Leslie Barbara Knope is the protagonist in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. She is portrayed by Amy Poehler.
For the majority of the series run, she serves as the Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department of the fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana. An over-achiever, Knope believes the government should serve the people.
Leslie Barbara Knope (/ˈnoʊp/ NOHP) is a fictional character portrayed by Amy Poehler and the main protagonist of the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. For most of the show's run, she serves as deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department of the fictional city of Pawnee, Indiana. An overachiever, Knope believes the government should serve the people and is unceasingly optimistic about the potential of her role within it. For her performance as Knope, Poehler has been nominated for several awards and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy.[1]
Background
Leslie Knope was born on January 18, 1975, in Eagleton, Indiana, due to a raccoon infestation in Pawnee, and has lived in Pawnee, Indiana, since infancy. According to the show's timeline, her father died in 1985. She was inspired to pursue a life of public service by the community programs she enjoyed as a child. While attending Pawnee North High School, Leslie served as Co-Vice President of the student body and participated in several student organizations including the Model United Nations, Debate Club, Mock Trial, Young Republicans, Young Democrats, and the Young Independents, which she founded. She graduated in the top 5% of her high-school class and summa cum laude from Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs.[2]
In the first three seasons, Leslie is the deputy in Pawnee's Parks and Recreation Department, a midlevel bureaucratic position;[3] in season four, she successfully campaigns to become a member of the city council. In her role as deputy director, she serves on several committees, including the Equal Opportunity Committee, the Fun in the Sun Committee, the Clean Restroom Task Force, the Handicapped Restroom Task Force, and the Task Force to Reduce the Number of Public Restrooms.[2] She hopes to improve her town and to advance her career (possibly aiming to become the city manager). She has also stated her ultimate goal of becoming the first female President of the United States.[3] Knope proudly displays in her office images of Hillary Clinton, Sandra Day O'Connor, Joe Biden, Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, Dianne Feinstein, Janet Reno, Nancy Pelosi, and Larry Bird. Leslie also has a love for sweets, especially waffles (which she frequently orders in large quantities at J.J.'s Diner) and whipped cream, which she puts in coffee, on waffles, etc.