| Bradley Whitford | |
|---|---|
Bradley Whitford, 2006 |
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| Born | October 10, 1959 Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
| Alma mater | Juilliard |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse | Jane Kaczmarek (1992–2009) (divorced) 3 children |
Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on the NBC television drama The West Wing, as Danny Tripp on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, as Dan Stark in the Fox police buddy-comedy The Good Guys, as Timothy Carter, a character who was believed to be Red John in the CBS series The Mentalist, and as antagonist Eric Gordon in the film Billy Madison.
Whitford has been nominated for three consecutive Emmy Awards from 2001–2003 for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" for his role on The West Wing, winning the award in 2001. This role has also garnered him three consecutive Golden Globe Award nominations for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role".
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Whitford was born in Madison, Wisconsin and graduated from Madison East High School. He majored in English and Theater at Wesleyan University, where his roommate was the younger brother of future castmate Richard Schiff. He went on to receive a fine arts degree from Juilliard.
Whitford first appeared on television in 1985 in an episode of The Equalizer. His film debut was in the 1986 film Doorman. He made his Broadway theatre debut in 1990[1] 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. This was the beginning of a recurring working relationship between Whitford and Sorkin. Whitford also made a guest appearance on ER in the Emmy award-winning March 1995 episode "Love's Labor Lost".
Whitford joined the cast of Sorkin's The West Wing as Josh Lyman with the show's premiere in 1999. For his role, he won an Emmy Award 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 Aaron Sorkin's later series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip playing the role of Danny Tripp.[2] He appeared in the British drama Burn Up on the BBC in July 2008.
He starred on Broadway in Boeing-Boeing which began in previews on April 19, 2008 and opened on May 4, 2008. He left the show in September 2008, and was succeeded in the role by Greg Germann. He was cast in the Joss Whedon/Drew Goddard horror film The Cabin in the Woods,[3] set to premiere in 2011. In 2010, Whitford starred as Dan Stark in the canceled Fox TV series The Good Guys opposite Colin Hanks.
In 2011, Whitford guest starred in In Plain Sight on USA Network as a man combatting paranoia. He appeared in the season three finale of The Mentalist as the long-sought nemesis of Patrick Jane, Red John. He also appeared on Law & Order: Los Angeles as a lawyer. On September 15, 2011, the American Foundation for Equal Rights, in partnership with Broadway Impact, announced the complete cast—including Whitford—and roles for the one-night only staged reading of "8," a new play chronicling the historic trial in the federal legal challenge to California's Proposition 8.[4]
Whitford was married to fellow Wisconsin native, actress Jane Kaczmarek, best known for her role as Lois on Malcolm in the Middle. They lived in San Marino, California with their three children Frances Genevieve (b. October 31, 1997), George Edward (b. December 23, 1999) and Mary Louisa (b. November 25, 2002). In 2007 the family appeared in magazine advertisements for the 2008 Chrysler Town and Country van. On June 19, 2009, the couple announced that they were filing for divorce after 16 years of marriage.[5] One of the last times they were seen together publicly was in September 2008, at the opening of a Los Angeles production of The House of Blue Leaves,[6] in which Kaczmarek was starring.[7]
Whitford is a political liberal and has appeared several times on Real Time with Bill Maher. He once co-hosted The Majority Report on Air America Radio alongside Janeane Garofalo, and made an appearance on the Al Franken Show Party Album. On February 26, 2011, Whitford spoke at one of the many protests in Madison, Wisconsin (his birthplace) in opposition to Governor Scott Walker's controversial budget bill.[8]
In May 2007, Whitford was honored by Alliance for Justice, a nonprofit organization, as the 2007 Champion of Justice. He was the keynote speaker for Class Day at Princeton University in June 2007.[9]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Doorman | Terry Reilly | |
| 1987 | Adventures in Babysitting | Mike Todwell | |
| Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise | Roger | ||
| 1990 | Vital Signs | Dr. Donald Ballentine | |
| Presumed Innocent | Jamie Kemp | ||
| Young Guns II | Charles Phalen | as Brad Whitford | |
| Awakenings | Dr. Tyler | ||
| 1992 | Scent of a Woman | Randy Slade | |
| 1993 | The Silent Alarm | Referee Dad | |
| RoboCop 3 | Fleck | ||
| My Life | Paul Ivanovich | ||
| A Perfect World | Bobby Lee | ||
| Philadelphia | Jamey Collins | ||
| 1994 | The Client | Thomas Fink | |
| Cobb | Process Server | ||
| 1995 | Billy Madison | Eric Gordon | |
| The Desperate Trail | Tommy Donnelly | ||
| 1996 | My Fellow Americans | Carl Witnaur | |
| 1997 | The Spittin' Image | ||
| The People | Michael Leary | ||
| Masterminds | Miles Lawrence | as Brad Whitford | |
| Red Corner | Bob Ghery | ||
| 1999 | Wildly Available | Professor | |
| The Muse | Hal | ||
| Bicentennial Man | Lloyd Charney | ||
| 2001 | Kate & Leopold | J.J. Camden | |
| 2005 | The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants | Al | |
| Little Manhattan | Adam | ||
| 2007 | An American Crime | Prosecutor Leroy K. New | |
| 2008 | Bottle Shock | Professor Saunders | |
| 2012 | The Cabin in the Woods | Richard Sitterson | (completed) |
| Year | Program or series | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Equalizer | Dillart | Episode: "The Children's Song" |
| 1986 | C.A.T. Squad | Leon Trepper | |
| 1987 | The Betty Ford Story | Jack Ford | |
| 1988 | Tales from the Darkside | Tom Dash | Episode: "The Deal" |
| 1993 | Black Tie Affair | Dave Brodsky | 5 episodes |
| 1994 | Web of Deception | Larry Lake | |
| NYPD Blue | Norman Gardner | ||
| Ellen | Doug | Episode: "The Fix-Up" | |
| The X-Files | Daniel Trepkos | Episode: "Firewalker" | |
| 1995 | Nothing But the Truth | 'Mack' McCarthy | |
| ER | Sean O'Brien | Episodes: "Love's Labor Lost", "A Miracle Happens Here" | |
| 1996 | Touched by an Angel | Steven Thomas Bell | Episode: "Out of the Darkness |
| 1997 | In the Line of Duty: Blaze of Glory | Tom LaSalle | |
| Tracey Takes On... | Nik | Episode: "Vegas" | |
| Cloned | Rick Weston | ||
| 1998 | The Sky's on Fire | John Morgan | |
| The Secret Lives of Men | Phil | 7 episodes | |
| 1999 | Behind the Mask | Brian Shushan | as Brad Whitford |
| Felicity | Tom Anderson | Episode: "Happy Birthday" (uncredited) |
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| 1999–2006 | The West Wing | Josh Lyman | Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series]] (2001) Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series shared with crew (2001, 2002) Nominated–Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2002, 2003) Nominated–Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (2001–2003) Nominated–Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series shared with crew (2003–2006) Nominated–Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series (2000) Nominated–Writers Guild of America Award for Dramatic Series shared with crew (2006) |
| 2002 | Malcolm in the Middle | Meg's Husband | Episodes: "Company Picnic: Part 1", "Company Picnic: Part 2" |
| Frasier | Stu | Episode: "Kissing Cousin" | |
| 2005 | Fathers and Sons | Anthony | |
| 2006–2007 | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | Danny Tripp | Nominated-Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Series, Drama (2006) |
| 2008 | Burn Up | Mack | Episodes: "Episode #1.1", "Episode #1.2" Nominated-Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series |
| 2009 | Off Duty | Detective Glenn Falcon | |
| Monk | Dean Berry | Episode: "Mr. Monk on Wheels" | |
| 2010 | The Sarah Silverman Program | Toby Grossnickel | Episode: "Nightmayor" |
| The Good Guys | Dan Stark | ||
| 2011 | In Plain Sight | Adam Wilson | Episode: "Crazy Like a Witness" |
| The Mentalist | Timothy Carter | Episode: "Strawberries and Cream (Part 2)" |
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