Renee Estevez plays Nancy on `West Wing'

Q:. My whole family and I are huge fans of "The West Wing." At the beginning of almost every episode we see the name Renee Estevez, however, we cannot figure out which character she plays. Could you please tell us the name of her recurring role, and give us a little background information, too.

A: The daughter of "West Wing" star Martin Sheen, Renee has been appearing on the NBC series as Nancy. Estevez, 32, is a sister to famous brothers Charlie Sheen, who's joining the cast of "Spin City" next season, and Emilio and Ramon Estevez. In 1990, she teamed with her father in the European miniseries "Touch and Die." She's married to New York chef Jason Thomas Federico.

Q: What's happened to Robby Benson? He was such a fine young actor. Didn't he co-star with Ralph Macchio in "The Karate Kid?"

A: The Dallas-born actor, 44, has moved behind the camera in recent years. He's directed episodes of the network sitcoms "Jesse," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" and "The Naked Truth" among others. His early work includes "Ode to Billy Joe," "Running Brave" and "Harry & Son," but not "The Karate Kid." Benson underwent heart-valve surgery in 1984.

Q: Some weeks ago, I saw "Phenomenon" with John Travolta. His co-star was an actress who looks so much like Julia Roberts, only she's a blonde. I was thinking that Julia has a younger sister who's an actress. Was that her?

A: Roberts does have a younger sister, actress Lisa Roberts Gillan. But that was Kyra Sedgwick who played Lace Pennamin in "Phenomenon." The resemblance is there, though. Sedgwick and Julia Roberts played sisters in the 1995 feature film "Something to Talk About." Sedgwick, who's the daughter of Andy Warhol pal Edie Sedgwick, stars in the new ensemble comedy "Talk to Me" on ABC.