Bradley Whitford was born on October 10, 1959, in Madison, Wisconsin. His mother is Genevieve Smith Whitford, and his late father's name was George Whitford. He was raised in Madison, and attended Madison East High School, where he graduated in 1977. He went on to study at Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Connecticut, where he got his degree on theatre and English literature in 1981; and then earned a master's degree in theatre at the Juilliard Theater Center, in New York.
His first job as an actor was in an off-Broadway play called Curse of the Starving Glass. Other plays in which he worked include the Broadway version of The West Wing, Aaron Sorkin's A Few Good Men, Measure for Measure, Coriolanus and Three Days of Rain. His debut on television was on the series The Equalizer, in 1985. He has then appeared in a long list of television shows, movies and plays.
In August 15, 1992, Brad married actress Jane Kaczmarek with whom he currently resides in Pasadena. They have three children: Frances (born January 1998), George (born December 23, 1999) and Mary-Louisa (born November 25, 2002).
In 2002, Brad and Jane founded the charity "Clothes off our back", which auctions celebrity outfits with all proceeds going to children's charities. They are actively involved in many other charities.
Brad is also known for his interest in political matters, actively participating in several organizations as well as demonstrating his support for the democratic party during campaings.
Sources: IMDB + BW Picture Pages
Note: The biography presented here is merely a summary of the above sources. For more detail, you should read said websites.