Bradley Whitford | |
|---|---|
 Whitford atGalaxyCon Richmond in 2025 | |
| Born | (1959-10-10)October 10, 1959 (age 65) Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Other names | Brad Whitford |
| Education | Wesleyan University (BA) Juilliard School (GrDip) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959)[1] is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal ofWhite House Deputy Chief of StaffJosh Lyman in theNBC televisionpolitical dramaThe West Wing (1999–2006), for which he was nominated for three consecutivePrimetime Emmy Awards from 2001 to 2003, winning in 2001. The role earned him three consecutiveGolden Globe Award nominations.
In addition toThe West Wing, Whitford playedDanny Tripp inStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Dan Stark in theFox police buddy-comedyThe Good Guys, Timothy Carter, a character who was believed to beRed John, in theCBS seriesThe Mentalist, antagonist Eric Gordon in the filmBilly Madison, Arthur Parsons inThe Post, Dean Armitage in the horror filmGet Out, Roger Peralta inBrooklyn Nine-Nine, President Gray in the dystopian science fiction filmThe Darkest Minds and Rick Stanton in the monster filmGodzilla: King of the Monsters.
In 2015, he won a secondPrimetime Emmy Award for his role as Marcy inTransparent and later garnered a fifth Primetime Emmy Award nomination for portrayingMagnus Hirschfeld in the same series. Since 2018, Whitford has portrayed Commander Joseph Lawrence inHuludystopiandramaThe Handmaid's Tale, for which he won his thirdPrimetime Emmy Award in 2019.
Whitford was born inMadison, Wisconsin,[1] the son of Genevieve Louie (née Smith; 1915–2011)[2] and George Van Norman Whitford (1915–1999).[3][2] Between the ages of three and fourteen, he lived inWayne, Pennsylvania. His mother, a poet, later resided inChestnut Hill, Philadelphia.[3] He grew up in a Quaker household.[4] Whitford graduated fromMadison East High School in 1977.[5] He majored in English and theatre atWesleyan University (where he was a roommate of producerPaul Schiff), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1981.[5] Whitford then studied drama at theJuilliard School, where he was a member of "Group 14".[6]
TheNBC seriesWho Do You Think You Are? explored Whitford's ancestry in an August 2022 episode, including ancestors who fought in a crucialAmerican Civil War battle.[7][8][9]
Whitford first appeared on television in a 1985 episode ofThe Equalizer, followed by a two-year recurring role on the ABC daytime dramaAll My Children. His film debut was in the 1986 filmDead as a Doorman. He made hisBroadway theatre debut in 1990[10] playing Lt. Jack Ross (followed a few months later in the lead role of Lt. Daniel Kaffee), in theAaron Sorkin written playA Few Good Men. This was the beginning of a recurring working relationship between Whitford and Sorkin.
Whitford film roles during the 1980s and 1990s includedElisabeth Shue's boyfriend Mike Todwell inAdventures in Babysitting (1987), Roger Latimer inRevenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987), Jamie Kemp inPresumed Innocent (1990), Charles Phalen inYoung Guns II (1990), Dr. Tyler inAwakenings (1990),Al Pacino's brother-in-law Randy Slade inScent of a Woman (1992),FBIsharpshooter Bobby Lee inA Perfect World (1993), lawyer Jamey Collins inPhiladelphia (1993), Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Fink inThe Client (1994), antagonist Eric Gordon inBilly Madison (1995), and Lloyd Charney inBicentennial Man (1999). His television appearances during this time includedGuiding Light,NYPD Blue,Ellen,The X-Files,Touched by an Angel, and a guest appearance onER in theEmmy Award-winning episode "Love's Labor Lost".
Whitford joined the cast of Sorkin'sThe West Wing asJosh Lyman with the show's premiere in 1999.[11] For his role, he won anEmmy 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). AfterThe West Wing ended in May 2006, Whitford appeared in Sorkin's later seriesStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip playing the role ofDanny Tripp.[12] He appeared in the British dramaBurn Up on the BBC in July 2008.
He starred in the playBoeing-Boeing which opened on Broadway on May 4, 2008.[13] He co-starred in theJoss Whedon/Drew Goddard horror filmThe Cabin in the Woods,[14] filmed in 2009 but not released until April 2012. In 2010, Whitford starred as Dan Stark in theFox TV comedyThe Good Guys oppositeColin Hanks. In 2011, Whitford guest-starred inIn Plain Sight onUSA Network as a man combatting paranoia. He appeared in theseason three finale ofThe Mentalist as aminion of and decoy for "Red John", the long-sought nemesis of the show's protagonistPatrick Jane. Whitford appeared onLaw & Order: Los Angeles as a lawyer. On September 15, 2011, he starred in the one-night-only staged reading of8, a play that chronicles the trial surrounding California'sProposition 8, written byDustin Lance Black.[15]
In 2013, Whitford played Pete Harrison in theABC comedyTrophy Wife, which was canceled after one season, and also that same year playedDon DaGradi in the drama filmSaving Mr. Banks. In 2014, Whitford appeared in a recurring role as a cross-dressing businessman during the first season of theAmazon Studios seriesTransparent.[16] He went on to win thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance.[17] He returned during the series' second season asMagnus Hirschfeld.[18] In February 2014, it was announced that he was cast inRandall Miller'sMidnight Rider, a biopic ofGregg Allman.[19] Starting in 2015, Whitford had a recurring role inBrooklyn Nine-Nine as Roger Peralta, father of lead character Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg).[20][21] In 2017, Whitford played Dean Armitage, a father and neurosurgeon, in the racially themed horror filmGet Out,[22] and antagonist Arthur Parsons in the political thrillerThe Post.[23]
In 2018, Whitford played President Gray in the dystopian science fiction filmThe Darkest Minds, and joined the cast of the web dystopian tragedyThe Handmaid's Tale as Commander Joseph Lawrence, guest starring in the final two episodes of the second season.[24] He won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2019 for his performance and became the first person to have won the guest acting Emmy Awards for both comedy and drama.[25] He returned as a series regular for the third season and garnered a nomination for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.[26][27] In 2019, Whitford played Rick Stanton in the monster filmGodzilla: King of the Monsters,[28] and from 2019 to 2020, he starred in the musical comedy seriesPerfect Harmony, which ran for one season onNBC.[29]
In August 2023, he portrayed Francis in the Los Angeles production ofPeter Pan Goes Wrong.[30]
Whitford married actressJane Kaczmarek in August 1992.[31] They have three children together.[32][31] In June 2009, the couple announced that they were divorcing after 18 years of marriage,[33] and the divorce was finalized in October 2010.[34] 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[35][36][37][38][39]
Whitford began dating hisTransparent co-starAmy Landecker in 2015. They announced their engagement in March 2018.[40] Whitford and Landecker eloped on July 17, 2019.[41]
In May 2007, Whitford was honored byAlliance for Justice, a nonprofit organization, as the 2007 Champion of Justice. He delivered the commencement address at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison in 2004.[42] He was the keynote speaker for Class Day atPrinceton University in June 2007.[43] As of 2012, Whitford serves on the board of trustees of his alma mater, Wesleyan University.[44]
Whitford has been described as having "liberal views".[34] He contributed toThe Huffington Post as a columnist.[45] He serves on the Board of Advisors ofLet America Vote, an organization founded by formerMissouri Secretary of StateJason Kander that aims to endvoter suppression.[46] He serves on the advisory board ofCitizens' Climate Lobby, an international grassroots environmental group founded byMarshall L. Saunders that trains and supports volunteers to build relationships with their elected representatives in order to influenceclimate policy.[47]
In 2011, Whitford spoke at a protest in his native Madison, Wisconsin, in opposition to GovernorScott Walker's budget repair bill.[48] Prior to the2012 United States elections, Whitford andCourage Campaign founder, Rick Jacobs, appeared together in a video that elaborated on California'sProposition 30 andProposition 32;[49] the video encouraged viewers to vote "yes" on the former and "no" on the latter.[50] Leading up to the2014 Wisconsin gubernatorial election, Whitford visited multipleUniversity of Wisconsin System campuses in support of nomineeMary Burke, who went on to lose against incumbent Governor Scott Walker.[51] Whitford supportedHillary Clinton in the2016 United States presidential election.[52] He has been a vocal critic of 45th and 47th US presidentDonald Trump.[53]
In 2019, he co-hosted a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidatePete Buttigieg alongside actressGwyneth Paltrow as well as donated to Buttigieg's2020 presidential campaign.[54] That same year, Whitford appeared in a public service announcement in support of abortion rights alongside other cast members ofThe Handmaid's Tale.[55] The following year, he appeared as part of a series of "surprise virtual appearances" in support ofJoe Biden's2020 presidential campaign.[56]
| 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 | AgentJohn Flynn | Short film | |
| 2015 | I Saw the Light | Fred Rose | [57] |
| 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 | ||
| 2018 | 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 | — | Executive producer | |
| Tick, Tick... Boom! | Stephen Sondheim | ||
| 2022 | Rosaline | Adrian Capulet | |
| 2023 | I'll Be Right There | Henry | |
| 2025 | For Worse | Dave | |
| TBA | Office Romance | Filming |
| 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[citation needed] |
| 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"[58] | |
| 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 | |
| Drunk 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[58] |
| 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[58] |
| Perfect Harmony | Arthur Cochran | Main role; also executive producer | |
| 2020 | A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote | Josh Lyman | Television special; recreation of "Hartsfield's Landing" |
| American Dad! | Vic Mancuso | Voice, episode: "Yule. Tide. Repeat." | |
| 2021 | Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous | Mitch | Voice, 5 episodes[58] |
| What If...? | ColonelJohn Flynn | Voice, episode: "What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?"[58] | |
| 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" |
| The Wonder Years | Dennis Van Der Kamp | Episode: "Bill's New Friend" | |
| 2024 | Parish | Anton | 4 episodes |
| The Madness | Stu Magnusson | 2 episodes | |
| 2025 | The Diplomat | Todd Penn | Recurring role |
| TBA | Death by Lightning | James Blaine | Upcoming miniseries |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Batman: The Audio Adventures | Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow | Voice role | |
| 2022 | The Big Lie | Michael Wilson | Voice role | [59] |
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