Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959 in Madison, Wisconsin) is an Emmy Award-winning American actor.
Whitford majored in English and Theater at Wesleyan University and then went on to receive a fine arts degree from The Juilliard School.
Whitford is best known for his role as Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on the NBC television drama The West Wing, which he began with the show's premiere in 1999. For that role, he won an Emmy 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).
Whitford is also popular for his role as the evil businessman Eric Gordon in the 1995 smash comedy Billy Madison. He made his Broadway theatre debut playing Lt. Daniel Kaffee, succeeding Tom Hulce, in A Few Good Men. Whitford also made a memorable guest appearance on ER in the award-winning episode "Love's Labor Lost."
Since The West Wing ended in May 2006, Whitford has appeared in West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin's later series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip playing the role of Danny Tripp.
He is married to actress Jane Kaczmarek, best known for her role as Lois on Malcolm in the Middle. They live in San Marino, California with their three children, Frances, George, and Mary Louisa.
He is politically liberal and has appeared several times on Real Time with Bill Maher espousing a progressive point of view. He also once co-hosted The Majority Report on Air America Radio alongside Janeane Garofalo. He also made an appearance in the "Al Franken Show Party Album".
Whitford and Kaczmarek run The Clothes Off Our Back Foundation, an organization that hosts charity auctions showcasing celebrity attire. Items are put up for bid to the public with proceeds going to benefit children's charities. They are also vocal supporters and spokespeople for Heifer International.
In May 2007 Whitford was honored by Alliance for Justice (nonprofit organization) as the 2007 Champion of Justice.
Whitford was the keynote speaker for Class Day at Princeton University in June 2007.
Bradley Whitford's credits in film, television and theater include work with some of the most noted writers, directors and playwrights in the arts, and constitute a career worthy of a Juilliard-trained actor -- which he is. But stardom is something else altogether, and it remained elusive, at least until 1999 and his appearance on NBC's acclaimed political drama, "West Wing, The" (1999). Growing up in Wisconsin, Whitford spent his youth at a decidedly slower pace. He went on to study theater and English literature at Wesleyan University and earned a master's degree in theater from the prestigious Juilliard Theater Center. Whitford's first professional performance was in the off-Broadway production of "Curse of the Starving Glass," with Kathy Bates (I). Ironically, he also starred in the Broadway production of "The West Wing" and in creator Aaron Sorkin's "A Few Good Men." His additional theater credits include "Three Days of Rain" at the Manhattan Theatre Club, "Measure for Measure" at the Lincoln Center, and the title role in "Coriolanus" at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. Some of Whitford's most memorable performances include roles in such films as Muse, The (1999) with Albert Brooks (I) and Bicentennial Man (1999) with Robin Williams (I). He has also appeared in Scent of a Woman (1992), Perfect World, A (1993), Philadelphia (1993), Client, The (1994), My Life (1993/I), Red Corner (1997), Presumed Innocent (1990) and My Fellow Americans (1996). Whitford lives in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Jane Kaczmarek ("Malcolm in the Middle" (2000)) and their children, Frances, George, and Mary. His birthday is October 10.
