Jon Hamm
The actor who made Don Draper an icon of 1960s advertising and personal reinvention.
Jon Hamm is the actor who brought Don Draper to life in the 2007–2015 AMC drama series Mad Men. His breakthrough role as Draper earned him eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, with a win in 2015. To avoid being typecast, Hamm made a conscious decision to lean into comedic work, appearing on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock, for which he received three Emmy nominations. In 2014, he starred in the Black Mirror Christmas special "White Christmas," often considered one of the series' best episodes.
His film debut was a background role in the 2000 Clint Eastwood film Space Cowboys, followed by a supporting role in Kissing Jessica Stein. He later costarred in The Town (2010), choosing the role for its lack of similarity to Draper, and has since appeared in Million Dollar Arm, Baby Driver, Bad Times at the El Royale, and Top Gun: Maverick. Hamm has also voiced characters in SpongeBob SquarePants, Invincible, and Big City Greens, and provided the voice of Boba Fett in several Star Wars audiobooks.
Quick Facts
- Character portrayed
- Don Draper
- Role
- Lead Actor
- Network
- AMC
- Years active
- 2007–2015
Reader's Guide
Jon Hamm's portrayal of Don Draper in the 2007–2015 AMC drama series Mad Men was his breakthrough role. For this performance, he was nominated eight times at the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, finally winning in 2015. To avoid being typecast, Hamm made a conscious decision to take comedic roles. In 2024, he told The Hollywood Reporter, "it was a very conscious decision to lean into the comedic stuff," citing Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock as examples; he received three Emmy nominations for the latter. His film debut was a background role in the 2000 Clint Eastwood film Space Cowboys. He then had a supporting role in the indie film Kissing Jessica Stein. In 2010, Hamm costarred in The Town alongside Ben Affleck, choosing the role due to the lack of similarity to Draper.
Did You Know?
- Jon Hamm's first appearance on screen was as a contestant on the 1996 dating show The Big Date.
- His first acting role was as an extra on Ally McBeal in 1997.
More in Production & Legacy
Elsewhere in Mad Men
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