JON
HAMM

Jon Hamm is known for performances that reveal tension between a character’s public image and private life. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on 10 March 1971, the American actor has worked in television drama, comedy and film. His career includes the long-running role of Don Draper as well as parts that use his screen presence in very different ways.

Before moving to Los Angeles, Hamm taught drama at his former school in St. Louis. His early television work preceded the role that brought him wide recognition: advertising executive Don Draper in Mad Men, a series set in the changing world of American advertising.

Mad Men gives Hamm room to play a man skilled at selling an image while struggling with the parts of himself that image conceals. Over the series, small shifts in expression and behavior become as significant as Draper’s public confidence. Hamm won the 2015 Emmy for lead actor in a drama series for the role.

Hamm’s film work includes Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver (2017), a crime thriller driven by getaway music and movement. His television comedy appearances include 30 Rock. Together these projects show how his timing can shift from tightly held drama to a more overt comic register.

In the fifth installment of Fargo, Hamm plays Sheriff Roy Tillman. The character’s authority creates a different kind of pressure from the professional world of Mad Men. The role is another example of his interest in people whose power shapes the lives of those around them.