From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
John Slattery
American actor and director (born 1962)
American actor and director (born 1962)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| image | Dsc8013 r4 copy.jpg |
| caption | Slattery in 2024 |
| birthname | John M. Slattery Jr. |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| education | Catholic University (BFA) |
| yearsactive | 1988–present |
| occupation | Actor, director |
| spouse | |
| children | 1 |
John M. Slattery Jr. (born August 13, 1962) is an American actor and director. He is known for his role as Roger Sterling in the AMC drama series Mad Men (2007–15), for which he was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, along with winning two Critics' Choice Television Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
He is also known for his film roles including for his portrayal of Ben Bradlee, Jr., in the Best Picture-winning film Spotlight (2015), and the role of Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Iron Man 2 (2010), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). He has also acted in Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Reservation Road (2007), Charlie Wilson's War (2007), The Adjustment Bureau (2011), Churchill (2017), Confess, Fletch (2022), and Nuremberg (2025). Slattery made his directorial film debut with God's Pocket (2014).
Slattery's lead television roles include Homefront (1991–1993), Maggie (1998–1999), Jack & Bobby (2004–2005), and neXt (2020). He has also had recurring roles in shows such as Desperate Housewives (2004–2007), 30 Rock (2010), Arrested Development (2013), Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (2015), Veep (2016), Modern Love (2019), Mrs. America (2020), and The Good Fight (2022).
Early life and education
Slattery was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Joan (née Mulhern), a retired accountant, and John "Jack" Slattery, a leather merchant. He is one of six children. As a young boy, he dreamed of being a baseball player.
Slattery is of Irish descent and was raised Catholic. He attended high school at Saint Sebastian's School in Newton, Massachusetts (since relocated to Needham, Massachusetts), and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Catholic University of America in 1984.
Career
Apart from his role on Mad Men, Slattery has had roles such as union organizer Al Kahn on Homefront; Senator Walter Mondale in the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon; as political adviser Tommy Flannigan in the HBO series K Street; guest appearances as Will Truman's brother Sam on Will & Grace; as Michael Cassidy, Amy's estranged husband, on Judging Amy; politician Bill Kelley on Sex and the City; principal Dennis Martino on Ed; and college president Peter Benedict on Jack and Bobby. In March 2007, he began a series of appearances on Desperate Housewives portraying Victor Lang, Gabrielle Solis's (Eva Longoria) second husband, until his character's death in Season 4. In December 2009, Slattery appeared on The Colbert Report in a faux commercial advertising gold.
Slattery played Paul Moore, boyfriend of Katherine Watson (portrayed by Julia Roberts) in the film Mona Lisa Smile, and he portrayed Howie in David Lindsay-Abaire's play, Rabbit Hole. He had a small part as a teacher in the film Sleepers. He also appeared as a government promoter in the Clint Eastwood feature Flags of our Fathers and as CIA official Henry Cravely in Charlie Wilson's War. He was cast as Bert Miller, father of the leading female character, in Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, and in The Adjustment Bureau played Richardson, a mid-level agent in the mysterious paranormal agency called the Bureau. Slattery narrates the audiobook versions of Don DeLillo's 2007 novel Falling Man, Stephen King's 2008 psychological horror novel Duma Key, and Ernest Hemingway's 1929 novel A Farewell to Arms.
In 2013, Slattery directed his first feature film, God's Pocket (2014), which he co-wrote with Alex Metcalf. The film, based on a 1983 novel of the same name by Pete Dexter, premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was picked up for distribution by IFC Films.
In 2015, Slattery portrayed journalist Ben Bradlee Jr. in the Academy Award-winning, Golden Globe-nominated drama film Spotlight, and also appeared in the Netflix comedy series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, for which he earned a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series.
In 2025, Slattery portrayed Burton C. Andrus, the commandant of the prison housing Nazi war criminals being held for the post-World War II Nuremberg war crimes trials in the movie, Nuremberg.
Personal life
Slattery married actress Talia Balsam in 1998 (who also played his screen wife, Mona, in Mad Men). They have one son together. They live in SoHo, Manhattan.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | City Hall | Detective George | |
| Eraser | FBI Agent Corman | ||
| Sleepers | Rob Carlson | ||
| 1997 | My Brother's War | Devlin | |
| Red Meat | Stefan | ||
| 1998 | Harvest | Sheriff Johnson | |
| The Naked Man | Ferris | ||
| Where's Marlowe? | Kevin Murphy | ||
| 2000 | Traffic | ADA Dan Collier | |
| 2001 | Sam the Man | Maxwell Slade | |
| 2002 | Bad Company | Roland Yates | |
| 2003 | The Station Agent | David | |
| Mona Lisa Smile | Paul Moore | ||
| 2004 | Noise | Detective Rutherford | |
| Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights | Bert Miller | ||
| 2006 | The Situation | Colonel Carrick | |
| Flags of Our Fathers | Bud Gerber | ||
| 2007 | Underdog | Mayor | |
| Reservation Road | Steve Cutter | ||
| Charlie Wilson's War | CIA Director Henry Cravely | ||
| 2010 | Iron Man 2 | Howard Stark | |
| 2011 | The Adjustment Bureau | Richardson | |
| Return | Bud | ||
| 2012 | In Our Nature | Gil | |
| 2013 | Bluebird | Richard | |
| 2014 | God's Pocket | Directorial debut; also co-writer | |
| 2015 | Ted 2 | Shep Wild | |
| Ant-Man | Howard Stark | Cameo | |
| Spotlight | Ben Bradlee Jr. | ||
| 2016 | Captain America: Civil War | Howard Stark | |
| 2017 | Churchill | Dwight D. Eisenhower | |
| 2019 | Avengers: Endgame | Howard Stark | |
| 2022 | Confess, Fletch | Frank Jaffe | |
| 2023 | Maggie Moore(s) | Director | |
| 2024 | Unfrosted | Roger Sterling | |
| 2025 | Nuremberg | Col. Burton C. Andrus | |
| 2026 | Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass | Completed |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Dirty Dozen: The Series | Pvt. Dylan Leeds | 7 episodes |
| 1989 | Father Dowling Mysteries | Doug | Episode: "The Man Who Came to Dinner Mystery" |
| 1991 | Under Cover | Graham Parker | 13 episodes |
| Under Cover | Television movie | ||
| Before the Storm | |||
| China Beach | Dr. Bob | Episode: "Hello Goodbye" | |
| 1991–93 | Homefront | Al Kahn | Main role, 38 episodes |
| 1995 | A Woman of Independent Means | Dwight | Miniseries; uncredited |
| Ned and Stacey | Sam | Episode: "Threesome" | |
| 1996 | Lily Dale | Will Kidder | Television movie |
| 1997 | Feds | Michael Mancini | Episode: "Smoking Gun" |
| 1998 | From the Earth to the Moon | Walter Mondale | Episode: "Apollo One" |
| Party of Five | Jay Mott | 2 episodes | |
| Becker | Peter | Episode: "Man Plans, God Laughs" | |
| 1998–99 | Maggie | Dr. Richard Meyers | Main role, 11 episodes |
| 1998 | Law & Order | Arlen Levitt | Episode: "Tabloid" |
| 1999 | Will & Grace | Sam Truman | 2 episodes |
| 1999–2000 | Judging Amy | Michael Cassidy | 3 episodes |
| 2000 | Sex and the City | Bill Kelley | 2 episodes |
| Law & Order | Dr. Richard Shipman | Episode: "Stiff" | |
| 2001–02 | Ed | Dennis Martino | Recurring role, 17 episodes |
| 2002 | A Death in the Family | Jay Follett | Television movie |
| 2003 | K Street | Tommy Flannegan | 10 episodes |
| 2004 | The Brooke Ellison Story | Ed Ellison | Television movie |
| 2004–05 | Jack & Bobby | Peter Benedict | Main role, 21 episodes |
| 2007 | Desperate Housewives | Victor Lang | Recurring role, 14 episodes |
| 2007–15 | Mad Men | Roger Sterling | Main role, 85 episodes |
| Also directed 5 episodes | |||
| 2009 | The Colbert Report | John Slattery | Episode: "Alicia Keys" |
| 2010 | 30 Rock | Steven Austin | Episode: "Brooklyn Without Limits" |
| 2011 | The Simpsons | Robert Marlowe (voice) | Episode: "The Man in the Blue Flannel Pants" |
| 2011–12 | The Cleveland Show | Mayor Larry Box (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2013 | Arrested Development | Dr. Norman | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | *Wet Hot American Summer: | ||
| First Day of Camp* | Claude Dumet | 6 episodes | |
| The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | Sandwich Man | Episode: Gayle Tzemach Lemmon | |
| Documentary Now! | William H. Sebastian | Episode: "Kunuk Uncovered" | |
| 2016 | Veep | Charlie Baird | 6 episodes |
| 2016–2017 | Love | Director; 3 episodes | |
| 2018 | The Romanoffs | Daniel Reese | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Modern Love | Dennis | |
| 2020 | Mrs. America | Fred Schlafly | Miniseries; 7 episodes |
| neXt | Paul LeBlanc | Main role | |
| 2021 | Girls5eva | Himself | Episode: "Alf Musik" |
| Santa Inc. | Larson (voice) | 3 episodes | |
| 2022 | The Good Fight | Dr. Lyle Bettencourt | 9 episodes |
| 2023 | What We Do in the Shadows | Himself | Episode: Urgent Care |
| What If...? | Howard Stark (voice) | Episode: "What If... Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?" | |
| 2025 | Harley Quinn | Floronic Man / Jason Woodrue (voice) | 2 episodes |
| The Last Frontier | Senior CIA Official | Recurring role | |
| 2025–present | The Rainmaker | Leo F. Drummond | Main role |
| TBA | Vladimir | John | Upcoming series |
Theater
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Lisbon Traviata | Paul | Off-Broadway | |
| 1990 | Mi Vida Loca | Paco | ||
| 1992 | The Extra Man | Daniel | ||
| 1993 | Laughter on the 23rd Floor | Kenny | Richard Rodgers Theatre, Broadway | |
| 1995 | Night and Her Stars | Charles Van Doren | The American Place Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| 1997 | Three Days of Rain | Walker/Ned | New York City Center, Off-Broadway | |
| 2000 | Betrayal | Robert | American Airlines Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2006 | Rabbit Hole | Howie | Biltmore Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2016 | The Front Page | Hildy Johnson | Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway |
Video game
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Dishonored | Admiral Havelock |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Conversation 16 | The National | Secret Service Agent |
Awards and nominations
| Organizations | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. | Critics' Choice Television Award | Gotham Independent Film Award | Independent Spirit Award | Primetime Emmy Award | Satellite Award | Screen Actors Guild Award | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Mad Men (season 4) | ||||||||||
| 2012 | Mad Men (season 5) | |||||||||||
| 2016 | Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series | Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp | ||||||||||
| 2015 | Ensemble Performance | Spotlight | ||||||||||
| 2015 | Robert Altman Award | |||||||||||
| 2008 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Mad Men (episode: "Long Weekend") | ||||||||||
| 2009 | Mad Men (episode: "Six Month Leave") | |||||||||||
| 2010 | Mad Men (episode: "The Gypsy and the Hobo") | |||||||||||
| 2011 | Mad Men (episode: "Hands and Knees") | |||||||||||
| 2015 | Best Cast in a Motion Picture | Spotlight | ||||||||||
| 2007 | Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Desperate Housewives (season 4) | ||||||||||
| Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | Mad Men (season 1) | |||||||||||
| 2008 | Mad Men (season 2) | |||||||||||
| 2009 | Mad Men (season 3) | |||||||||||
| 2010 | Mad Men (season 4) | |||||||||||
| 2012 | Mad Men (season 5) | |||||||||||
| 2015 | Mad Men (season 7) | |||||||||||
| Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture | Spotlight | |||||||||||
| 2016 | Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Veep (season 5) |
References
References
- (August 13, 2009). "Celebrity birthdays on Aug. 13". The Miami Herald.
- "Emmys.com".
- Patrick Pacheco. (May–June 2012). "John Slattery: A Boston Man Gone Mad". Boston Common Magazine.
- Stephanie M. Peters. (September 23, 2007). "John Mulhern, 80; lawyer triumphed on ice, in politics". The Globe.
- (August 15, 2009). "Mad Men's' John Slattery: Rise of the silver fox". The Daily News.
- Doyle, Stacey. (May 4, 2012). "John Slattery Talks to Boston Common Magazine About 'Mad Men' and More". Boston Common Magazine.
- Handy, Bruce. (August 13, 2009). "Mad Men Q&A: John Slattery".
- "Alumni". The Catholic University of America Office of Admissions.
- (December 15, 2009). "Prescott Financial – Gold, Women & Sheep". The Colbert Report.
- (January 22, 2014). "Sundance: IFC Films Acquires U.S. Rights to John Slattery's 'God's Pocket'". The Hollywood Reporter.
- de Bertodano, Helena. (April 8, 2013). "John Slattery on ageing, drinking, and how he'd like Mad Men to end". [[The Daily Telegraph.
- (May 6, 2015). "Mad Men star John Slattery is back in the Big Apple — where he belongs". Brick Underground.
- "Laughter on the 23rd Floor".
- (April 27, 1995). "THEATER REVIEW: NIGHT AND HER STARS; A Different Take On Quiz Scandals".
- (November 12, 1997). "THEATER REVIEW; Parents' Secrets Cry Out, But Children Don't Hear".
- "PHOTO CALL: Betrayal's Other Betrayers: Juliette Binoche and John Slattery".
- "Cynthia Nixon and John Slattery Tumble Into Rabbit Hole, a Broadway World Premiere".
- "Mad Men's Slattery to Join Nathan Lane in Starry Broadway The Front Page".
- "The National team up with John Slattery from 'Mad Men' in new video".
- "60th Primetime Emmy Awards".
- "61st Primetime Emmy Awards".
- "62nd Primetime Emmy Awards".
- "63rd Primetime Emmy Awards".
- "14th Screen Actors Guild Awards".
- "15th Screen Actors Guild Awards".
- "16th Screen Actors Guild Awards".
- "17th Screen Actors Guild Awards".
- "19th Screen Actors Guild Awards".
- "22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards".
- "23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards".
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about John Slattery — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report