Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford | |
---|---|
Whitford in 2006 | |
Born |
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. | October 10, 1959
Alma mater |
Wesleyan University (1981) Juilliard School (1985) |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1985–present |
Spouse(s) | Jane Kaczmarek (m. 1992; div. 2009) |
Children | 3 |
Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and political activist. He has played White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on the NBC television drama The West Wing, Danny Tripp on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Dan Stark in the Fox police buddy-comedy The Good Guys, Timothy Carter, a character who was believed to be Red John, in the CBS series The Mentalist, antagonist Eric Gordon in the film Billy Madison, and Dean Armitage in the film Get Out.
Whitford was nominated for three consecutive Emmy Awards from 2001 to 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. He received a second Emmy Award in 2015 for his role in Transparent. He was an occasional columnist for The Huffington Post, until November 2009.[1]
Early life
Whitford was born in Madison, Wisconsin, the son of Genevieve Louie (née Smith) and George Van Norman Whitford.[2][3] Between the ages of three and fourteen, he lived in Wayne, Pennsylvania. His mother, a poet, later resided in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania.[4] He grew up in a Quaker household.[5] He graduated from Madison East High School in 1977.[6] He majored in English and Theater at Wesleyan University (B.A. 1981).[6] Whitford then attended the Juilliard School's Drama Division as a member of "Group 14" (1981–1985),[7] which also included actor Thomas Gibson.[8]
Career
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[9] 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 Sorkin's later series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip playing the role of Danny Tripp.[10] 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 co-starred in the Joss Whedon/Drew Goddard horror film The Cabin in the Woods,[11] 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 as a man combatting paranoia. He appeared in the season three finale of The Mentalist as a minion of and decoy for "Red John", the long-sought nemesis of the show's protagonist Patrick Jane. Whitford 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.[12]
In 2013, Whitford played Pete Harrison in the ABC comedy Trophy Wife, which was canceled after one season. Most recently, Whitford appeared in the Amazon series Transparent in the first season in a recurring role as a cross-dressing businessman[13] and in the second season in a recurring role as Magnus Hirschfeld.
In 2017, Whitford played Dean Armitage, a father and neurosurgeon, in the racially themed horror film Get Out.[14]
Personal life
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. 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.[15] 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,[16] in which Kaczmarek was starring.[17] Whitford and his Transparent co-star Amy Landecker began dating in early 2015.[18]
Political activism
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. During the run-up to the November 2004 general election, Whitford, who was then playing White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on the NBC TV drama series The West Wing, made a satirical video that purported to support then-President George W. Bush for re-election, but which actually lampooned Bush, who went on to win re-election.[19]
On February 26, 2011, Whitford spoke at one of the many protests in his native Madison, Wisconsin in opposition to Governor Scott Walker's budget repair bill.[20] The budget repair bill ultimately became law. During the run-up to the November 2012 general election, Whitford and Courage Campaign founder/chair, Rick Jacobs, appeared together in a video that explained "what's really going on and who's really behind California's Proposition 30 and Proposition 32."[21] The video encouraged viewers to vote "yes" on Prop 30 and "no" on Prop 32[22] Proposition 30 was approved by California voters by a margin of 54 to 46 percent. Proposition 32 was defeated by a margin of 56 to 44 percent.
During the run-up to the November 2014 Wisconsin gubernatorial election, Whitford visited multiple University of Wisconsin System campuses in support of the campaign for the Democratic nominee for governor Mary Burke, who was running against incumbent Republican Governor Scott Walker; Burke lost.[23] In September 2016, he appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he expressed his support for Hillary Clinton.[24]
Other
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.[25] As of 2012, Whitford serves on the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Wesleyan University.[26]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Dead as a Doorman | Terry Reilly | |
1987 | Adventures in Babysitting | Mike Todwell | |
1987 | Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise | Roger Latimer | |
1990 | Vital Signs | Dr. Donald Ballentine | |
1990 | Presumed Innocent | Jamie Kemp | |
1990 | Young Guns II | Charles Phalen | Credited as Brad Whitford |
1990 | Awakenings | Dr. Tyler | |
1992 | Scent of a Woman | Randy Slade | |
1993 | RoboCop 3 | Fleck | |
1993 | My Life | Paul Ivanovich | |
1993 | A Perfect World | Bobby Lee | |
1993 | Philadelphia | Jamey Collins | |
1993 | The Silent Alarm | Referee Dad | Short film |
1994 | The Client | Thomas Fink | |
1994 | Cobb | Process Server | |
1995 | Billy Madison | Eric Gordon | |
1995 | The Desperate Trail | Tommy Donnelly | |
1996 | My Fellow Americans | Carl Witnaur | |
1996 | Wildly Available | Professor | |
1997 | Masterminds | Miles Lawrence | Credited as Brad Whitford |
1997 | Red Corner | Bob Ghery | |
1997 | The People | Michael Leary | |
1997 | The Spittin' Image | N/A | Short film |
1999 | The Muse | Hal | |
1999 | Bicentennial Man | Lloyd Charney | |
2001 | Kate & Leopold | J.J. Camden | |
2005 | The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants | Al Lowell | |
2005 | Little Manhattan | Adam Burton | |
2007 | An American Crime | Prosecutor Leroy K. New | |
2008 | Bottle Shock | Professor Saunders | |
2012 | The Spin Room: Newt Takes South Carolina | N/A | Short film |
2012 | The Cabin in the Woods | Steve Hadley | |
2012 | Man Up, Little Boy | Walter | Short film |
2013 | Decoding Annie Parker | Marshall Parker | |
2013 | Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter | Agent Flynn | |
2013 | Savannah | Jack Cay | |
2013 | CBGB | Nicky Gant | |
2013 | Saving Mr. Banks | Don DaGradi | Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast |
2015 | I Saw the Light[27] | Fred Rose | |
2016 | Other People | Norman Mulcahey | |
2017 | Get Out | Dean Armitage | |
2017 | Megan Leavey | Bob | |
2017 | A Happening of Monumental Proportions | Mr. Schneedy | |
2017 | The Papers | Post-production | |
2017 | Unicorn Store | Gene | Post-production |
2018 | Three Christs | Post-production | |
2018 | The Last Full Measure | Carlton Stanton | Post-production |
2019 | Godzilla: King of the Monsters | Dr. Stanton | Filming |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1985 | The Equalizer | Dillart | Episode: "The Children's Song" |
1986 | C.A.T. Squad | Leon Trepper | Television movie |
1987 | The Betty Ford Story | Jack Ford | Television movie |
1988 | Tales from the Darkside | Tom Dash | Episode: "The Deal" |
1993 | Black Tie Affair | Dave Brodsky | 5 episodes |
1994 | NYPD Blue | Norman Gardner | 4 episodes |
1994 | Ellen | Doug | Episode: "The Fix-Up" |
1994 | The X-Files | Daniel Trepkos | Episode: "Firewalker" |
1994 | Web of Deception | Larry Lake | Television movie |
1995 | ER | Sean O'Brien | Episodes: "A Miracle Happens Here" and "Love's Labor Lost" |
1995 | Nothing But the Truth | 'Mack' McCarthy | Television movie |
1996 | Touched by an Angel | Steven Thomas Bell | Episode: "Out of the Darkness |
1997 | Tracey Takes On... | Nik | Episode: "Vegas" |
1997 | In the Line of Duty: Blaze of Glory | Tom LaSalle | Television movie |
1997 | Cloned | Rick Weston | Television movie |
1997 | High Incident | Deputy Carl Engler | Episode: "Black & Blue" |
1998 | The Secret Lives of Men | Phil | 13 episodes |
1999–2006 | The West Wing | Josh Lyman | 149 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2001–02) Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (2001–03) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2002–03) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2003–06) Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series |
1999 | Felicity | Tom Anderson | Episode: "Happy Birthday" (uncredited) |
1999 | Behind the Mask | Brian Shushan | Television movie Credited as Brad Whitford |
1999 | The Sky's on Fire | John Morgan, KTML News | Television movie |
2002 | Malcolm in the Middle | Meg's Husband | Episode: "Company Picnic: Part 2" |
2002 | Frasier | Stu | Episode: "Kissing Cousin" |
2005 | Fathers and Sons | Anthony | Television movie |
2006–2007 | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | Danny Tripp | 21 episodes Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama |
2008 | Burn Up | Mack | 2 episodes Nominated—Gemini Award for Best Actor in a Dramatic Special or Miniseries |
2009 | Monk | Dean Berry | Episode: "Mr. Monk on Wheels" |
2009 | Off Duty | Detective Glenn Falcon | Television movie |
2010 | The Sarah Silverman Program | Toby Grossnickel | Episode: "Nightmayor" |
2010 | The Good Guys | Detective Dan Stark | 20 episodes |
2010 | Glenn Martin, DDS | Gonzo Gonzales (voice) | Episode: "Camp" |
2011 | In Plain Sight | Adam Wilson/Adam Roston | Episode: "Crazy Like a Witness" |
2011 | Law & Order: Los Angeles | Attorney Miklin | Episode: "Big Rock Mesa" |
2011 | The Mentalist | Timothy Carter | 2 episodes |
2011 | Have a Little Faith | Mitch | Television movie |
2012 | Parks and Recreation | Councilman Pillner | Episode: "Live Ammo" |
2012 | The Asset | Leo Maxiell | Television movie |
2013 | Shameless | Abraham Paige | Episodes: "Civil Wrongs" and "Frank the Plumber" |
2013 | Go On | Huey | Episode: "Ring and a Miss" |
2013 | Lauren | Paul Milgram | 6 episodes |
2013 | Drunk History | William Jennings Bryan | Episode: "Nashville" |
2013–2014 | Trophy Wife | Pete Harrison | 22 episodes |
2014 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Frank Maddox | Episode: "Reasonable Doubt" |
2014–2015 | Transparent | Marcy / Magnus Hirshfield | 7 episodes Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (2016) |
2014 | Alpha House | Ned | Episode: "The Retreat" |
2015–2016 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Captain Roger Peralta | Episodes: "Captain Peralta" and "Karen Peralta" |
2015 | Happyish | Jonathan Cooke | 10 episodes |
2015 | A Capitol Fourth | Himself | Host |
2016 | All the Way | Hubert Humphrey | Television movie |
2016 | Better Things | Gary | Episode: "Sam/Pilot" |
2016 | Years of Living Dangerously | Himself | Episode: "Safe Passage" |
2017 | Mom | Mitch | Episode: "Bad Hand and British Royalty" |
2017 | Tangled: The Series | King Trevor (voice) | Episode: "In Like Flynn" |
2017 | Chicago Justice | Albert Forrest | Episode: "Fake" |
References
- ↑ Whitford, Bradley. "Bradley Whitford profile". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
- ↑ "'West Wing' Star Finally Took Flight At Age 40". Chicago Tribune. June 22, 2000.
- ↑ "Genevieve Smith Whitford's Obituary on Main Line Media News". legacy.com. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
- ↑ "`West Wing' Star Finally Took Flight At Age 40". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
- ↑ "'West Wing' Costar Enjoys Political Role". chicagotribune.com. October 17, 1999.
- 1 2 "Bradley Whitford biography". All Movie Guide. The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ↑ "Alumni News". The Juilliard School. March 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11.
- ↑ "Alumni News". The Juilliard School. November 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11.
- ↑ ""A Few Good Men" production replacements". IMDb. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
- ↑ The Hollywood Reporter Archived April 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Kit, Borys; Jay A. Fernandez (January 21, 2009). "Two feel Joss Whedon's 'Cabin' pressure". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Business Media. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
- ↑ AFER & Broadway Impact Announce Full Casting for the World Premiere of... – NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2011. Prnewswire.com; retrieved 2011-09-23.
- ↑ Moylan, Brian (September 30, 2014). "How to watch Amazon's Transparent all in one sitting".
- ↑ Rios, Edwin (February 24, 2017). ""Get Out" is the horror flick America needs right now". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2017-06-25.
- ↑ "Bradley Whitford, Jane Kaczmarek File for Divorce After Nearly 17 Years". TVGuide.com. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
- ↑ The House of Blue Leaves production, Gettyimages.com; retrieved September 23, 2011.
- ↑ Kris Lorenz Kaczmarek and Whitford to divorce Archived March 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.. thecelebritycafe.com. June 20, 2009. Retrieved on 2011-09-23.
- ↑ "Bradley Whitford Calls Relationship with Transparent Costar Amy Landecker 'Spectacular'". People. November 11, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
- ↑ "Bradley Whitford 2004 Mock Presidential Ad". Video on Youtube. Youtube. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ↑ West Wing's Bradley Whitford Rallies Wisconsin Workers on YouTube; retrieved September 23, 2011.
- ↑ "How Wealthy Billionaires are Trying to Destroy our Schools and Silence our Voices". The Courage Campaign. Archived from the original on December 28, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ↑ "Pledge to Vote Yes on Prop 30, No on Prop 32". The Courage Campaign website. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ↑ "Actor Bradley Whitford Visits UW Campuses To Campaign For Mary Burke". wpr.org. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
- ↑ "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert". cbs.com. September 8, 2016.
- ↑ Greenstein, Jennifer. (2007-06-04) Princeton University Class Day, Princeton.edu; retrieved September 23, 2011.
- ↑ "Board of Trustees 2012/2013". Wesleyan University. Archived from the original on December 26, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ↑ Stephen L. Betts (November 7, 2014). "Bradley Whitford, Cherry Jones Cast in Upcoming Hank Williams Movie". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bradley Whitford. |
- Bradley Whitford on IMDb
- Bradley Whitford at the Internet Broadway Database
- Bradley Whitford at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Bradley Whitford and Jane Kaczmarek File for Divorce, people.com
- University of Wisconsin 2004 Spring commencement: Transcript of address by Bradley Whitford (posted May 17, 2004)
- Some of Whitford's public service & political ad videos
- 2001 NPR Interview
- The West Wing Star Bradley Whitford Set for All the Way screen adaptation opposite Bryan Cranston, broadway.com
- Clothes off our Back Foundation website
- Whitford in The Courage Campaign's Props 30 & 32 informational video on YouTube