Character Name: Penelope Margaret Chase Winston
Character Gender: Female
Character Age: 55
Character Height: 5'6
Character Weight: 129 Ibs
Character Position/Role/Job:
Actress (1975 - 2000)
First Lady of the United States (2009 - 2016)
Spokeswoman for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (2017)
Appearance:
Character State of Origin: California
Character State of Residence: California
Character Party Affiliation: Democratic
Main Strengths: Beloved by women's groups and the coastal elite. Multi-Millionaire. Universal Name Recognition. Moving Backstory.
Main Weaknesses: Her Husband is her greatest liability, and despite the outpouring of sympathy that has come in the wake of his suicide, her last name will continue to haunt her in some circles for the rest of her life. No experience with debate whatsoever. Emotional and Emotion based.
Biography: Penelope Chase was born to an editor at the Los Angeles Times, a man by the name of Peter J. Chase, and a British model by the name of Teresa Kensington. The couple's relationship had been rocky from its inception, and the additional weight of a child would turn out to be too much to bear. The day after Penelope's 2nd birthday, a verbal confrontation between her parents broke out, its magnitude massive, with the end result being a flipped table, a broken window, and the absence of a mother. Teresa fled back to England, and Peter sunk into a depression that led to alcoholism. At age 6, Penelope was hit by her father for the first time. It wouldn't be the last. For 5 brutal years, Penelope was abused, physically and emotionally, her only solace being her elementary school principal, an older woman by the name of Diana MacDaniel, whom she confided in regarding matters that would typically be handled by a parent, stopping short of any indication that violence had been done to her, in accordance with her father's training. It was in these years that she began to act. Act like nothing was wrong. Act like she was having fun. Act like one day, it would all be over.
It turned out that day came earlier than she expected.
On October 31st, 1972, Peter Chase committed suicide, hanging himself from the ceiling fan in his bedroom, only to be found by a stupid teenager who had broken into the wrong house looking for someone completely different. Penelope, much to the alarm of her teachers, was not saddened by this event when told of its occurence. Instead, she immediately expressed a desire to be adopted by Principal MacDaniel, a process that took a year, but was finally completed. Now, she had real parents. Now, she didn't have to act anymore.
But she wanted to.
At the age of 14, Penelope was chosen to play the part of Mary Ingalls in "Little House on the Prairie", a role that she received after open auditions for the part resulted in her selection, though the influence of her adoptive father, Former Hollywood Producer Norman MacDaniel, likely played a role in her inevitable selection. Penelope played the part well, becoming an American sweetheart and remaining on the show for its entirety. The remainder of her adolescence was one of love, affection, and care, and the psychological damage done in her early childhood was remedied by routine visits with a mental health professional.
In 1983, with the end of the show, the now 22 year old Penelope decided to attend college, using her fame and excellent writing skills to gain admission to Stanford University, where she studied English and creative Writing. Penelope took on small roles throughout her college career, with her acting interfering with her education, which led to her late graduation in 1988 at age 27. Her next large role came in the year 1989, when she was cast as Dr. Elsa Schneider in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, performing as the Nazi sympathizing femme fatale in the film. This shocked many, who still regarded her as the little girl from Little House, but it showed that she was not limited to just one caricature or role. The movie was a hit, and her work continued.
In 1991 she turned down the chance to assume the role of Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs, stating that the script made her "Rather uncomfortable" and claiming wthat the role "Just Wasn't for her." Upon the film's release, she stated "It was exactly what I expected it to be, good, but not something I'd ever want to be a part of."
In 1992, Penelope assumed her favorite role "to date", that of Catwoman in Batman Returns. Her performance as the sly and sneaky Anti-Hero received critical acclaim, with that performance being widely described as "Astounding." Following this major success, Penelope waited two years before signing onto the defining gig of her career, that of Phoebe on the hit television show Friends. Penelope acted brilliantly throughout the show and gained international acclaim, befriending the other cast members and dating Matt LeBlanc for three years, from 1996 - 1999. She won two Emmys associated with her role, and 3 Awards from the Screen Actors Guild. Shortly after her 3rd win, she was set up on a blind date with Albert Winston, a former Actor turned politician who was charismatic and kind in all the correct ways, a man who would go to on to be her husband. Friends was Penelope's last real acting job, and though she maintained her friendships and contacts throughout Hollywood, she never felt as free as she once did following marriage to Albert.
In 2000, the couple married after a year of dating, and it was announced shortly thereafter that Penelope was pregnant. 9 Months later, quite literally in the middle of her Husband's campaign for Mayor of Los Angeles, She went into labour. She gave birth at UCLA medical center to a healthy baby girl, named Diana, and her husband won the election. Mrs. Winston's role in her husband's campaigns was surprisingly large, and her stumping for him, even during her second pregnancy in 2004, turned several heads. The world of politics was foreign to Penelope, but she determined that it all really boiled down to the same kind of influence building and maneuvering that was commonplace in Hollywood. Once again, Penelope went into labour in Albert's Campaign office, this time the circumstance requiring an emergency Caesarian section due to a previously unobserved problem with the umbilical cord in the womb. This issue ultimately resulted in her newborn son, Brian Winston, being born with a minor heart defect. Albert was once again elected, and Penelope was there every step of the way, taking care of the children and overseeing affairs that her husband simply did not have the time to handle.
Penelope was blindsided by her Husband's entrance into the 2008 race, and she was privately vehemently against such a thing, though she reluctantly supported him in his efforts publically. She assumed that the strong first female candidate would beat out Albert, but this proved not to be the case, with her husband narrowly winning the primary and ultimately, the Presidency. Life in the Public eye was normal for her, but a life like this had never before entered her mind.
Penelope's approval rating throughout her husband's historic tenure hovered consistently in the range of 65 - 70%, with her support of non-partisan causes like the fight against childhood obesity and her advocation of women's education remaining popular, even while her husband's policy did not. When the downward slope began, she noticed. He was developing a problem, mentally. Something just wasn't right, and his continuous mistakes as President were proving it. She stayed by his side, but she began to stop doing more than she had to. The White House became a fortress, and her kids became the focus of her worries.
Then the Impeachment charges hit, and everything went to hell.
It was inevitable really. That didn't mean she couldn't cry, as she did every night, and had every night since the one he was faced with possible removal. Her approval exceeded his by unbelievable margins, and while he sat at 3, she sat at 53. People weren't blaming the wife, but she felt she had failed anyways. Failed to serve as an equal partner in the White House, which is what he really needed all along.
Albert Winston committed suicide.
She locked herself away in California for a month or two. She didn't leave the house a single time, everything was delivered. She returned to her aged yet still practicing psychiatrist. Her kids received private tutoring and counseling, the dog was given away to elderly friends, and the memories of what had transpired refused to leave.
Its February of 2017 now, and Mrs. Winston has recovered. Partnering with The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Penelope is making something of her shattered life, picking up the pieces, one at a time. The direction of her career is up in the air at the moment, and only God knows where the wind may blow her.
Other Info: Birthday June 26, 1961. 2 Emmys. 3 Screen Actors Guild Awards. CPR/First Aid certified. Mildly proficient in Spanish.
