MU graduate Jon Hamm contends for acting award

By PETE BLAND of the Tribune’s staff

Published Friday, December 21, 2007

University of Missouri graduate and actor Jon Hamm was nominated for his second major industry award yesterday.

Photo courtesy of AMC

Former MU student Jon Hamm appears as ad executive Don Draper in the hit AMC series “Mad Men.” The St. Louis native received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for actor in a drama series.

Hamm, who stars as ad man Don Draper in the breakout AMC series "Mad Men," received a Screen Actors Guild nod for actor in a drama series; nominations were announced yesterday in Los Angeles. His performance in the role also has him up for a Golden Globe Award for best actor in a television drama.

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And on the not-so-official awards front, Hamm recently was named Salon.com’s Sexiest Man Living 2007.

Hamm attended MU in the early ’90s, performing in a number of university productions, studying theater and graduating with an English degree. He is a St. Louis native and John Burroughs School graduate.

Previously, he has appeared in "We Were Soldiers" with Mel Gibson and was a regular in the television series "The Division" and "Providence." He and longtime girlfriend and fellow actor Jennifer Westfeldt ("Kissing Jessica Stein," "Notes from the Underbelly") live in the Los Angeles area.

The Golden Globes will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. Jan. 13 on NBC. The SAG Awards air at 7 p.m. Jan. 27 on TNT and TBS.

Reach Pete Bland at (573) 815-1782 or pbland@tribmail.com.