Stockard Channing appeared in comedy films.
Grease is a 1978 American musical romantic comedy film based on Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey 's musical of the same name . Heartburn is a 1986 American comedy-drama film directed and produced by Mike Nichols , starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson , and is also Kevin Spacey 's film debut . Stockard Channing . She is known for playing Betty Rizzo in the film Grease ( 1978 ) and First Lady Abbey Bartlet on the NBC television series The West Wing ( 1999 -- 2006 ) .