The most memorable secretaries and assistants from film and TV

Elaine's stint as the personal assistant to eccentric wealthy businessman Justin Pitt (Ian Abercrombie) was one highly incompetent, but entertaining ride. The demanding Pitt made Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) buy him the right-fitting pair of white socks, remove the salt from his pretzel sticks, try to win a radio contest so he could be part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, and help see a 3D portrait picture. Sadly, their professional relationship ended when Pitt thought she and Jerry tried to have him killed. 

Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) was pretty miserable while serving as the personal assistant to officious Canadian executive (Sandra Bullock), who is on the verge of being deported but desperately wants to keep her high-ranking job at a publishing company. So she gets Andrew to act as her fiancé. The plot of this 2009 rom-com is obviously predictable, but Andrew is a likable, selfless character who is exceedingly loyal. 

Who really runs the high school which Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) attends and Ed Rooney serves as dean? Perhaps secretary Grace (played by the usually hilarious Edie McClurg) from the classic 1986 comedy. She knows practically everything about what's going at the school, like the status of Mr. Rooney's bad knee. Grace is politely honest and knows for a fact that Ferris is quite popular with the student body and generally considered a "righteous dude."

Perhaps better known as Miss Jane from this classic sitcom, Miss Hathaway (played by veteran actress Nancy Kulp) is Mr. Drysdale's secretary, who actually tends to be more loyal to the Clampett Family while still doing a good job of keeping her boss (Raymond Bailey) in check, especially when it comes to thwarting his many schemes to disrupt his newly wealthy neighbors and clients. Miss Hathaway excels at playing both sides of the fence, though we think she has a true soft spot for the uncultured, but down-to-earth Clampetts. 

Dark, disturbing, adorably sarcastic and wonderfully odd. That's April (Aubrey Plaza), who began her tenure at the Pawnee Parks and Recreation District as a bored and unmotivated intern. She then rose to the position of assistant to Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) at town hall, where she schedules meetings for days that don't exist on the calendar and keeps her boss from being bothered. She eventually heads to D.C. as an assistant to Ben (Adam Scott). For someone so disinterested in work and people, April manages to build a successful career.

David Spade might be an acquired taste to some, and his Dennis tended to get under the skin of many at Blush magazine, where he served as executive assistant to owner and publisher Jack Gallo (George Segal) during this NBC sitcom that ran from 1997-2003. Dennis was arrogant and rude, likely due to his rather high level of intelligence, and consistently sarcastic — especially to co-worker and Jack's daughter Maya (Laura San Giacomo). Oh yeah, he's also severely horny.

The loyal, obedient, and downright obsessive assistant to Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin). Jonathan (Maulik Pancholy) was highly protective of his boss, almost to an unhealthy level that he couldn't imagine his life without the job — or not being near Jack on a daily basis. Complete with his earpiece or headset, Jonathan is willing to demean himself to please Jack. Amid a cast of comedy heroes, Pancholy was an unheralded gem.

It can be argued that the great Annie Potts has roughly a handful of career-defining roles. It just depends on one's preference. Among her best is in the Ghostbusters franchise of movies that are still going strong today. Janine started out as a relatively innocent, serviceable secretary to the Ghostbusters, but as the film series progressed, she even starting fighting ghosts herself. Complete with her New York accent, Janine boasts a dry wit and keen sense of humor that has essentially remained intact since the beginning.

Brilliantly played by the highly underrated Allyce Beasley, Miss DiPesto was the quirky, eccentric and highly loyal receptionist at Blue Moon Investigations. Miss DiPesto is essentially a sweetheart, an underappreciated voice of reason and is likely best known for her rhyming greetings while answering the phone. Agnes was also in a relationship with fellow Blue Moon employee Herbert Viola (Curtis Armstrong), which added another entertaining plotline to this celebrated comedy from the last half of the 1980s.

Perhaps under the radar for some, but Maggie Gyllenhaal delivers one of her best performances in this kinky romantic comedy from 2002. So much so that she earned a Golden Globe nomination for playing Lee, a socially awkward, but somewhat savant-like, young woman with a history of self-harm. When she takes a job as secretary for eccentric and mildly disturbing lawyer E. Edward Grey (James Spader), her life explodes with emotion and passion as she eventually finds herself in a dom-sub relationship with her boss.

One of the most beloved members of The White House staff within the administration of President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet (Martin Sheen). Mrs. Landingham (portrayed by award-winning actress Kathryn Joosten) was highly dependable and efficient, had the Oval Office running like a well-oiled machine, and was pleasantly sarcastic to boot. She essentially knew the President better than he knew himself. Sadly, Mrs. Landingham was taken too soon amid The West Wing universe.

There was probably no more devoted sidekick/assistant/obsessor than Gary (Tony Hale). The undeniably loyal aide to Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) was always ready with hand sanitizer, lipstick, or pills to keep his boss happy and lucid. He did anything, and we mean anything, for his beloved master. As we found out at the series' end, Gary was even willing to take the fall, albeit unbeknownst to himself, for his boss Selina's unethical and illegal behavior. 

Mr. Burns' right-hand man, Smithers (hilariously voiced by veteran funnyman Harry Shearer) is uncomfortably loyal, devoted, and obedient to his boss. During the series' run, we learn, as thought for many years, that Smithers is in love with the older, often-demeaning Burns. The relationship between the two is strange but consistently provides some of the funniest moments in the show's history. 

L.A. Law was must-see television during its iconic run from 1986-94. Amid a star-studded cast that featured Harry Hamlin, Corbin Bernsen, Jimmy Smits, Susan Dey, Jill Eikenberry and Alan Rachins, Susan Ruttan's Roxanne began one of the most popular characters on the show. The loyal, witty and determined secretary/office administrator — closely associated with Bernsen's Arnie Becker — often proved to be the smartest person in the room. Her relationship with Arnie was complex, but entertaining, and helped Ruttan earn four Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

Marcia Wallace proved to be one of the most popular television actresses of the 1970s thanks to her hilarious work as Carol Kester, receptionist to both psychologist Dr. Robert Hartley (Bob Newhart) and orthodontist Dr. Jerry Robinson (Peter Bonërz). Though Carol got the job done, perhaps more importantly, she helped keep both doctors in check and from taking themselves too seriously. That said, both loved her like family. 

Tony Stark's personal assistant and eventual love interest, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) spanned various installments within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She's also more than an assistant and significant other to Tony (Robert Downey Jr.). Pepper is an underrated support system, who is dependable, intelligent, and cunning when need be. She's a critical thinker, but can be quick with a joke or witty quip. 

The role that made Loni Anderson a superstar and sex symbol. Of course, those fans of WKRP know that Jennifer was more than a pretty face and great body. As the popular, but dysfunctionally-run station's receptionist, Jennifer pretty much ran the show. She's an excellent typist, but didn't type. She never made coffee and was an expert in getting boss Mr. Carlson (Gordon Jump) out of jams and hilariously shooting down the many advances of co-worker Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner). Oh yeah, she was also the highest-paid employee at the station.

As movie and music fans learned back in 1980, there really was nothing Dolly Parton couldn't do. Already a country music icon, Parton earned a Golden Globe nomination for this role — in her big-screen debut, no less. Doralee is the upbeat, reliable and friendly secretary to Frank Hart (Dabney Coleman), the Vice President of Consolidated Companies. She also deals with plenty of verbal and overall sexual harassment from her boss. But, with the help of co-workers Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda) and Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin), Doralee gets her revenge.

Joan (Christina Hendricks) served as office manager and head of the secretarial pool at the highly successful Sterling Cooper advertising agency on this AMC hit. The role that essentially made Hendricks a household name, and led to six Primetime Emmy Award nominations, Joan was a go-getter and did what — and who — was needed to get ahead. Though her long-running affair with Roger Sterling (John Slattery) resulted in the child that pretty much ended her marriage, Joan rose all the way to agency partner and one of the most powerful fictional women of the 21st century. 

With her keen business knowledge and natural survival instincts, Tess (Melanie Griffith) is highly overqualified for the secretary and administrative work that she did in this popular Mike Nichols romantic comedy-drama from 1988. That said, Tess is one fine role model for the time, when women were often not taken seriously to make important decisions in a corporate setting. However, she's confident, tough enough to the buck odds and clear hurdles to find professional and personal empowerment. Griffith earned a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for the part. 

Talk about climbing up the corporate ladder? When audiences first met Peggy (Elisabeth Moss), she was secretary at exec Don Draper (Jon Hamm) at prominent ad agency Sterling Cooper on this highly celebrated AMC period drama. Then she finds a copywriting career within the agency, while also dealing plenty of drama throughout the run of the series, like her surprise pregnancy and the way she deals with the chauvinistic aspect of corporate life in that era. Taking advice from the aforementioned Joan Holloway, Olson navigates her professional and personal life like a roller coaster, but just might be the greatest character from the series. Moss earned six Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the role. 

Pam (Jenna Fischer) certainly blossomed into one of the most iconic sitcom characters in the last 30 years. Sure, she could be a little whiny, a pushover and is more insecure than perhaps any other character from the popular American version of The Office. Of course, as Dunder Mifflin's secretary she is solidly loyal, patient and tolerant to the likes of boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and eccentric co-worker Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson). Sure, Pam had spells as a salesperson and office administrator, but when it comes to corporate secretaries, Pam is among the elite. 

The role that won Megan Mullally a pair of Primetime Emmy Awards. Now, Karen was an assistant in title only. She hardly did any meaningful daily work, in terms of production, while working for Grace Adler (Debra Messing) in this uber-popular sitcom. The booze-swilling, cleavage-flaunting Karen could zing with the best in TV history, especially toward Grace. Though Karen was lazy when it came to doing menial assistant work, she was highly valuable to Grace's career as a prominent figure on the Manhattan social scene with many connections.

Emily Blount's breakthrough role is the epitome of the snooty assistant from this beloved 2006 comedy-drama. Of course, working at a high-end fashion magazine like Runway, and devilish editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), tends to bring out the worst in most of her underlings. As Miranda's senior assistant, Emily is more than a glorified gofer. She's charged with some ambitious tasks and is obsessed with fashion, which means she doesn't eat carbs and bashes anybody that doesn't dress to her caliber. Of course, she is about to meet her match in ...

... Andy Sacks (Anne Hathaway), the recent Northwestern University graduate who comes to Manhattan looking to make it as a serious journalist. However, she ends up as a junior assistant at the aforementioned Runway. A million girls would kill for that job, but not Andy, who enters the gig with no sense of fashion or intel on the famed, trend-setting magazine and its evil editor. However, after a seriously rough start and forced to clear several unthinkable hurdles, Andy prevails, Though, she becomes the worst version of herself in the process. When it comes to ficational assistants/secretaries, Andy encompasses it all -- good, bad, vulnerable, funny, confident and morally conflicted. It truly doesn't get better than Andy.