Jonathan Daniel "Jon" Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor whose work has been primarily in television. He won the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama for his role of 1960s Madison Avenue advertising executive Don Draper in the AMC series Mad Men.

Biography

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Hamm attended John Burroughs School in Ladue, Missouri and the University of Missouri along with Brad Pitt and Dan Schuchman on a scholarship to study acting. During this period he worked as a day care teacher. He went on to teach high school at John Burroughs before moving to Hollywood.Jon Hamm bio at Lifetime

Hamm made his professional acting debut in 2000 with an appearance on The Hughleys. That same year he played a small role in the feature film Space Cowboys, followed by Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) and We Were Soldiers. He had recurring roles on television in Providence, The Division, What About Brian, and The Unit prior to his starring role in Mad Men. Hamm appears in the films The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Boy in the Box, both scheduled for release in 2008. He will also star in the 2009 horror film Heart. On July 17, 2008, Hamm received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a drama series for his work in Mad Men. Hamm also hosted an episode of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live on October 25th, 2008, where he played his Mad Men character, Don Draper, in two sketches: "Two A-Holes at an Ad Agency in the 1960s" and the pre-taped sketch "Don Draper's Guide to Picking Up Women".