American actress Christina Hendricks was born Christine Elise McCarthy on May 3, 1978 in Knoxville, Tennessee, but grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho. She moved there with her family at the age of three and left after finishing 8th grade. She got caught in the acting business when she got roles in numerous Junior Musical Playhouse productions, and has starred in their version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Christina Hendricks started her acting career as the opportunistic, career-climbing intern on Beggars and Choosers before landing a production deal with John Wells Productions. This paved the way for her to make guest appearances on several shows. She soon starred in the series The Big Time and The Court, allowing her to work with Sally Field and Craig Bierko. She was next seen on the law drama Kevin Hill, appearing opposite Tasve Diggs on more than 20 episodes of the series. Some of her recurring roles include those in ER and the Joss Whedon cult hit Firefly. Hendricks had a small role on the series Angel as well, and was also seen in Tru Calling, Cold Case and Jake in Progress. She got guest spots on Miss Match starring Alicia Silverstone, on Presidio Med in 2003, on Cold Case in 2005 and Las Vegas in 2006. She became popular for portraying the character Joan Holloway on the Golden Globe-winning AMC series Mad Men. Her character is that of a svelte and polished secretary, working at the Sterling Cooper ad agency. Hendricks continued her career, playing a role opposite Kip Pardue in the drama South of Pico. She also portrayed a recurring character on the series Life, as the step-mother of the detective Charlie Crews, played by Damian Lewis. Some of Hendricks’ other credits are La Cucina in 2007, Hunger Point, the series Sunday and the made-for-TV movie Sorority.
(Photo courtesy of AMC)