Bradford Meade

Bradford Meade
Ugly Betty character
Alan Dale as Bradford Meade
First appearance	"Pilot" (episode 1.01)
Last appearance	"Bananas for Betty" (episode 2.10)
Created by	Silvio Horta
Portrayed by	Alan Dale
Information
Full name	Bradford Emerson Meade
Nickname(s)	Brad
Gender	Male
Occupation	Entrepreneur Publisher at Mode Owner of Meade Publications
Title	Former CEO and chairman of the board (at Meade Publications)
Spouse(s)	Claire Meade (wife; 2 children)
Significant other(s)	Fey Sommers (affair partner; deceased) Wilhelmina Slater (ex-fiance)
Children	Alexis Meade (daughter, with Claire) Daniel Meade (son, with Claire)
Relatives	Daniel Meade, Jr. (grandson, via Alexis) Molly Meade (daughter-in-law; deceased)

Bradford Emerson Meade is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty, portrayed by Alan Dale.

Bradford Meade is a famous publishing mogul whose company, Meade Publications, publishes the popular fashion magazine MODE. He is the ex-husband of recovering alcoholic Claire Meade and the father of Daniel Meade, the womanizing editor-in-chief of MODE, and Alexis Meade, his post-op transsexual (male-to-female) daughter.

Bradford is also responsible for making major changes at the magazine after the mysterious death of chief editor Fey Sommers, including handing over the day-to-day operations to the inexperienced Daniel. He is also responsible for getting Betty Suarez hired as Daniel's personal assistant because he didn't want his son to be tempted to sleep with his assistants anymore. Betty and Daniel form a very strong friendship.

Bradford's decision to put Daniel in charge and to make Betty his assistant are reasons alone for Creative Director Wilhelmina Slater—who wanted the editor-in-chief job—to plot against them in an effort to manipulate Bradford into reconsidering her for the top job.

It is eventually revealed that Bradford tampered with Fay's steering wheel. After noticing Fey's casket is closed at her funeral, he hires a private detective, Steve, to find out any information implicating him and whether she faked her death. Prior to her death, Bradford and Fey had an affair and later he broke into her apartment and retrieved a photo of them together. After the funeral, he burns the photo to hide it from Daniel and Bradford's wife Claire.

Bradford learns Fey is still alive and Steve is actually working for her (it is later discovered in "Sofia's Choice" Steve was really working for Wilhelmina). In turn, he hires a henchman, Mr. Green, to "clean up messes" starting with Mr. Green burying Steve in Fey's empty tomb—though Steve survives. Bradford plans to step up his scheme to bring Fey out into the open by any means, dead or alive, even though he is unaware his "late" son, Alex, is actually behind this scheme and is planning to frame him for Fey's murder, which happened during Fashion Week, when he was arrested. Alexis then stuns him by revealing his sex-change to the world as Bradford is about to hand over the reins to Daniel. He is actually innocent; it is revealed in the episode "Brothers", that Claire in fact killed her. When Claire visits him at Rikers Island and tells him she will turn herself in, Bradford begs her not to, but in the end she does and he is released immediately.