Theater has played an important part in Whitford's career — and his life. After earning a master's degree from the prestigious acting program at Juilliard, this boyish player hit the New York stage, appearing in myriad productions including
A Few Good Men and
Measure for Measure. While he was in the latter, cast mate Kate Burton introduced him to her pal — and his future wife — Jane Kaczmarek. During the run of
A Few Good Men, he became friendly with playwright Aaron Sorkin, who later cast him in his seminal, Emmy-winning
West Wing role. Before Whitford became a small-screen star, he tackled supporting roles in a number of films, both comedies (
Billy Madison,
My Fellow Americans) and dramas (
Philadelphia,
Scent of a Woman), usually playing a foil or a drone. Recurring roles on hit series, including his harrowing turn on
ER as a husband who loses his wife in childbirth, showcased his range, and he had lots of room to emote as the presidential deputy chief of staff on
West Wing. In 2006, Sorkin gave him another plum part as a TV writer blackmailed into taking a job on
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a dramedy set behind the scenes of a late-night sketch-comedy show.
Bradley Whitford Fast Facts:
- Starred in the 1987 off-Broadway show Curse of the Starving Class opposite Kathy Bates.
- In 1990, he was introduced to future wife Jane Kaczmarek by her friend and Yale School of Drama classmate Kate Burton. Whitford and Burton were appearing together in a Lincoln Center production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure.
- Cofounded (with Kaczmarek) The Clothes Off Our Back Foundation, which auctions off celebrity apparel to benefit children's charities..
- Bradley Whitford Relationships:
- Frances Genevieve Whitford - Daughter
- George Edward Whitford - Son
- Jane Kaczmarek - Wife (separated)
- Mary Louisa Whitford - Daughter
- Bradley Whitford Awards:
- 2001 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- 2002 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- 2003 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- 2001 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Winner
- 2002 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 2003 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- College:
- Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT (BA, 1981); The Juilliard School, New York, NY (MA in Theater)
