Bradley Whitford
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Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff
Josh Lyman Joshua Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama series ''The West Wing''. The role earned Whitford the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2001. For most of the se ...
in the NBC television
political drama A political drama can describe a Theatre, play, film or TV program that has a politics, political component, whether reflecting the author's political opinion, or describing a politician or series of political events. Dramatists who have written p ...
''
The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...
'' (1999–2006), for which he was nominated for three consecutive
Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
from 2001 to 2003, winning in 2001. The role earned him three consecutive
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
nominations. In addition to ''The West Wing'', Whitford played Danny Tripp in ''
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'' is an American comedy-drama television series created for NBC and primarily written by Aaron Sorkin. The series was about the production of a live comedy series similar to ''Saturday Night Live''. Produced by ...
'', Dan Stark in the Fox police buddy-comedy '' The Good Guys'', Timothy Carter, a character who was believed to be
Red John Red John is a fictional character and the primary antagonist of the CBS crime drama ''The Mentalist'' for the first five seasons and in the first half of the sixth season. As a serial killer, he is believed to have begun his killing spree in 19 ...
, in the CBS series ''
The Mentalist ''The Mentalist'' is an American procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2008, until February 18, 2015, broadcasting 151 episodes over seven seasons, on CBS. Created by Bruno Heller, who was also its executive producer, t ...
'', antagonist Eric Gordon in the film '' Billy Madison'', Arthur Parsons in '' The Post'', Dean Armitage in the horror film ''
Get Out ''Get Out'' is a 2017 American psychological horror film written, co-produced, and directed by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut. It stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Lil Rel Howery, LaKeith Stanfield, Bradley Whitford, Caleb ...
'', Roger Peralta in ''
Brooklyn Nine-Nine ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' is an American police procedural sitcom television series that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox, and later on NBC, from September 17, 2013, to September 16, 2021, for eight seasons and 153 episodes. Created by Dan G ...
'', President Gray in the dystopian science fiction film '' The Darkest Minds'' and Rick Stanton in the monster film ''Godzilla: King of the Monsters''. In 2015, he won a second
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
for his role as Marcy in '' Transparent'' and later garnered a fifth Primetime Emmy Award nomination for portraying
Magnus Hirschfeld Magnus Hirschfeld (14 May 1868 – 14 May 1935) was a German physician, Sexology, sexologist and LGBTQ advocate, whose German citizenship was later revoked by the Nazi government.David A. Gerstner, ''Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer ...
in the same series. Since 2018, Whitford has portrayed Commander Joseph Lawrence in
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dystopian A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmenta ...
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
''
The Handmaid's Tale ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which has ...
'', for which he won his third
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
in 2019.


Early life

Whitford was born in
Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...
, the son of Genevieve Louie (née Smith; 1915–2011)Genevieve Smith Whitford Obituary – Pasadena, California
. Legacy.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
and George Van Norman Whitford (1915–1999). Between the ages of three and fourteen, he lived in
Wayne, Pennsylvania Wayne is an unincorporated community centered in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, on the Main Line, a series of highly affluent Philadelphia suburbs located along the railroad tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad and one of the ...
. His mother, a poet, later resided in
Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia Chestnut Hill is a neighbourhood, neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known for the high incomes of its residents and high real estate values, as well as its private schools. G ...
. He grew up in a Quaker household. Whitford graduated from Madison East High School in 1977. He majored in English and theatre at
Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...
(where he was a roommate of producer Paul Schiff, the brother of his future ''West Wing'' cast mate Richard Schiff), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1981.. Whitford then studied drama at the
Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...
, where he was a member of "Group 14". The NBC series '' Who Do You Think You Are?'' explored Whitford's ancestry in an August 2022 episode, including ancestors who fought in a crucial
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
battle.


Career

Whitford first appeared on television in a 1985 episode of '' The Equalizer'', followed by a two-year recurring role on the ABC daytime drama ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2 ...
''. His film debut was in the 1986 film ''Dead as a Doorman''. He made his
Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...
debut in 1990 playing Lt. Jack Ross (followed a few months later in the lead role of Lt. Daniel Kaffee), in the Aaron Sorkin written play ''
A Few Good Men ''A Few Good Men'' is a 1992 American legal drama film based on Aaron Sorkin's 1989 play, produced by Castle Rock Entertainment, financed and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was written by Sorkin, directed by Rob Reiner, and produced ...
''. This was the beginning of a recurring working relationship between Whitford and Sorkin. Whitford film roles during the 1980s and 1990s included Elisabeth Shue's boyfriend Mike Todwell in '' Adventures in Babysitting'' (1987), Roger Latimer in '' Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise'' (1987), Jamie Kemp in '' Presumed Innocent'' (1990), Charles Phalen in '' Young Guns II'' (1990), Dr. Tyler in '' Awakenings'' (1990), Al Pacino's nephew Randy Slade in '' Scent of a Woman'' (1992),
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
sharpshooter A sharpshooter is one who is highly proficient at firing firearms or other projectile weapons accurately. Military units composed of sharpshooters were important factors in 19th-century combat. Along with " marksman" and "expert", "sharpshooter" ...
Bobby Lee in '' A Perfect World'' (1993), lawyer Jamey Collins in ''
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
'' (1993), Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Fink in '' The Client'' (1994), antagonist Eric Gordon in '' Billy Madison'' (1995), and Lloyd Charney in '' Bicentennial Man'' (1999). His television appearances during this time included ''
Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
'', ''
NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...
'', '' Ellen'', ''
The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...
'', '' Touched by an Angel'', and a guest appearance on '' ER'' in the Emmy Award-winning episode " Love's Labor Lost". Whitford joined the cast of Sorkin's ''
The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...
'' as
Josh Lyman Joshua Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama series ''The West Wing''. The role earned Whitford the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2001. For most of the se ...
with the show's premiere in 1999. For his role, he won an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
in 2001 for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Whitford also wrote two episodes of the series (" Faith Based Initiative" in the sixth season and " Internal Displacement" in the seventh). After ''The West Wing'' ended in May 2006, Whitford appeared in Sorkin's later series ''
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'' is an American comedy-drama television series created for NBC and primarily written by Aaron Sorkin. The series was about the production of a live comedy series similar to ''Saturday Night Live''. Produced by ...
'' playing the role of Danny Tripp. He appeared in the British drama '' Burn Up'' on the BBC in July 2008. He starred in the play '' Boeing-Boeing'' which opened on Broadway on May 4, 2008. He co-starred in the
Joss Whedon Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon ( ; born June 23, 1964) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, comic book writer, and composer. He is best known as the creator of several television series: the supernatural drama ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer' ...
/ Drew Goddard horror film '' The Cabin in the Woods'', filmed in 2009 but not released until April 2012. In 2010, Whitford starred as Dan Stark in the Fox TV comedy '' The Good Guys'' opposite Colin Hanks. In 2011, Whitford guest-starred in '' In Plain Sight'' on
USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...
as a man combatting paranoia. He appeared in the season three finale of ''
The Mentalist ''The Mentalist'' is an American procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2008, until February 18, 2015, broadcasting 151 episodes over seven seasons, on CBS. Created by Bruno Heller, who was also its executive producer, t ...
'' as a minion of and decoy for "
Red John Red John is a fictional character and the primary antagonist of the CBS crime drama ''The Mentalist'' for the first five seasons and in the first half of the sixth season. As a serial killer, he is believed to have begun his killing spree in 19 ...
", the long-sought nemesis of the show's protagonist Patrick Jane. Whitford appeared on '' Law & Order: Los Angeles'' as a lawyer. On September 15, 2011, he starred in the one-night-only staged reading of ''8'', a play that chronicles the trial surrounding California's Proposition 8, written by Dustin Lance Black. In 2013, Whitford played Pete Harrison in the ABC comedy '' Trophy Wife'', which was canceled after one season, and also that same year played Don DaGradi in the drama film '' Saving Mr. Banks''. In 2014, Whitford appeared in a recurring role as a cross-dressing businessman during the first season of the Amazon Studios series '' Transparent''. He went on to win the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Prior to 1988 the category was not gender specific, thus was called Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series. These awards, l ...
for his performance. He returned during the series' second season as
Magnus Hirschfeld Magnus Hirschfeld (14 May 1868 – 14 May 1935) was a German physician, Sexology, sexologist and LGBTQ advocate, whose German citizenship was later revoked by the Nazi government.David A. Gerstner, ''Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer ...
. In February 2014, it was announced that he was cast in
Randall Miller Randall Miller (born July 24, 1962) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor, and occasional actor. At the American Film Institute (AFI), Miller received acclaim for his 1990 short film ''Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & ...
's ''
Midnight Rider "Midnight Rider" is a song by the American rock band the Allman Brothers Band. It was the second Single (music), single from their second studio album, ''Idlewild South'' (1970), released on Capricorn Records. The song was primarily written by v ...
'', a biopic of
Gregg Allman Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman B ...
. Starting in 2015, Whitford had a recurring role in ''
Brooklyn Nine-Nine ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' is an American police procedural sitcom television series that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox, and later on NBC, from September 17, 2013, to September 16, 2021, for eight seasons and 153 episodes. Created by Dan G ...
'' as Roger Peralta, father of lead character Jake Peralta ( Andy Samberg). In 2017, Whitford played Dean Armitage, a father and neurosurgeon, in the racially themed horror film ''
Get Out ''Get Out'' is a 2017 American psychological horror film written, co-produced, and directed by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut. It stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Lil Rel Howery, LaKeith Stanfield, Bradley Whitford, Caleb ...
'', and antagonist Arthur Parsons in the political thriller '' The Post''. In 2018, Whitford played President Gray in the dystopian science fiction film '' The Darkest Minds'', and joined the cast of the web dystopian tragedy ''
The Handmaid's Tale ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which has ...
'' as Commander Joseph Lawrence, guest starring in the final two episodes of the second season. He won the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a guest st ...
in 2019 for his performance and became the first person to have won the guest acting Emmy Awards for both comedy and drama. He returned as a series regular for the third season and garnered a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In 2019, Whitford played Rick Stanton in the monster film ''Godzilla: King of the Monsters'', and from 2019 to 2020, he starred in the musical comedy series '' Perfect Harmony'', which ran for one season on NBC. In August 2023, he portrayed Francis in the Los Angeles production of '' Peter Pan Goes Wrong''.


Personal life

Whitford married actress Jane Kaczmarek in August 1992. They have three children together. In June 2009, the couple announced that they were divorcing after 18 years of marriage, and the divorce was finalized in October 2010. They had frequently attended public events together and had co-founded the foundation "Clothes off our Back," and were last seen together at the September 2008 opening for her performance in the play '' House of Blue Leaves'' in Los Angeles Whitford began dating his ''Transparent'' co-star
Amy Landecker Amy Lauren Landecker (born September 30, 1969) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Sarah Pfefferman on the Amazon Prime Video, Amazon comedy-drama series ''Transparent (TV series), Transparent'' (2014–2019), as well as her supp ...
in 2015. They announced their engagement in March 2018. Whitford and Landecker eloped on July 17, 2019. In May 2007, Whitford was honored by Alliance for Justice, a nonprofit organization, as the 2007 Champion of Justice. He delivered the commencement address at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...
in 2004. He was the keynote speaker for Class Day at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
in June 2007. As of 2012, Whitford serves on the board of trustees of his alma mater, Wesleyan University.


Political views and activism

Whitford has been described as having "liberal views". He contributed to ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'' as a columnist. He serves on the Board of Advisors of Let America Vote, an organization founded by former Missouri Secretary of State
Jason Kander Jason David Kander (born May 4, 1981) is an American attorney, author, veteran, and politician. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, he served as the 39th Missouri Secretary of State, secretary of state of Missouri, from 2013 to 2017. H ...
that aims to end voter suppression. He serves on the advisory board of Citizens' Climate Lobby, an international grassroots environmental group founded by Marshall L. Saunders that trains and supports volunteers to build relationships with their elected representatives in order to influence climate policy. In 2011, Whitford spoke at a protest in his native Madison, Wisconsin, in opposition to Governor Scott Walker's budget repair bill. Prior to the 2012 United States elections, Whitford and Courage Campaign founder, Rick Jacobs, appeared together in a video that elaborated on California's Proposition 30 and Proposition 32; the video encouraged viewers to vote "yes" on the former and "no" on the latter. Leading up to the 2014 Wisconsin gubernatorial election, Whitford visited multiple University of Wisconsin System campuses in support of nominee Mary Burke, who went on to lose against incumbent Governor Scott Walker. Whitford supported
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
in the
2016 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 8, 2016. The Republican Party (United States), Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana Governor, Indiana governor Mike P ...
. He has been a vocal critic of 45th and 47th U.S. president
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
. In 2019, he co-hosted a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg alongside actress
Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow ( ; born September 27, 1972) is an American actress and businesswoman. The daughter of filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner, she established herself as a leading lady appearing in mainly mid-budget and perio ...
as well as donated to Buttigieg's 2020 presidential campaign. That same year, Whitford appeared in a public service announcement in support of abortion rights alongside other cast members of ''The Handmaid's Tale''. The following year, he appeared as part of a series of "surprise virtual appearances" in support of
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
's 2020 presidential campaign.


Filmography


Film


Television


Podcasts


Awards and nominations


References


External links

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Bradley Whitford
on Bluesky {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitford, Bradley 1959 births Living people American male television actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male voice actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Male actors from Madison, Wisconsin Male actors from Pennsylvania Primetime Emmy Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners American activists HuffPost writers and columnists California Democrats Pennsylvania Democrats Wisconsin Democrats Liberalism in the United States American Quakers Juilliard School alumni Wesleyan University alumni Madison East High School alumni People from San Marino, California