Dapper AF actor John Slattery of Mad Men fame turned up for me recently in Nuremberg, and as I enjoyed his silver-fox-ness, I wondered (as I always do!) what other frock flicks he’d been in. A decent amount, it turns!
There’s two productions for which I can’t find a photo of:
- Dwight (uncredited) in A Woman of Independent Means (1995)
- Walter Mondale in From the Earth to the Moon (1998)
For the rest, here we go!
Leeds in The Dirty Dozen (1988)
A made-for-TV movie that’s a sequel to 1967 film of the same name, both of which are set during World War II.
Henry Muncy in The Young Riders (1989-92)
A TV series about pony express riders in the “Old West.”
Al Kahn in Homefront (1991-93)
I admit, I’ve never heard of this just-post-World-War-II-set TV series! Slattery played a Jewish union organizer.
Will Kidder in Lily Dale (1996)
Another TV movie, an adaptation of a play set in Texas 1910 about a young man who’s been exiled from his family but is invited to visit.
Jay Follet in A Death in the Family (2002)
An adaptation of an autobiographical novel set in 1915 Tennessee, show the effects of a father’s death on his family.
Paul Moore in Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
This Julia Roberts film, set in the 1950s, is about a progressive college professor. Slattery plays her boyfriend.
Bert Miller in Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)
Slattery plays the father of a young girl who blossoms through dance in this 1950s Cuba-set reboot of the famed film.
Bud Gerber in Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
A film about the World War II battle of Iwo Jima. Slattery plays a Treasury Department official.
Cravely in Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)
A comedy/drama film about the real-life U.S. Congressman and CIA operative who led efforts to organize and support the Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet–Afghan War (1979–89).
Roger Sterling in Mad Men (2007-15)
Slattery played a key partner in the ad agency that was the focus for this EXCELLENT look at 1960s advertising and much much more.
Dwight Eisenhower in Churchill (2017)
A war film focused on Winston Churchill in the lead-up to D-Day; the future president Eisenhower (Slattery) was an American army general at the time.
Fred Schlafly in Mrs. America (2020)
A REALLY fascinating miniseries about conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly who campaigned against the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s. Slattery plays her husband.
Ad Man #2 in Unfrosted (2024)
A comedy film directed by Jerry Seinfeld about the creation of the product Pop-Tarts set in the 1960s; Slattery and Jon Hamm of Mad Men reprise their characters for a scene.
Colonel Burton C. Andrus in Nuremberg (2025)
A film about the war crimes trials at the end of World War II, focusing on the psychiatrist who studied the prisoners. Slattery plays the American colonel who runs the prison.
What’s your favorite of John Slattery’s historical film/TV roles, and why is it Mad Men?
That first photo had me thinking 1) hello smolder and 2) why have he and Patrick Dempsey never played relations in anything before? I had never noticed the resemblance until that photo but now I can’t unsee it.
Thanks for mentioning “Homefront”. I loved that show when it was on. Sometimes it feels like I am the only one that remembers it.
Homefront has been held up from streaming or being released on DVD, I think because of licensing issues with the music. It’s the same reason that American Dreams is not streaming.
And, no doubt, China Beach!
“Mrs. America” was so intensely good! I cried at the end because the ERA came so close to passing, but obviously didn’t. Slattery played Phyllis’s husband, IIRC (I could be very wrong about this, I haven’t had my coffee yet, lol). This post is a great reminder to give it a rewatch, and the costumes are really well done.
It was SO frustrating, but SO interesting! I was a little kid in that era, so had no idea what was going on.
I remember Roger best for the one liners: “Dammit Bert, you stole my goodbye!”