Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford | |
---|---|
Born | |
Alma mater | Wesleyan University (1981), Juilliard School (1985) |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1985–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 3 |
Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American film and television actor. 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, and antagonist Eric Gordon in the film Billy Madison.
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] He graduated from Madison East High School in 1977.[3] He majored in English and Theater at Wesleyan University (B.A. 1981),[3] where his roommate was the younger brother of future castmate Richard Schiff. Whitford then attended the Juilliard School's Drama Division as a member of "Group 14" (1981–1985),[4] which also included actor Thomas Gibson.[5]
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[6] 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.[7] 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,[8] 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 where he played an unorthodox, almost-out-of-control cop with a mustache.
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 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.[9] In 2013, Whitford played Pete Harrison in the ABC comedy Trophy Wife which was canceled after one season and will guest star in the ABC drama Castle in early 2015. Most recently, Whitford appeared in the Amazon series Transparent in the first season in a recurring role as a cross-dressing businessman[10] and in the second season in a recurring role as Magnus Hirschfeld.
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, 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.[11] 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,[12] in which Kaczmarek was starring.[13]
Whitford and his Transparent co-star Amy Landecker began dating in early 2015.[14]
Politics
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's tax cuts for the rich.[15]
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.[16]
During the run-up to the November 2012 general election, Whitford and Courage Campaign founder and 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."[17] The video encouraged viewers to vote "yes" on Prop 30 and "no" on Prop 32[18] 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.[19]
In September 2016 Whitford appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[20] In reference to Hillary Clinton, he said "her motivation as long as I've known her is to get healthcare...get healthcare for children". He immediately added "the other guy has spent his life accumulating money on bankruptcies", in reference to Donald Trump.
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.[21] As of 2012, Whitford serves on the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Wesleyan University.[22]
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 | — | 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 | — | 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[23] | Fred Rose | |
2016 | Other People | Norman | |
2017 | Megan Leavey | Completed | |
2017 | Get Out | Dean | In post-production |
2017 | Unicorn Store | 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 |
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 TBA |
References
- ^ Whitford, Bradley. "Bradley Whitford". Huffington Post.
- ^ "'West Wing' Star Finally Took Flight At Age 40". Chicago Tribune. June 22, 2000.
- ^ a b "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. 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.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ AFER & Broadway Impact Announce Full Casting for the World Premiere of... – NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2011. Prnewswire.com. Retrieved on 2011-09-23.
- ^ Moylan, Brian (30 September 2014). "How to watch Amazon's Transparent all in one sitting".
- ^ "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 on 2011-09-23.
- ^ 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 9 January 2013.
- ^ West Wing's Bradley Whitford Rallies Wisconsin Workers on YouTube. Retrieved on 2011-09-23.
- ^ "How Wealthy Billionaires are Trying to Destroy our Schools and Silence our Voices". The Courage Campaign. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- ^ "Pledge to Vote Yes on Prop 30, No on Prop 32". The Courage Campaign website. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- ^ "Actor Bradley Whitford Visits UW Campuses To Campaign For Mary Burke".
- ^ "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert September 8, 2016".
- ^ Greenstein, Jennifer. (2007-06-04) Princeton University Class Day. Princeton.edu. Retrieved on 2011-09-23.
- ^ "Board of Trustees 2012/2013". Wesleyan University. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
- ^ Stephen L. Betts (7 November 2014). "Bradley Whitford, Cherry Jones Cast in Upcoming Hank Williams Movie". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
External links
- Bradley Whitford at IMDb
- Bradley Whitford at the Internet Broadway Database
- Please use a more specific IOBDB template. See the template documentation for available templates.
- Bradley Whitford and Jane Kaczmarek File for Divorce on the People website
- 2004 Commencement Speech at the University of Wisconsin
- Satirical, tongue-in-cheek, mock 2004 (actually anti-)Bush campaign ad on YouTube
- Some of Whitford's public service & political ad videos
- 2001 NPR Interview
- 2002 Interview (MoreMusic104)
- 2005 NBC Today Clip
- Clothes off our Back Foundation website
- Bradley Whitford: Q&A Interview at Broadway.com
- Whitford in The Courage Campaign's Props 30 & 32 informational video on YouTube
- 1959 births
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- Juilliard School alumni
- Living people
- Male actors from Wisconsin
- Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
- People from Madison, Wisconsin
- The Huffington Post writers and columnists
- Wesleyan University alumni