American actor Jon Hamm got his start in acting as a first grader who was handpicked to play Winnie the Pooh. He was born on March 10, 1971 in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was also raised. He attended the John Burroughs School and soon received an acting scholarship at the University of Missouri in Columbia. He eventually moved to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career. He worked as a day care teacher while still in college and became a high school teacher prior to moving to Hollywood.
Jon Hamm debuted professionally in 2000, appearing as a guest on The Hughleys. He soon got a role in Space Cowboys, a feature film starring Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones and Donald Sutherland. This was followed by portraying the character Jackson on an episode of The Trouble with Normal, and a role in Early Bird Special. His next movie performance came in 2001’s Kissing Jessica Stein, where he was cast as Charles. Soon, Hamm got a recurring role on Providence, playing Burt Ridley for more than ten episodes. He eventually accepted a part in We Were Soldiers, a war drama starring Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe and Greg Kinnear. His next project became a guest role in Gilmore Girls, followed by another recurring appearance on The Division. He was also seen in Charmed, Point Pleasant, CSI: Miami and Related. He appeared on Numb3rs and The Sarah Silverman Program as well, before being cast in Mad Men as Don Draper. In 2008, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama for his role. Some of his other film credits are The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Boy in the Box. He has been a recurring character in the series What About Brian as well, and portrayed Chris Knarl on the comedy film The Ten starring Adam Brody and Winona Ryder.