Cast Of Mad Men Season 1

Picture this: it’s 2007, and a show about chain-smoking, whiskey-swilling ad men in stiff suits somehow becomes the most addictive thing on TV. Mad Men Season 1 didn’t just introduce us to Madison Avenue; it dropped us into a beautifully toxic fishbowl of characters. Let’s meet the magnificent weirdos who made us all want to buy a fedora and possibly a therapist.

Don Draper: The Man We All Want to Be (Until We Don’t)

Jon Hamm stepped into a custom-tailored suit and became an instant legend. Don Draper isn’t just a creative director; he’s a walking, brooding enigma with a jawline sharp enough to cut glass. Surprising fact: Hamm was almost too old for the role at 36, but producers wisely realized that a younger actor couldn’t properly convey that level of existential dread. His superpower? Looking devastatingly handsome while completely ignoring his own problems.

Peggy Olson: The Girl Who Started as a Secret Weapon

When we meet Elisabeth Moss as Peggy, she’s a mousy secretary taking dictation and dodging groping hands. By season’s end, she’s discovered she has a knack for ad copy—and a secret that would make a soap opera blush. Peggy’s journey is like watching a caterpillar become a butterfly, if that butterfly chain-smoked and wore a terrible perm. Fun fact: Moss was pregnant for much of the filming, which they hid under coats and behind desks. Talk about method acting.

Joan Holloway: The Office Manager Who Runs the Asylum

Christina Hendricks as Joan is the office’s queen bee, and she doesn’t just answer phones—she punishes men with a flick of her red hair. Joan knows everyone’s secrets, drinks scotch like water, and owns a curvy dress collection that probably should have its own insurance policy. Here’s the kicker: Hendricks originally auditioned for Peggy, but the producers saw her and yelled, “Nope, you’re the one who should be striding in heels!” She is basically a sassy, pre-feminism force of nature.

Pete Campbell: The Weasel You Love to Hate

Vincent Kartheiser plays Pete, an ambitious junior account man with the soul of a spoiled goldfish. He’s the guy who brings a knife to a gunfight—and then complains the knife isn’t fancy enough. Pete is so eager to climb the corporate ladder that he’s willing to sell his own grandmother for a corner office. Surprising fact: to prepare for the role, Kartheiser actually lived in a tiny apartment and avoided bathing, which explains that constant smell of desperation.

Mad Men Videos: The Cast Talks Final Episodes

Roger Sterling: The One-Liner Machine

John Slattery as Roger is the silver-haired panther who treats everything like a joke, including his heart attacks. He drinks martinis for breakfast and has a habit of saying whatever pops into his head, which is both hilarious and terrifying. Before Mad Men, Slattery was mostly known for small TV roles, but Roger made him a star. Bonus: the actor actually snuck real booze into some scenes to get that perfect giddy, unhinged energy.

The Rest of the Madhouse

You’ve also got January Jones as Betty Draper, a housewife so emotionally stunted she could give a mannequin a lesson in stoicism. Then there’s Rich Sommer as Harry Crane, the token guy who somehow survives the chaos by being awkwardly average. And let’s not forget Bryan Batt as Sal Romano, the closeted art director who hides his dinner dates like state secrets. Together, this cast is a glorious trainwreck of ambition, sex, and cigarettes—and we couldn’t look away.