Jon Hamm

Not to be confused with John Ham or John Hamm.

Jon Hamm
Hamm at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010.
Born	Jonathan Daniel Hamm (1971-03-10) March 10, 1971 St. Louis, Missouri, US
Alma mater	University of Missouri (B.A.)
Occupation(s)	Actor, voice actor, comedian, director, producer
Years active	1996–present
Partner(s)	Jennifer Westfeldt (1997–present)

Jonathan Daniel "Jon" Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, television director, and producer. For much of the mid-1990s, Hamm lived as an actor in Los Angeles, making appearances in television series like Providence, The Division, What About Brian, and Related. In 2000, he made his feature film debut in the space adventure film Space Cowboys. The following year, he secured a minor role in the independent comedy, Kissing Jessica Stein (2001).

Hamm gained wide recognition for playing advertising executive Don Draper in the AMC drama series Mad Men, which premiered in July 2007. His performance earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series in 2008. He has also directed two episodes of the show. In 2008, Hamm appeared in a remake of the science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still. His first leading film role was in the 2010 independent thriller Stolen. He also had supporting roles in The Town (2010), Sucker Punch (2011), and Bridesmaids (2011). Hamm has received ten Emmy nominations for his performance in Mad Men and 30 Rock.

Early life

Hamm was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Deborah and Daniel Hamm. His father ran a family trucking company and his mother was a secretary. He is of German, English, and Irish descent; his surname originates with German immigrants. Hamm's parents divorced when he was two years old, and he lived in Creve Coeur with his mother until her death from colon cancer when he was 10. Hamm then moved in with his father, who died when Hamm was 20. Hamm attended the private John Burroughs School in Ladue, where he was a member of the football, baseball, and swim teams. During this time, he dated future actress Sarah Clarke.

Acting was fun, but my grandfather would always tell me, 'It's never too late to be an engineer.' You were supposed to get a 'job' and do acting on weekends or at school.

— Jon Hamm

Hamm's first acting role was as Winnie the Pooh in first grade; at 16, he was cast as Judas in Godspell, and enjoyed the experience, though he did not take acting seriously. Following graduation in 1989, Hamm enrolled at the University of Texas, where he was a member of the Upsilon Chapter of Sigma Nu fraternity. Hamm returned home to attend the University of Missouri after his father's death. At Missouri he answered an advertisement from a theater company looking for players in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, auditioned, and was cast in the production. Other roles followed, such as Leon Czolgosz in Assassins. After graduating in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in English, Hamm returned to his high school to teach eighth-grade acting as a gesture of repayment for the school's support during his adolescent years. One of his students was Ellie Kemper, who later became an actress; another was Beau Willimon, who became a screenwriter.

Career

Early work

Hamm had known actor Paul Rudd for many years, and visited Hollywood to meet him in 1992. Not wishing to stay in a "normal career", Hamm moved to Los Angeles permanently in 1995 with an automobile and $150. He moved into a house with four other aspiring actors and began working as a waiter while attending auditions. He acted in theatre, including as Flavius in a production of Shakespeare's Timon of Athens with the Sacred Fools Theater Company.

If you didn't look 18 years old, you weren't working. And I didn't look 18 years old when I was 18. I always looked 10 years older than I was ... so I was, like, auditioning to be their dads. At 25.

— -Hamm, on his inability to find work as a young actor

Finding employment as an actor was difficult despite representation by the William Morris Agency because, unlike other actors his age, he could not be cast in youth-oriented productions like Dawson's Creek due to his older appearance. In 1998, having failed to obtain any acting jobs after three years, he was dropped by William Morris. Hamm continued working as a waiter, and briefly as a set designer for a softcore pornography film. After repeatedly failing to obtain promising roles, he set his 30th birthday as a deadline to succeed in Hollywood, observing that:

You either suck that up and find another agent, or you go home and say you gave it a shot, but that's the end of that. The last thing I wanted to be out here was one of those actors who's 45 years old, with a tenuous grasp of their own reality, and not really working much. So I gave myself five years. I said, if I can't get it going by the time I'm 30, I'm in the wrong place. And as soon as I said that, it's like I started working right away.

In 2000, Hamm obtained the role of romantic firefighter Burt Ridley on NBC's drama series Providence. His one-episode contract grew to 19, and led him to quit waiting tables. Hamm made his feature film debut with one line in Clint Eastwood's space adventure Space Cowboys (2000); more substantial roles followed in the independent comedy Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) and the war film We Were Soldiers (2002), during filming of which he turned 30. His career was further bolstered when he played the recurring role of police inspector Nate Basso on Lifetime's television series The Division from 2002 to 2004. Other minor roles followed on the television series What About Brian, CSI: Miami, Related, Numb3rs, The Unit, and The Sarah Silverman Program. Hamm's Mad Men castmate Eric Ladin had said that one of the reasons he looks up to Jon is that while he "made it" later than most actors, Hamm never gave up on acting.

Worldwide recognition

Hamm received his breakthrough role in 2007 when he was cast from more than 80 candidates as the protagonist character Don Draper in AMC's drama series Mad Men. In the series, set in a fictional 1960s advertising agency, he plays a suave advertising executive with an obscure past. Hamm recalled, "I read the script for Mad Men and I loved it. [...] I never thought they'd cast me—I mean, I thought they'd go with one of the five guys who look like me but are movie stars", and that an actor with a "proven track record" would likely have been chosen if another network had aired the show. He went through numerous auditions, and explained each time to the casting directors what he could bring to the character, if given the part. Alan Taylor and Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner thought that Hamm was too handsome for the role, but decided that "it was perfect to cast sort of the perfect male in this part"; Weiner also sensed that the actor had not been raised by his parents, similar to Draper's backstory.

Hamm in November 2008

Hamm used memories of his father to portray Draper, a well-dressed, influential figure in business and society hiding great inner turmoil and facing changes in the world beyond his control. Mad Men debuted on July 19, 2007, with almost 1.4 million viewers. It quickly developed a loyal audience, with the show and Hamm receiving strong reviews. Robert Bianco of USA Today was complimentary of Hamm, noting that his interpretation of Draper was a "starmaking performance". The Boston Globe's Matthew Gilbert called Hamm a "brilliant lead". For his work, he won a Golden Globe Award in the category of Best Actor in a Television Series Drama in 2008. Also in 2008 he was nominated for both a Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor and an Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actor. In 2009, Hamm was again nominated for a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award in the same categories, and received another Emmy nomination for Best Actor. In 2010, Hamm received his third Golden Globe nomination.

Hamm's next film role was in the 2008 science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still, a remake of the 1951 film of the same name. Although the film received mixed reviews, it was financially successful, earning $230 million worldwide at the box office. Hamm hosted the sixth episode of the 34th season of Saturday Night Live on October 25, 2008. He played various roles, including Don Draper in two sketches. He returned to host again on January 30 and October 30, 2010. In 2009, Hamm guest starred in three episodes of the NBC situation comedy show 30 Rock as Drew Baird, a doctor who is a neighbor and love interest of Liz Lemon's (Tina Fey). For these performances, he received an Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.

Hamm's film projects post 2009 included the independent mystery thriller Stolen and his first leading role, in which he plays a man trying to demystify the circumstances surrounding his son's kidnapping. The Hollywood Reporter's Frank Scheck stated that the feature never came together, and said that Hamm was unable to do much with his "underwritten role". Hamm had a voice cameo in the animated feature Shrek Forever After, released in May 2010, as an ogre leader named Brogan. He appeared as an FBI agent in The Town with Ben Affleck; after receiving "about 40 scripts that were all set in the 60s, or had me playing advertising guys", Hamm was pleased that the film offered a role "the opposite to Don Draper". The feature received generally favorable reviews, and earned $144 million worldwide. His next acting role was as defense attorney Jake Ehrlich in the independent drama Howl, based on Allen Ginsberg's 1956 poem of the same name. On December 12, 2010, Hamm made a guest appearance as an FBI supervisor on Fox's animated series The Simpsons. Returning to film, he appeared in Zack Snyder's 2011 action-fantasy movie Sucker Punch, as the character High Roller, and the doctor. He also had a supporting role in the comedy Bridesmaids as Kristen Wiig's "rude and arrogant sex buddy". Hamm was next seen in the independent feature Friends with Kids (2011) which he produced alongside partner Jennifer Westfeldt. The story centers around a group of friends whose lives are changed as the couples in the group begin to have children.

He has a recurring role in the sitcom The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret as the servant of sociopathic billionaire Dave Mountford (Blake Harrison), the role of which is later revealed to in fact be a fictionalized version of Hamm, complaining that being made into Dave's servant has made him need to be written out of four episodes of Mad Men. Hamm will play sports agent J.B. Bernstein in Disney's sports drama The Million Dollar Arm.

Hamm hosted the 21st ESPYS Awards on July 17, 2013.

Hamm is set to star alongside Daniel Radcliffe in the Ovation television dark comedy A Young Doctor's Notebook playing an older version of Radcliffe's character.

Personal life

Hamm with girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards, 2008

Since 1997, Hamm has been in a long-term relationship with actress and screenwriter Jennifer Westfeldt. They own homes in Los Angeles and the Upper West Side in New York. In an interview discussion about his relationship with Westfeldt, Hamm said: "We may not have a piece of paper that says we're husband and wife, but after 10 years, Jennifer is more than just a girlfriend. What we have is much deeper and we both know that. To me, people [should] get married when they're ready to have kids, which I'm not ruling out." Hamm, along with Westfeldt, has appeared in Gap related campaign advertisements. In April 2009, Hamm and Westfeldt formed their own production company, Points West Pictures. Hamm and Westfeldt are advocates of animal rescue and have adopted their own dog, a mixed breed named Cora, from the Much Love Animal Shelter in California.

Although his role as Don Draper requires him to smoke, Hamm gave up smoking when he was 24. He revealed in an interview that while on set he does not smoke actual cigarettes, but herbal cigarettes that do not contain any tobacco or nicotine.

Hamm has vitiligo.

Internationally viewed as a sex symbol, Hamm was named one of Salon.com's Sexiest Man Living in 2007, and was named one of People magazine's Sexiest Men Alive in 2008. Hamm also won GQ's 'International Man' award in September 2010. In November 2008, Entertainment Weekly named him one of their Entertainers of the Year. He again was named one of the magazine's Entertainers of the Year in 2010.

Hamm is an avid golfer and tennis player. He is a devoted fan of the National Hockey League (NHL) team the St. Louis Blues, even appearing in two television spots advertising for the team. He is also a fan of the Major League Baseball (MLB) team the St. Louis Cardinals, and narrated the official highlight film for the 2011 World Series which the Cardinals won.

In March 2010, Hamm was hired by Mercedes-Benz as their new voiceover for their campaign with the S400 Hybrid vehicle. Hamm replaced actor Richard Thomas. Also, in 2013 American Airlines debuted a commercial titled "Change is in the Air" featuring Hamm as the voice-over. Hamm is an American Airlines frequent flier and his Mad Men character Don Draper often speaks of aspiring to win such accounts as American Airlines.

Hamm and Westfeldt both identify themselves as Democrats.

Filmography

Hamm on the set of The Town in September 2009

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Space Cowboys	Young Pilot No.2
2001	Kissing Jessica Stein	Charles
2002	We Were Soldiers	Capt. Matt Dillon
2006	Ira and Abby	Ronnie
2007	The Ten	Skydiving Guide Chris Knarl
2008	The Day the Earth Stood Still	Dr. Michael Granier
2009	A Single Man	Hank Ackerley	Voice only Uncredited
2010	Stolen	Tom Adkins Sr.
	Shrek Forever After	Brogan	Voice only
	The A-Team	Agent Lynch	Uncredited
	The Town	Adam Frawley
	Howl	Jake Ehrlich
2011	Sucker Punch	High Roller/Doctor
	Bridesmaids	Ted	Uncredited
2012	Friends with Kids	Ben	Also Producer
2013	The Congress	Dylan Truliner
	Clear History	Will Haney	TV Film
2014	Million Dollar Arm	J.B. Bernstein
	The Sound and the Fury	Mr. Compson	Post-production
2015	Minions	Herb Overkill	Voice only Filming

Television

year	title	role	notes
1996	The Big Date	Himself	Aired before his acting career started.
1997	Ally McBeal	That Guy	Episode: "Compromising Positions"
2000–2001	Providence	Burt Ridley	18 episodes
2000	The Trouble with Normal	Jackson	Episode: "Pilot"
	The Hughleys	Buzz	Episode: "Lies My Valentine Told Me"
2001	Early Bird Special	Red-Headed Cop	Episode: "Pilot"
2002–2004	The Division	Inspector Nate Basso	16 episodes
2002	Gilmore Girls	Peyton Sanders	Episode: "Eight O'Clock at the Oasis"
2005	CSI: Miami	Dr. Brent Kessler	2 episodes
	Point Pleasant	Dr. George Forrester	2 episodes
	Charmed	Jack Brody	Episode: "Ordinary Witches"
2006–2007	The Unit	Wilson James	5 episodes
	What About Brian	Richard Povich	6 episodes
2006	Numb3rs	Richard Clast	Episode: "Hardball"
	Related	Danny	Episode: "Related"
2007	The Sarah Silverman Program	Cable Guy	Episode: "Muffin' Man"
2007–2015	Mad Men	Don Draper	Main cast Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series (2011) Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series: Drama (2008) Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series(2009, 2011) Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2009–2010) TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama (2011) Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series (2012) Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series: Drama (2009–2011, 2013) Nominated—Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series (2010) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (2008–2013) Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series: Drama (2008–2010) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2008, 2011, 2013) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series (2008–2011, 2013) Nominated—TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Drama (2008–2009, 2012)
2008–2014	Saturday Night Live	Host	As Host: Episode: "Jon Hamm/Coldplay" Episode: "Jon Hamm/Michael Bublé" Episode: "Jon Hamm/Rihanna" Cameos: Episode: "Ed Helms/Paul Simon" Episode: "Lindsay Lohan/Jack White" Episode: "Will Ferrell/Usher" Episode: "Mick Jagger" Episode: "Zach Galifianakis/Of Monsters and Men" Episode: "Lena Dunham/The National"
2009–2012	30 Rock	Dr. Drew Baird / Abner / David Brinkley	7 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (2009–2010, 2012)
2010	The Simpsons	FBI Investigator	Voice only Episode: "Donnie Fatso"
2010–2012	Conan	Don Draper	2 episodes
2010–2013	Childrens Hospital	Derrick Childrens / Arthur Childrens	5 episodes
2011	Robot Chicken	Various voices	2 episodes
2012	The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret	Dave's employee	4 episodes
	Comedy Bang! Bang!	Himself	Episode: "Jon Hamm Wears A Light Blue Shirt & Silver Watch"
	Martha Speaks	Ham Johnson	Voice only Episode: "Cora! Cora! Cora!/Cora Encore!"
	Metalocalypse	Various	Voice only Episode: "Writersklok"
	American Dad!	Himself	Voice only Episode: "Can I Be Frank (With You)"
	Family Guy	Himself / Don Draper	Voice only Episode: "Ratings Guy"
2012–2013	The Greatest Event in Television History	Rick Simon / Ghost of Jon Hamm	2 episodes
2012–present	A Young Doctor's Notebook	Dr. Vladimir Bomgard (Older)	Lead role
2013	Bob's Burgers	O.T.	Voice only Episode: "O.T.: The Outside Toilet" (Uncredited)
	Archer	Captain Murphy	Voice only 2 episodes
	2013 ESPY Awards	Host	TV Special
2014	Parks and Recreation	Ed	2 episodes

Music videos

Year	Artist	Video	Role	Notes
2011	The Lonely Island	"Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie & Clyde" (ft. Rihanna)	Bank Hostage	cameo, gets picked up by Rihanna.
	Herman Düne	"Tell Me Something I Don't Know"	Non-specific	lead

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
2008	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor – Television Series Drama	Mad Men	Won
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series		Nominated
	Satellite Awards	Best Actor – Television Series Drama		Nominated
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series		Nominated
		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series		Nominated
	Television Critics Association Awards	Individual Achievement in Drama		Nominated
2009	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor – Television Series Drama		Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series	30 Rock	Nominated
		Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series	Mad Men	Nominated
	Satellite Awards	Best Actor – Television Series Drama		Nominated
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series		Nominated
		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series		Won
	Television Critics Association Awards	Individual Achievement in Drama		Nominated
2010	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor – Television Series Drama		Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series	30 Rock	Nominated
		Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series	Mad Men	Nominated
	National Board of Review	Best Cast	The Town	Won
	Satellite Awards	Best Actor – Television Series Drama	Mad Men	Nominated
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series		Nominated
		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series		Won
2011	Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	Best Cast	The Town	Nominated
	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Actor in a Drama Series	Mad Men	Won
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor – Television Series Drama		Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series		Nominated
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series		Nominated
		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series		Nominated
	Television Critics Association Awards	Individual Achievement in Drama		Won
2012	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Actor in a Drama Series		Nominated
	MTV Movie Awards	Best On-Screen Dirtbag	Bridesmaids	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Drama Series	Mad Men	Nominated
		Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series	30 Rock	Nominated
		Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series	Mad Men	Nominated
	Satellite Awards	Best Actor – Television Series Drama		Nominated
	Television Critics Association Awards	Individual Achievement in Drama		Nominated
2013	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor – Television Series Drama		Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Drama Series		Nominated
		Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series		Nominated
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series		Nominated
		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series		Nominated
2014	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actor: Drama	Million Dollar Arm	Pending

Further reading

• Rochlin, Margy. "Those Were the Good Old Days? Hardly". The New York Times. September 30, 2007. Accessed February 12, 2009.
• Alston, Joshua. "Bryan Cranston and Jon Hamm: Get 'Bad,' Get 'Mad,' And You'll Get Glad". Newsweek. December 31, 2007. Accessed June 4, 2009.
• Hainey, Michael. "The Man In The Gray (Indestructible) Suit". GQ. January 1, 2008. Accessed June 18, 2009.
• Wilson, Benji. "Jon Hamm: Why Mad Men was an instant star". The Daily Telegraph. March 14, 2008. Accessed February 12, 2009.
• Seltzer, Ian. "Jon Hamm: Suave, Successful, Mad Man". ABC News. July 14, 2008. Accessed April 28, 2009.
• Ryan, Maureen. "'Mad Men' Calvacade of Stars, Part 2: Jon Hamm". Chicago Tribune. July 15, 2008. Accessed February 12, 2009.
• Guest, Jocelyn. "Jon Hamm of 'Mad Men' on the Future of Don Draper". New York Magazine. July 24, 2008. Accessed February 12, 2009.
• Neuman, Clayton. "Q&A – Jon Hamm". AMC. October 26, 2008. Accessed February 12, 2009.
• Wolf, Jeanne. "Jon Hamm's Sudden Fame". Parade Magazine. Accessed April 27, 2009.
• Hill, Erin. "Jon Hamm: 'Everyone Deserves a Little Good-Natured Ribbing'". Parade Magazine. March 11, 2010. Accessed March 11, 2010.
• Torvalds, Linus. "Pearls before swine..". LINUS' BLOG. February 28, 2011. Accessed May 24, 2011.

External links

• Jon Hamm at IMDb
• Jon Hamm at Emmys.com