8 Milestones in the Evolution of Jon Hamm

In Sucker Punch, Jon Hamm plays the dual role of a doctor at a mental institution and a "high roller" at a burlesque club. (Seriously, just go with it; it would take 1000 words to explain.) How did Hamm transform himself from bit television performer with a pretty face into a critically acclaimed television actor on the verge of movie stardom?

You can always trace a direct line through a handful of important roles -- not necessarily his best, mind you -- to illustrate what led to an actor's current success. With Hamm that line takes a massive spike with the role of Don Draper, but it's his post-Draper foray into comedy that shows Hamm has a definite -- er, plan. So, let's look at eight performances -- including his first-ever movie appearance -- that trace the evolution of one Jonathan Daniel Hamm.

Providence (2000)

It took quite some time for Hamm to finally make his way to the big screen. After graduating from the University of Missouri in 1993, Hamm worked numerous jobs in Hollywood, including that of a set designer on an adult film. He eventually secured a recurring guest role on Providence as firefighter Burt Ridley. Providence led Hamm to his first big screen appearance -- a blink and you miss it moment (below) in the Clint Eastwood/Tommy Lee Jones "old astronauts" movie, Space Cowboys.

Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)

Hamm's longtime girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt -- who wrote Kissing Jessica Stein and plays the titular role -- cast her boyfriend as Charles, one of the many men Jessica seems bored with until she starts a relationship with a woman. Not a huge role for Hamm, but it is his first meaningful film appearance, and one that perhaps pointed toward his future comedy roles.

The Division (2002)

Mad Men is not Hamm's first encounter with original cable programming; in the original Lifetime drama The Division, he played Inspector Nate Basso. However since the series followed the lives of five female policewomen, it goes without saying that Hamm was not the focal point.

Mad Men (2007)

Eighty actors auditioned for the role of Don Draper, and Hamm openly admits that if Mad Men were a network show, he would have had little chance securing the part of his lifetime. The Emmy-winning series launched Hamm's career to another level, but what's interesting is that it didn't automatically make him a wanted commodity for films. Small roles in dreck like The Day the Earth Stood Still followed the launch of the AMC series, but Mad Men alone wasn't enough to make Hamm a fixture on the silver screen. Wisely, he chose another route.

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