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.