Before he was a credible President Bartlett, he was President Kennedy in the miniseries Kennedy (1983). Irrepressible Washington Post critic Tom Shales wrote that Sheen “has the voice inflections and mannerisms down, but he lacks the stature to play JFK. He’s too short and too furtive, one of the most squirrelly of actors. Actually, when you first hear Sheen’s Kennedy voice on the soundtrack, it sounds a little like a bad Cagney impression, as if he should be saying, ‘You dirty rat . . .'” Contrary to this opinion, the series was nominated for 3 Golden Globes Globes and won a Bafta for Best Drama Series.