Bradley Whitford (b. 1959) is an American actor, writer and political activist. He is best-known for his role as Josh Lyman in the NBC series The West Wing. Among his many other plays, television shows and films are A Few Good Men, Transparent, The Handmaid’s Tale, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Scent of a Woman, Philadelphia, The Post, and Get Out. He has won two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Critics’ Choice Television Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He wrote two episodes of The West Wing as well as occasional columns for The Huffington Post.
Whitford was raised a Friend at Madison (NYM) Meeting. He has said repeatedly that his concern for peace and justice comes from the religious education that he received at First Day School as a child. (He notes, “….the Quaker version of Sunday school was basically social action. There was this idea of being a little kid and talking about prison reform and stuff like that”). He has worked on many issues, like climate change, women’s reproductive choice and the death penalty. Currently he serves on the board of Let America Vote, an organization aiming to end voter suppression. As an adult, he became an Episcopalian.
Recently I subscribed to Netflix. Watching Bradley Whitford’s portrayal of Josh Lyman, the brilliant, driven Deputy Chief of Staff, on The West Wing has been a real joy. A solid, working actor.
Gary Sandman
July 2019