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Actor

1962-08-13 · Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. · Male

39 series in the catalog

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.

Film and television

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.

Theater

Slattery's stage performances have included Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Betrayal, Rabbit Hole and The Front Page on Broadway, and The Lisbon Traviata and Three Days of Rain off-Broadway.

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.

John Slattery at the TCM Movie Database (archived)