Jon Hamm
Hamm was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Daniel and Deborah Hamm. His father ran a family trucking company and his mother was a secretary. Hamm’s parents divorced when he was two, and he lived with his mother in Creve Coeur, Missouri, until she was diagnosed with terminal abdominal cancer when he was 10.
Hamm then moved in with his father, who died when Hamm was 20. Hamm’s first acting role was as Winnie-the-Pooh in first grade. At 16, he was
cast as Judas in Godspell. Although he enjoyed the experience, he did not take acting seriously. Hamm attended John Burroughs School in Ladue, Missouri, where he was a member of the football, baseball, and swim teams. Following graduation in 1989, Hamm enrolled at the University of Texas, where he was a member of the Upsilon Chapter of Sigma Nu fraternity. Hamm returned home to attend the University of Missouri after his father’s death. At Missouri, he auditioned for and won a role in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Other roles followed, including Leon Czolgosz in Assassins. After graduating in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Hamm returned to his high school to teach eighth-grade acting. One of his students was Ellie Kemper, an actress best known for her role on The Office and as Hamm’s co-star in Bridesmaids.
