUND
Donna MeagleBACKGROUND
Donna is the office manager for
the Pawnee Parks and Recreation
Department. She is now accepting
of her co-workers, previously
dismissing them as boring. She
can sometimes be selfish. Donna
loves her car, a Mercedes-Benz
ML350 SUV, and she and Tom like
to have "Treat Yo'Self" days,
where they spoil themselves with
luxury things (Wikia).
Jerry
Gergich
BACKGROUND
Jerry
GergichBACKGROUND
Jerry is a married father of
three girls, who worked for
the Department of Parks and
Recreation. His wife, Gayle,
is a beautiful blonde woman,
and their daughters are
similarly attractive, which
greatly throws off the rest
of the park department
workers.
Jerry is often mistreated due to his embarrassing history, which is a collection of awkward incidents resulting from his apparent clumsiness and ineptitude.
He seems to have a normal family life and a strong artistic side. He once created a mural of an alcove of Pawnee City Hall, which was actually composed of small pictures of Pawnee citizens. He is also a skilled pianist and an amateur inventor.
Due to his reputation as a buffoon, Jerry is often dismissed, even if he is clearly in the right and what he has created is breathtaking.
Jerry's name is constantly changing throughout the seasons, as his co-workers don't make a point of remembering it. He has been known as Jerry, Larry, Terry, Barry, and Gerry, but his real name is Garry, which isn't discovered until the last season (Wikia).
Ann
Perkins
BACKGROUND
Jerry is often mistreated due to his embarrassing history, which is a collection of awkward incidents resulting from his apparent clumsiness and ineptitude.
He seems to have a normal family life and a strong artistic side. He once created a mural of an alcove of Pawnee City Hall, which was actually composed of small pictures of Pawnee citizens. He is also a skilled pianist and an amateur inventor.
Due to his reputation as a buffoon, Jerry is often dismissed, even if he is clearly in the right and what he has created is breathtaking.
Jerry's name is constantly changing throughout the seasons, as his co-workers don't make a point of remembering it. He has been known as Jerry, Larry, Terry, Barry, and Gerry, but his real name is Garry, which isn't discovered until the last season (Wikia).
Ann
PerkinsBACKGROUND
Ann Perkins is a nurse
at St. Joseph Hospital
in Pawnee, Indiana, and
the quick best friend of
Leslie Knope. Ann met
Leslie after Ann's
then-boyfriend, Andy
Dwyer, fell into a pit
from an abandoned
construction project
behind Ann's house. Ann
went to City Hall and
Leslie vowed to turn the
pit into a park.
Ann Enjoys her job as a nurse helping people but Leslie, while proud of her friend's selfless works, pays little attention to the details and thinks it's all about pulling strange things out of people's rears, which Ann says only happened once. Ann's dating life is a constant source of trouble for her as she can't seem to find the right person. She tends to go all in with the influences of her boyfriend at any given time -- working out obsessively when her boyfriend does or wearing cowgirl-style outfits when dating a cowboy.
Ann generally has things together, but often stumbles in social situations. She doesn't always get the timing or punchline right when trying to crack a joke, or laugs along with something even if she hasn't really understood it. She doesn't see herself as a particularly creative person.
Ann has an ongoing rivalry with April, who works in the parks department. The feud comes mostly from April's side and Ann would like nothing more than to be friends, but she also becomes frustrated with April's jabs and reacts from time to time.
Ann ends up leaving Pawnee with Chris Traeger to live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and they have a child together -- though she does keep in touch and occasionally returns (IMDB).
Chris
Traeger
BACKGROUND
Ann Enjoys her job as a nurse helping people but Leslie, while proud of her friend's selfless works, pays little attention to the details and thinks it's all about pulling strange things out of people's rears, which Ann says only happened once. Ann's dating life is a constant source of trouble for her as she can't seem to find the right person. She tends to go all in with the influences of her boyfriend at any given time -- working out obsessively when her boyfriend does or wearing cowgirl-style outfits when dating a cowboy.
Ann generally has things together, but often stumbles in social situations. She doesn't always get the timing or punchline right when trying to crack a joke, or laugs along with something even if she hasn't really understood it. She doesn't see herself as a particularly creative person.
Ann has an ongoing rivalry with April, who works in the parks department. The feud comes mostly from April's side and Ann would like nothing more than to be friends, but she also becomes frustrated with April's jabs and reacts from time to time.
Ann ends up leaving Pawnee with Chris Traeger to live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and they have a child together -- though she does keep in touch and occasionally returns (IMDB).
Chris
TraegerBACKGROUND
As a baby, Chris
Traeger was
diagnosed with a
rare blood disorder
and was only
supposed to live for
3 weeks, but he
survived and is
therefore always an
optimistic person.
He frequently
compares his body to
a microchip, saying
that "a grain of
sand could destroy
it." He has 2.8%
body fat. He
believes he will be
the first person
to live to
150. It is also
known that his
parents separated
(through death or
divorce), and at
least one remarried
at some point as he
mentioned he has a
step brother who
lives in London. His
mother lives in
Wisconsin. He also
commonly refers to
people by their
first and last name
(Wikia).
Mark
BrendanawiczBACKGROUND
Mark Brendanawicz was a city planner
with the Pawnee municipal government.
When he studied city planning in
college, Mark was optimistic about the
field and dreamed of designing huge and
impressive cities. However, since
graduation, Mark learned most of the
career largely involved mundane
technical issues, such as regulating the
sizes of garages and proposed
construction additions to house. As a
result, Mark grew jaded and
disillusioned with the career, and
became critical of government processes
in general. Mark and Leslie slept
together on one occasion -- as a result,
Leslie harbored romantic feelings for
him for over 6 years. Mark does not
return said feelings -- he barely
remembers the incident taking place.
Mark leaves the parks department (and the show) to take a job with Norton Construction at the end of season two, when the local government is about to shut down.
Mark leaves the parks department (and the show) to take a job with Norton Construction at the end of season two, when the local government is about to shut down.
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