Bradley Whitford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bradley Whitford
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Whitford in 2024
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| Born | October 10, 1959 Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
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| Other names | Brad Whitford |
| Education | Wesleyan University (BA) Juilliard School (GrDip) |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 3 |
Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is famous for playing Josh Lyman, a White House staff member, in the TV show The West Wing. For this role, he won an Emmy Award in 2001.
He has also appeared in many other popular shows and movies. These include Danny Tripp in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Dean Armitage in the horror film Get Out, and Commander Joseph Lawrence in The Handmaid's Tale. He won two more Emmy Awards for his roles in Transparent and The Handmaid's Tale.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Bradley Whitford was born in Madison, Wisconsin. He lived in Wayne, Pennsylvania, for part of his childhood. He went to Madison East High School and graduated in 1977.
He studied English and theater at Wesleyan University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1981. After that, he continued his drama studies at the Juilliard School.
Acting Career
Whitford started his acting career on television in 1985. He appeared in an episode of The Equalizer. He also had a role in the daytime drama All My Children. His first movie was Dead as a Doorman in 1986.
In 1990, he made his debut on Broadway in the play A Few Good Men. This play was written by Aaron Sorkin, and Whitford would work with Sorkin many times later.
Early Film and TV Roles
During the 1980s and 1990s, Whitford appeared in several movies. Some of these include:
- Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
- Presumed Innocent (1990)
- Awakenings (1990)
- Scent of a Woman (1992)
- A Perfect World (1993)
- Philadelphia (1993)
- Billy Madison (1995)
He also made guest appearances on TV shows like NYPD Blue, Ellen, The X-Files, and ER.
The West Wing and Beyond
In 1999, Whitford joined the cast of Aaron Sorkin's TV show The West Wing. He played Josh Lyman, a key character in the White House. This role made him very well-known. He won an Emmy Award in 2001 for his performance. He even wrote two episodes of the show himself.
After The West Wing ended in 2006, Whitford worked with Sorkin again on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. He played Danny Tripp in that series.
In 2010, he starred as Detective Dan Stark in the comedy show The Good Guys. He also appeared in the movie The Cabin in the Woods, which was filmed in 2009 and released in 2012.
Recent Work
In 2013, Whitford played Pete Harrison in the comedy Trophy Wife. He also played Don DaGradi in the movie Saving Mr. Banks.
From 2014 to 2019, he had a recurring role in the series Transparent. He won another Emmy Award for his acting in this show.
In 2017, he played Dean Armitage in the horror film Get Out. He also appeared as Arthur Parsons in the movie The Post.
Since 2018, Whitford has been a main cast member in the show The Handmaid's Tale. He plays Commander Joseph Lawrence. For this role, he won his third Emmy Award in 2019. This made him the first actor to win guest acting Emmys for both comedy and drama shows.
In 2019, he was in the monster movie Godzilla: King of the Monsters. He also starred in the musical comedy series Perfect Harmony.
Personal Life
Bradley Whitford married actress Jane Kaczmarek in 1992. They had three children together. They divorced in 2010.
In 2015, Whitford started dating his Transparent co-star Amy Landecker. They got married in 2019.
Whitford is also involved in various causes. He serves on the board of trustees for his old university, Wesleyan University.
Political Views and Activism
Bradley Whitford is known for his strong beliefs and active involvement in politics. He has written columns for The Huffington Post.
He is on the Board of Advisors for Let America Vote, an organization that works to make sure everyone can vote easily. He also advises Citizens' Climate Lobby, a group that helps people talk to their leaders about climate change.
Whitford has spoken at protests and supported political candidates. For example, he supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. He has also been a critic of former US President Donald Trump. In 2019, he helped host a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Dead as a Doorman | Terry Reilly | |
| 1987 | Adventures in Babysitting | Mike Todwell | |
| Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise | Roger Latimer | ||
| 1990 | Vital Signs | Dr. Donald Ballentine | |
| Presumed Innocent | Jamie Kemp | ||
| Young Guns II | Charles Phalen | Credited as Brad Whitford | |
| Awakenings | Dr. Tyler | ||
| 1992 | Scent of a Woman | Randy Slade | |
| 1993 | RoboCop 3 | Jeffrey Fleck | |
| My Life | Paul Ivanovich | ||
| A Perfect World | FBI Agent Bobby Lee | ||
| Philadelphia | Jamey Collins | ||
| 1994 | The Client | Assistant District Attorney Thomas Fink | |
| Cobb | Process Server | ||
| 1995 | Billy Madison | Eric Gordon | |
| The Desperate Trail | Tommy Donnelly | ||
| 1996 | My Fellow Americans | Chief of Staff Carl Witnaur | |
| Wildly Available | Professor | ||
| 1997 | Masterminds | Miles Lawrence | Credited as Brad Whitford |
| Red Corner | Bob Ghery | ||
| The People | Michael Leary | ||
| 1999 | The Muse | Hal | |
| Bicentennial Man | Lloyd Charney | ||
| 2001 | Kate & Leopold | J.J. Camden | |
| 2005 | The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants | Al Lowell | |
| Little Manhattan | Adam Burton | ||
| 2007 | An American Crime | Prosecutor Leroy K. New | |
| 2008 | Bottle Shock | Professor Saunders | |
| 2012 | The Cabin in the Woods | Steve Hadley | |
| 2013 | Savannah | Jack Cay | |
| Decoding Annie Parker | Marshall Parker | ||
| CBGB | Nicky Gant | ||
| Saving Mr. Banks | Don DaGradi | ||
| Agent Carter | Agent John Flynn | Short film | |
| 2015 | I Saw the Light | Fred Rose | |
| 2016 | Other People | Norman Mulcahey | |
| 2017 | Get Out | Dean Armitage | |
| A Happening of Monumental Proportions | Arthur Schneedy | ||
| Megan Leavey | Bob Leavey | ||
| Unicorn Store | Gene | ||
| Three Christs | Clyde | ||
| The Post | Arthur Parsons | ||
| 218 | The Darkest Minds | President Gray | |
| Destroyer | Dennis DiFranco | ||
| 2019 | Phil | Michael Fisk | |
| Godzilla: King of the Monsters | Dr. Rick Stanton | ||
| The Last Full Measure | Carlton Stanton | ||
| 2020 | Sergio | Paul Bremer | |
| The Call of the Wild | Judge Miller | ||
| Songbird | William Griffin | ||
| 2021 | How It Ends | Kenny | |
| Not Going Quietly | N/A | Executive producer | |
| Tick, Tick... Boom! | Stephen Sondheim | ||
| 2022 | Rosaline | Adrian Capulet | |
| 2023 | I'll Be Right There | Henry |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Equalizer | Dillart | Episode: "The Children's Song" |
| 1985–1987 | All My Children | Jason | 3 episodes |
| 1986 | C.A.T. Squad | Leon Trepper | Television film |
| 1987 | The Betty Ford Story | Jack Ford | Television film |
| 1988 | Guiding Light | Dr. Jones | 2 episodes |
| Tales from the Darkside | Tom Dash | Episode: "The Deal" | |
| 1993 | Black Tie Affair | Dave Brodsky | 5 episodes |
| 1994 | NYPD Blue | Norman Gardner | 4 episodes |
| Ellen | Doug | Episode: "The Fix-Up" | |
| The X-Files | Daniel Trepkos | Episode: "Firewalker" | |
| Web of Deception | Larry Lake | Television film | |
| 1995 | ER | Sean O'Brien | Episodes: "Love's Labor Lost" and "A Miracle Happens Here" |
| Nothing But the Truth | Lieutenant Thomas 'Mac' McCarthy | Television film | |
| 1996 | Touched by an Angel | Steven Thomas Bell | Episode: "Out of the Darkness" |
| 1997 | Tracey Takes On... | Nik | Episode: "Vegas" |
| In the Line of Duty: Blaze of Glory | Tom LaSalle | Television film | |
| Cloned | Rick Weston | Television film | |
| High Incident | Deputy Carl Engler | Episode: "Black & Blue" | |
| 1998 | The Secret Lives of Men | Phil | 13 episodes |
| 1999–2006 | The West Wing | Josh Lyman | 155 episodes |
| 1999 | Felicity | Tom Anderson | Episode: "Happy Birthday"; Uncredited |
| Behind the Mask | Brian Shushan | Television film; credited as Brad Whitford | |
| The Sky's On Fire | John Morgan | Television film | |
| 2002 | Malcolm in the Middle | Meg's Husband | Episode: "Company Picnic: Part 2" |
| Frasier | Stu | Voice, episode: "Kissing Cousin" | |
| 2005 | Fathers and Sons | Anthony | Television film |
| 2006–2007 | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | Danny Tripp | 22 episodes |
| 2008 | Burn Up | James Mackintosh | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Monk | Dean Berry | Episode: "Mr. Monk on Wheels" |
| Off Duty | Detective Glenn Falcon | Television film; also producer | |
| 2010 | The Sarah Silverman Program | Toby Grossnickel | Episode: "Nightmayor" |
| The Good Guys | Detective Dan Stark | 20 episodes; also producer | |
| Glenn Martin, DDS | 'Gonzo' Gonzales | Voice, episode: "Camp" | |
| 2011 | In Plain Sight | Adam Wilson / Adam Roston | Episode: "Crazy Like a Witness" |
| Law & Order: LA | Attorney Miklin | Episode: "Big Rock Mesa" | |
| The Mentalist | Timothy Carter / Red John claimant | 3 episodes; uncredited | |
| Have a Little Faith | Mitch Albom | Television film | |
| 2012 | Parks and Recreation | Councilman Pillner | Episode: "Live Ammo" |
| The Asset | Leo Maxiell | Television film | |
| 2013 | Shameless | Abraham Paige | 2 episodes |
| Go On | Huey | Episode: "Ring and a Miss" | |
| Lauren | Paul Milgram | Recurring role, 6 episodes | |
| ... History | William Jennings Bryan | Episode: "Nashville" | |
| 2013–2014 | Trophy Wife | Pete Harrison | Main role |
| 2014 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Frank Maddox | Episode: "Reasonable Doubt" |
| 2014–2019 | Transparent | Marcy / Magnus Hirschfeld | Recurring role, 8 episodes |
| 2014 | Alpha House | Senator Ned | Episode: "The Retreat" |
| 2015–2020 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Captain Roger Peralta | 4 episodes |
| 2015 | Happyish | Jonathan Cooke | 10 episodes |
| 2016 | All the Way | Hubert Humphrey | Television film |
| Better Things | Gary | Episode: "Sam/Pilot" | |
| 2017, 2019 | Mom | Mitch | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Chicago Justice | Albert Forest | Episode: "Fake" |
| 2017–2019 | Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure | King Trevor | Voice, 3 episodes |
| 2018–present | The Handmaid's Tale | Commander Joseph Lawrence | Main role |
| 2019 | Valley of the Boom | James L. Barksdale | Miniseries |
| Flack | Calvin Cooper | Episode: "Calvin" | |
| 2019–2020 | Infinity Train | Agent Sieve | Voice, 5 episodes |
| Perfect Harmony | Arthur Cochran | Main role; also executive producer | |
| 2020 | A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote | Josh Lyman | Recreation of "Hartsfield's Landing" |
| American Dad! | Vic Mancuso | Voice, episode: "Yule. Tide. Repeat." | |
| 2021 | Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous | Mitch | Voice, 5 episodes |
| What If...? | Colonel John Flynn | Voice, episode: "What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?" | |
| 2022 | We Baby Bears | Glen | Voice, episode: "Tooth Fairy Tech" |
| Echo 3 | Eric Haas II | 3 episodes | |
| 2023 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Pence Humphreys | Episode: "King of the Moon" |
| 2023 | The Wonder Years | Dennis Van Der Kamp | Episode: "Bill's New Friend" |
| 2024 | Parish | Anton | 4 episodes |
| The Madness | Stu Magnusson | 2 episodes | |
| TBA | Death by Lightning | James Blaine | Upcoming miniseries |
Podcasts
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Batman: The Audio Adventures | Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow | Voice role | |
| 2022 | The Big Lie | Michael Wilson | Voice role |
Awards and Nominations
Bradley Whitford has won several awards for his acting. He has won three Primetime Emmy Awards:
- In 2001, for The West Wing (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series).
- In 2015, for Transparent (Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series).
- In 2019, for The Handmaid's Tale (Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series).
He has also been nominated for many other awards, including the Golden Globe Award.
Images for kids
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Whitford in 2024
See also
In Spanish: Bradley Whitford para niños
