"I came in the Dawson's Creek era; it was all about tiny guys who looked like teenagers, and I haven't looked like a teenager ever. So I was, like, auditioning to be their dads. At 25."
Jonathan Daniel "Jon" Hamm (born March 10, 1971 in St. Louis) is an American actor best known for his role as Don Draper on Mad Men. Since the show's premiere in 2007, he's gained additional exposure as a comic actor with roles in 30 Rock and the Kristen Wiig film Bridesmaids, as well as three Saturday Night Live hosting stints (in seasons 34, 35, and 36). Additionally, he's appeared in more dramatic roles recently, including The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), A Single Man, and a critically acclaimed turn in The Town. He also starred in A Young Doctor's Notebook as an older Daniel Radcliffe.
Fun fact: Hamm taught drama at his old high school, the John Burroughs School in St. Louis, for several years in the 1990s, and two of his former students are notable in their own right: Ellie Kemper, who played Erin in The Office and stars in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (in which he appeared), and Beau Willimon, writer of The Ides of March and creator of the American version of House of Cards.
He has appeared in:
- Ally McBeal (1997) as Guy at Bar (1 episode)
- Space Cowboys (2000) as Young Pilot #2
- The Trouble With Normal (2000) as Jackson
- Providence (2000 — 2001) as Burt Ridley
- Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) as Charles
- We Were Soldiers (2002) as Capt. Matt Dillon
- The Division (2002 — 2004) as The Division
- CSI: Miami (2005) as Dr. Brent Kessler (2 episodes)
- Point Pleasant (2005) as Dr. George Forrester (2 episodes)
- Charmed (2005) as Jack Brody (1 episode)
- NUMB3RS (2006) as Richard Clast (1 episode)
- The Unit (2006 — 2007) as Wilson James
- What About Brian (2006 — 2007) as Richard Povich
- Mad Men (2007 — 2015) as Don Draper
- The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) as Dr. Michael Granier
- Saturday Night Live (2008 — present) as himself / various roles
- A Single Man (2009) as Hank Ackerley
- 30 Rock (2009 — 2012) as Dr. Drew Baird / Abner / David Brinkley
- Shrek Forever After (2010) as Brogan (voice)
- The A-Team (2010) as Agent Lynch
- The Town (2010) as Adam Frawley
- Sucker Punch (2011) as High Roller / Doctor
- Bridesmaids (2011) as Ted
- The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (2012) as himself
- Friends with Kids (2012) as Ben
- The Greatest Event in Television History (2012 — 2013) as Rick Simon / Ghost of Jon Hamm
- A Young Doctor's Notebook (2012 — 2013) as older Dr. Vladimir Bomgard
- Archer (2013) as Captain Murphy (voice)
- The Congress (2013) as Dylan Truliner (voice)
- Clear History (2013) as Will Haney
- Web Therapy (2014) as Jeb Masters
- Parks and Recreation (2014 — 2015) as Ed
- Million Dollar Arm (2014) as J. B. Bernstein
- Black Mirror: White Christmas (2014) as Matt Trent
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015 — 2017) as Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne
- Absolutely Fabulous (2015) as himself
- 7 Days in Hell (2015) as The Narrator (voice)
- Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (2015) as Falcon
- Keeping Up with the Joneses (2016) as Tim Jones
- Marjorie Prime (2017) as Walter
- Baby Driver (2017) as Buddy
- Tour de Pharmacy (2017) as The Narrator (voice)
- Tag (2018) as Bob
- Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) as Laramie Seymour Sullivan
- Legion (2018) as The Narrator (voice)
- Random Acts Of Flyness (2018) as himself
- Good Omens (2019) as Archangel Gabriel
- Lucy in the Sky (2019) as Mark Goodwin
- The Report (2019) as Dennis McDonough
- Richard Jewell (2019) as Tom Shaw
- Home Movie: The Princess Bride (2020) as Westley
- Curb Your Enthusiasm (2020 — 2021) as himself
- M.O.D.O.K. (2021) as Tony Stark/Iron Man
- No Sudden Move (2021) as Detective Joe Finney
- Top Gun: Maverick (2022) as Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson
- Confess, Fletch (2022) as Fletch
Tropes related to Mr Hamm's career:
- Affably Evil: Whenever he plays a villain they're usually this, like Buddy in Baby Driver or Faux Affably Evil as seen in Black Mirror.
- As Himself: He appeared as himself in two installments of [adult swim]'s The Greatest Event in Television History, quite a feat considering he dies in the first one. He also appears in an episode of Toast of London, where much is made about his "charismaaa".
- Awesome, Dear Boy: He signed on to Top Gun: Maverick without even reading the script. He was that excited to be a part of it.
- The Cameo:
- In A Single Man he is the man who makes the phone call regarding Jim's death. A very fitting cameo given the similarities in production values and setting between this work and Mad Men (Dan Bishop is behind both as production designer).
- He appears in the American Dad! episode "Can I Be Frank (With You)", wherein he gives a closing message about how domestic violence is none of your business, and, regardless of what you think you see, you should just keep your eyes down, keep walking, and refrain from trying to be a hero.
- These have gotten so popular people are referring to them as Hammeos.
- The Charmer: Many of his characters fit a certain mold of being handsome, charismatic tall guys with a certain level of amorality, which can be played for drama (Mad Men, Black Mirror) or comedy (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Good Omens).
- Closet Geek: Many comedy writers and actors have stated that Hamm is a big comedy geek and constantly quotes lines from The Kids in the Hall and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. His podcast appearances of late have revealed that Mr. Hamm is definitely out of the closet and is simply the handsomest geek of all.
- Leslie Nielsen Syndrome: His first SNL hosting gig was a pleasant surprise, since everyone just assumed he'd be another dramatic actor who'd generally play the straight role in sketches and let the cast do the heavy lifting. Instead he showed almost perfect comic timing, and even did two solo sketches, almost unheard-of for a first time host. Since then, comedy has become a big part of his acting résumé.
- Non-Indicative Name: Despite his name, his performances are usually very intense and understated and many of his characters are extremely level-headed and stoic. He's also a very skilled Deadpan Snarker when he goes for laughs. His time on Saturday Night Live, especially his turn in a live action Ambiguously Gay Duo skit, show that he's more than capable of busting out the ham if he chooses, and he's simply holding out on us.
- Promoted Fanboy: He cites Good Omens as the first book he ever read voluntarily (i.e. not for school) and the one that got him into reading, so naturally he was delighted to accept the beefed-up role of the Archangel Gabriel for the TV adaptation.
- Punny Name: Many puns have been based on his last name.
- He even did an SNL sketch hawking "Jon Hamm's John Ham, the ham you can eat in the bathroom."
- Mentions in Travel Man that he was born in the year of the pig. "Hamm, get it?"
- Star-Making Role: Don Draper put him on everybody's radar, and in the cover of plenty of magazines about fashion, style and general handsomeness.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Hamm stands at 6'1" and is square-jawed and dark-haired, traits that carry over to his characters (from the epitome of 50s masculinity Don Draper to the intimidating but loving villain "Buddy"). Played With in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, where Rev. Wayne is supposed to be a scary cult leader but turns out to be pretty pathetic... but he can still talk his way out of any situation due to his good looks and preternatural charm.
