Jonathan Daniel Hamm (Jon Hamm) is an American producer and actor best known for his role in the TV drama series, Mad Men. He won two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in drama series for the show in 2008 and 2015.
As of 2020 Hamm’s net worth is estimated around $40 million. He earns his money not only from films, but from voice-over works in commercials as well. We highlight below all that you need to know about Jonathan Hamm. Read on…
Walk Through the Article
Early Life And Education
Jonathan Hamm was born on the 10th of March, 1971 in St.Louis, Missouri, USA. At the age of 2, his parents divorced and he stayed with his mother. When he was only 10 years old, his mother died from cancer and he had to move on to stay with his father.
In first grade, Hamm had his first acting role as Winnie the Pooh. And played Judas in “Godspell” at the age of 16. Four years later his father died. He graduated in 1989 and continued his education at the University of Texas. As a member of Sigma Nu fraternity, he was arrested for an involvement in violent incident. After that, he transferred to University of Missouri, where he applied and was chosen for a cast in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Hamm was awarded a Bachelor degree of Arts in English in 1993 and started to teach in the high school where he graduated. One of his students then was Ellie Kemper, the actress who played with him later in the TV series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Tough Beginnings
Starting an acting career, to Hamm, was a struggle on which he never gave up. Although he had a difficult childhood, he eventually overcame all challenges with hardwork and determination and has become one of the most famous Hollywood actors.
Jon Hamm moved to Los Angeles in 1995 to pursue a career as an actor. During that period, he worked as a waiter to support himself while going on auditions. Although getting a break in the industry was pretty much an uphill task, Hamm pursued on, and set a deadline, his 30th birthday, to become an actor in Hollywood.
Breakthrough & Career Highlights
His break came in 2000 in the drama series Providence where he appeared as a firefighter. He interpreted his role excellently and his contract was subsequently extended for 19 more episodes. With this little success, Hamm was able to support himself comfortably and quite waiting at tables.
The same year, Hamm had his movie debut in Clint Eastwood’s movie Space Cowboys. Other movies and TV series followed thus, he was able to achieve his goal before his deadline when he turned 30 years in 2001. Hamm never relented in his pursuits. He did minor roles in a number of projects that came his way such as in the TV series CSI Miami, The Unit, What About Brian and others. Also, he played in Kissing Jessica Stein, a movie written and produced by his then girlfriend, Jennifer Westfeldt in 2001.
In 2007 Hamm was chosen to play in Mad Men among 80 other candidates. The series had 92 episodes and Hamm’s acting received very good reviews. Actually he received two Golden Globe Awards in 2008 and 2016, as well as Primetime Emmy Award in 2015 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama series. He earned many nominations for his role too.
Hamm hosted three episodes of “Saturday Night Live”. He also made guest appearances in three episodes of the sitcom series, 30 Rock in 2009 for which he earned three nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards as Outstanding Guest actor in a Comedy series. The same year he had his first leading role in the mystery thriller Stolen, followed by The Town the next year. In 2011 Hamm and his then partner, Jennifer Westfeld, produced and featured in the movie Friends with Kids.
Latest Works
Jon Hamm appeared in a lead role in the comedy Keeping Up with the Joneses in 2016. In 2017 his new movies were premiered at Film Festivals – first, the science fiction, Marjorie Prime at Sundance Film festival; then the crime comedy, Baby Driver, at South by Southwest Festival; and Aadvark, a drama movie premiered at Tribeca Film Festival.
Jon Hamm made appearances in the thriller Beirut and the drama Nostalgia in 2018. His lastest film projects include Top Gun: Maverick, which is expected to premiere at the end of this year, 2020. In this action drama, he plays vice admiral alongside Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer and Jennifer Connelly. He also featured late last year the movie Wild Mountain Thyme which is currently in post production. The movie is written and directed by John Patrick Shanley.
A True Sportsman
Hamm plays golf and tennis. He is a big fan of American National Hockey League and has appeared in two team TV sports. Hamm is also a fan of the Major League Baseball. He hosted the 21st ESPYS (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) Awards in 2013.
In addition to his sport involvement, Hamm narrates – since 2015 – the documentary series “All or Nothing”. He also narrated the 2011 movie for the Major League Baseball, as well as the 2018 video The Saint Louis Brown: The Team that Baseball Forgot.
In 2014, Hamm featured as the sport agent, J. B. Bernstein, in the sports drama Million Dollar Arm. He appeared in A Young doctor’s Notebook series as an older version of Daniel Radcliffe’s character. Thanks to Radcliff, while filming together, he became a fan of Cricket.
Voice-over Works
Jon Hamm has had few voice roles, first in Shrek Forever After and then in The Simpsons in 2010 as a guest actor. His last voice role was in the animated comedy, Minions in 2015, which grossed $1 billion across the world.
Commercials
Hamm was hired in 2010 to do the voice-over of the Mercedes Benz commercial. He also voiced over a commercial for American Airlines and appeared in commercials like the one for SkipTheDishes and H&R block income tax services. Together with his ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Westfeldt, Hamm recorded commercials for GAP campaigns.
Music Videos
Hamm also appeared in a few music videos between 2011 and 2012. He played Cadillac driver in the video for the song “Tell me something I don’t know” from the band Herman Dune. The collaboration video between Rihanna and the Lonely Island also had Hamm playing the role of a bank hostage. He also appeared in Aimee Mann’s video for the song “Labrador”.
Jon Hamm Personal Life and Relationships
Jon Hamm has never been married. However, he has been in quite a few relationships so far. During his teenage years, he dated Sarah Clarke who became an actress also later in life.
In 1997 Hamm started dating the actress Jennifer Westfeldt. The couple was together until 2015. Their relationship lasted for 18 years although they never married. While being together they formed Points West Picture, a production company. They also adopted a street dog from an animal shelter.
The same year they separated, it was confirmed that Hamm completed a treatment for alcoholism. He was a smoker in his early years, but quit smoking when he was 24. For the need of the filming of Mad Men he never smoked cigarettes with nicotine, but herbal cigarettes. Hamm is also reported to have started developing vitiligo – a skin condition of losing the pigment – during the filming of Mad Men
Since after the break up with Jennifer, no other relationship has been confirmed of Hamm. At some point however, some rumours connected him with Lindsay Shookus, the producer of “The Saturday Night Live”; others with actress Anna Osceola, his co-star from Mad Men. But these have merely remained rumours as nothing was confirmed.
Jon Hamm is a member of the Democratic Party in USA. He is also a good friend with the actor Paul Rudd whom he met in college.
Personal Appearance
In 2008 Hamm was listed by People magazine as the sexiest Man Alive. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 92 kg and has dark hair and green eyes. Funnily, the Mad Men director thought Hamm was too handsome for his role in the show, but time proved that he wasn’t wrong choosing him eventually. In 2010 Hamm received the GQ’s award as Man Of The Year and again as International Man of the Decade in 2016.
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