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Bradford Emerson Meade is a fictional character in the American
dramedy Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
series ''
Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian ...
'', portrayed by
Alan Dale Alan Hugh Dale (born 6 May 1947) is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale enjoyed theatre and rugby. After retiring from the sport, he took on a number of occupations, before deciding to become a professional actor at age 27. Dale subsequent ...
.


Background

Bradford Meade is a famous publishing mogul whose company, Meade Publications, publishes the popular fashion magazine ''MODE''. He is the ex-husband of recovering alcoholic Claire Meade and the father of
Daniel Meade Daniel Meade is a fictional character in the American romantic drama-comedy series '' Ugly Betty.'' He is portrayed by Eric Mabius. Background Daniel (born in 1974) is the second child of magazine publisher Bradford Meade and Claire Meade. Aft ...
, the womanizing editor-in-chief of ''MODE'', and
Alexis Meade Alexis Meade (born Alexander Spencer Meade) is a fictional character from the ABC dramedy series '' Ugly Betty'', initially portrayed by Elizabeth Penn Payne (when she was listed in the credits as "Masked Lady") for the first twelve episodes of ...
, his transgender daughter. Bradford is also responsible for making major changes at the magazine after the mysterious death of chief editor Fey Sommers, including handing over the day-to-day operations to the inexperienced Daniel. He is also responsible for getting Betty Suarez hired as Daniel's personal assistant because he didn't want his son to be tempted to sleep with his assistants anymore. Betty and Daniel form a very strong friendship. Bradford's decision to put Daniel in charge and to make Betty his assistant are reasons alone for Creative Director Wilhelmina Slater—who wanted the editor-in-chief job—to plot against them in an effort to manipulate Bradford into reconsidering her for the top job. It is eventually revealed that Bradford tampered with Fay's steering wheel. After noticing Fey's casket is closed at her funeral, he hires a private detective, Steve, to find out any information implicating him and whether she faked her death. Prior to her death, Bradford and Fey had an affair and later he broke into her apartment and retrieved a photo of them together. After the funeral, he burns the photo to hide it from Daniel and Bradford's wife
Claire Clair or Claire may refer to: *Claire (given name), a list of people with the name Claire *Clair (surname) Places Canada * Clair, New Brunswick, a former village, now part of Haut-Madawaska * Clair Parish, New Brunswick * Pointe-Claire, Qu ...
. Bradford learns Fey is still alive and Steve is actually working for her (it is later discovered in " Sofia's Choice" Steve was really working for Wilhelmina). In turn, he hires a henchman, Mr. Green, to "clean up messes" starting with Mr. Green burying Steve in Fey's empty tomb—though Steve survives. Bradford plans to step up his scheme to bring Fey out into the open by any means, dead or alive, even though he is unaware his "late" son, Alex, is actually behind this scheme and is planning to frame him for Fey's murder, which happened during
Fashion Week A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, where fashion designers, brands or "houses" display their latest collections in runway fashion shows to buyers and the media. These events influence the upcoming fashion ...
, when he was arrested. Alexis then stuns him by revealing her sex-change to the world as Bradford is about to hand over the reins to Daniel. He is actually innocent; it is revealed in the episode "Brothers", that Claire in fact killed her. When Claire visits him at
Rikers Island Rikers Island is a island in the East River between Queens and the Bronx that contains New York City's main jail complex. Named after Abraham Rycken, who took possession of the island in 1664, the island was originally under in size, but has ...
and tells him she will turn herself in, Bradford begs her not to, but in the end she does and he is released immediately. It is later revealed Bradford's company only publishes ''MODE''; Claire is the actual owner of the magazine and has the ability to pull the strings. She is able to do this as Bradford had put the magazine under her name to evade taxes. In the episode " Punch Out" it was revealed Bradford is turned on by women's feet (a fetish Fey Sommers exploited to keep their relationship alive). Wilhelmina uses this information to her advantage and seduces Bradford (successfully), so she could "own" and control Meade Publications. She also succeeded in convincing Bradford to divorce Claire after Wilhelmina made Marc beat her up, and told Bradford the injuries were caused by someone Claire hired. In the season finale, he gave Wilhelmina an engagement ring he made himself, setting things up for a November wedding. Unbeknownst to Bradford, Claire had just escaped while en route to prison, hoping to stop him from marrying Wilhelmina. In the finale it was also revealed the brakes on Bradford's car had been cut by the hitman Alexis hired to kill her father; ironically, Alexis makes this discovery while driving the car in order to take
Daniel Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...
to the hospital. As the second season starts, Bradford is unaware (at first) that Wilhelmina is making sure that once they are married, she fully takes over Meade Publications. Claire tries to reach him so she can warn him and save their marriage, only to be thwarted by Wilhelmina. Meanwhile, speculation looms over whether he had an illegitimate child with Fey...who happens to be Amanda Tanen, the magazine receptionist and Daniel's ex-girlfriend; the results would come back negative. Wilhelmina trying to bond with Alexis, even as Daniel is suspicious of her true intentions. The latter would cause major friction when Bradford begins to favor Alexis over Daniel. On the day of his wedding, Bradford collapses of a heart attack while at the altar with Wilhelmina; this after Daniel told him about Wilhelmina sleeping with her bodyguard. At the hospital Bradford would later come to his senses by admitting he really did love Daniel, learning about Wilhelmina's infidelity, and finally reconciling with Claire before she is arrested. He later dies in the I.C.U. moments after telling Betty to watch over Daniel. Bradford's passing also opens up a new scheme for Wilhelmina. When she went to the morgue to see the body, she bribed the person who was about to do the preservation into acquiring Bradford's sperm so she can use them for impregnation. In " Giving Up The Ghost", Bradford returns as a manifestation of Betty's guilt for not being there for Daniel, guiding Betty in her actions throughout the episode to save ''MODE''. At the end of the episode when the lack of magazine cover issue is resolved, Bradford leaves Betty realizing she will now be there for Daniel. Having taken back her job at the magazine, Bradford comfortably disappears into the white light, and presumably his soul is now at peace. He also appears in a video message for Alexis and Daniel in " Bananas for Betty", recorded weeks before his death.


Connections

; Betty Suarez: Assistant to Daniel Meade; He was responsible for getting Betty the job so she could keep Daniel from hiring attractive women just to sleep with. Her knowledge has helped Daniel succeed in their roles at ''MODE'', which also pleased Bradford. And like his son, he seems to trust Betty a lot more, especially when he tells her to watch Daniel's financial responsibilities. She would be the last person who saw Bradford alive. ;
Fey Sommers This article lists the characters featured in the American ABC comedy-drama series ''Ugly Betty''. Main characters Betty Suarez Betty Suarez, played by America Ferrera, is the main protagonist. Aims to run her own magazine in the future. She i ...
: Former Editor-In-Chief; He had a 25-year affair with her and was under suspicion because he tampered with the steering on her car at the time of her death. He believed she was still alive (after the announcement of her death), thus prompting him to resort to sinister measures to expose her hoax. ; Wilhelmina Slater: Creative Editor at ''MODE''; After being passed over for the role as the editor-in-chief, she has secretly sought revenge by teaming up with Alexis Meade to drive a wedge between him and Daniel, as well as using manipulation tactics to convince him she is the right person for the job. She romanced him in an effort to get control of ''MODE'' away from his wife Claire, but may be aiming for the entire parent company so Claire won't pull the strings. ;
Daniel Meade Daniel Meade is a fictional character in the American romantic drama-comedy series '' Ugly Betty.'' He is portrayed by Eric Mabius. Background Daniel (born in 1974) is the second child of magazine publisher Bradford Meade and Claire Meade. Aft ...
: His younger son and Editor-In-Chief at ''MODE''; Despite handing the job to him, Daniel is not so sure he can live up to the challenge, but has gained his trust even though the two had shown signs of a rift in their relationship, which was being fueled by Wilhelmina. They made peace before his passing. ;
Alexis Meade Alexis Meade (born Alexander Spencer Meade) is a fictional character from the ABC dramedy series '' Ugly Betty'', initially portrayed by Elizabeth Penn Payne (when she was listed in the credits as "Masked Lady") for the first twelve episodes of ...
: His son-turned-daughter and Co-editor-in-chief at ''MODE''; Before Alexis (then Alexander) had a sex change, Bradford did his best to try to persuade him to not become a woman. Alex faked his death in a skiing accident to secretly have a sex change and came out of hiding two years later. However, Bradford still did not accept Alexis and tried to have her fired. This failed due to Claire's ownership of ''MODE'' and her desire to see Daniel and Alexis work together. After Alexis turned down a $10 million offer to leave the company, Bradford took Wilhelmina's suggestion by enlisting Rodigo Veloso, the creative director at ''MODE Brasil'', to romance her so he can get her out of the company and the Meade family for good, a plot which later failed. After being injured in a car crash (intended for Bradford), Alexis went into a coma, only to wake up thinking she is Alex, thus giving Bradford a scheme to change family history. He would later accept her as family again. ; Claire Meade: Bradford's wife (now widow); She had been in and out of rehab due to her drinking problem, brought on by Bradford's affair with Fey. Although they are estranged, the two are still married. Even as she faces jail time, Bradford insists he will stay married to her, but thanks to Wilhelmina's tactics, he decided to divorce her. He would later reconcile with her for last time before her rearrest. ;
Sofia Reyes Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
: Author and Editor-In-Chief of sister publication ''MYW''; Bradford hired her to help launch a new magazine and was the one who gave her the newly created position. ;
Steve ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form ( hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Stev ...
: Private detective; Was hired by Bradford to investigate Fey's death, only to discover he was working for Fey. But in Sofia's Choice it was revealed he was actually employed by Wilhelmina. ; Amanda Tanen Sommers: Receptionist at ''MODE''; Due to his affair with Fey Sommers, Amanda suspected Bradford may be her biological father. When the results came back it turned out to be negative. ; Mr. Green: Bradford's henchman; Loyal to Bradford, his job is to "clean up messes," starting with disposing of Steve in the cemetery (Steve by the way, survived the melee). {{DEFAULTSORT:Meade, Bradford Ugly Betty characters Fictional characters from New York City Fictional businesspeople Fictional socialites Fictional mass media owners Television characters introduced in 2006 fr:Liste des personnages d'Ugly Betty