Matt Santos

Matthew Vincente "Matt" Santos is a fictional character on the American television show The West Wing, played by Jimmy Smits. His initial appearance was as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Houston, Texas; and he was elected to succeed Josiah Bartlet as President in the final episodes of the series. According to David Remnick's biography of Barack Obama, "The Bridge," and other news sources, West Wing writer and producer Eli Attie used then-State Senator Obama as a model for the character.

Personal life

Santos, a Catholic, was born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Houston, Texas. He was born in either 1963 (in 2005, Josh says Santos is 42) or in 1961 (in 2006, Santos himself says he is 45). One of seven children born to Luis and Marita Santos, he grew up in the Second Ward — the oldest Mexican-American neighborhood in Houston and home to six generations of the Santos family. Luis Santos was a barber, while Marita Santos was a domestic servant.

He has been married to Helen Santos (played by Teri Polo) for 15 years, and they have two children, Peter and Miranda, who are 11 and 5, respectively, at the time of their father's inauguration.