John Slattery

Intro

John Slattery is an actor and director known for Roger Sterling in Mad Men. His career also includes extensive television guest and ensemble work, Broadway appearances and feature-film directing. Roger's wit makes him immediately recognizable, but Slattery's wider credits provide a useful counterweight to that single association. They range from stage drama to comic television and from acting within another director's production to shaping a film himself. Following those different responsibilities gives a fuller sense of the career surrounding Mad Men.

Career snapshot

Slattery's television credits before and around Mad Men include Homefront, Ed, Jack & Bobby and Desperate Housewives, in which he played Victor Lang. He also appeared in Arrested Development and in guest roles on Sex and the City, Will & Grace and 30 Rock. These assignments place him in different ensemble structures, some dramatic and some comic. A recurring character and a brief guest performance have different amounts of time to make an impression, a distinction worth keeping in mind when exploring the programs together.

The entry point

As Roger Sterling, Slattery earned four Emmy nominations for supporting actor in a drama, recorded by the Television Academy for 2008 through 2011. Roger's polished social manner and quick remarks are part of his position within Mad Men's advertising world. They need not be treated as the whole character, however. A rewatch can attend to the gap between an assured public performance and the relationships behind it, following what happens after a joke rather than stopping at the line that receives the laugh.

Screen identity and style

Slattery also directed episodes of Mad Men before making his feature-directing debut with God's Pocket. He adapted Pete Dexter's novel with Alex Metcalf, and the cast included Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks and John Turturro. AMC records the film's 2014 Sundance premiere and subsequent release. The project is an important distinction within his credits: Slattery's role was not simply another acting appearance, but responsibility for the film's direction and a share in shaping its screenplay.

Collaborations and patterns

His later directing work includes Maggie Moore(s), presented at the 2023 Tribeca Festival. The film follows a police investigation into the deaths of two women with the same name, with Jon Hamm and Tina Fey leading the cast. Tribeca identifies Paul Bernbaum as the screenwriter and Slattery as both director and a producer. The reunion with Hamm creates a professional connection to Mad Men without continuing its characters or setting. The film's crime, comedy and romantic elements also place that collaboration in a different dramatic arrangement.

Era reflection

Slattery's stage work includes Rabbit Hole, Betrayal, Laughter on the 23rd Floor and Three Days of Rain. His film acting credits include The Station Agent, Flags of Our Fathers, Charlie Wilson's War, Iron Man 2 and The Adjustment Bureau. These are useful points of comparison for viewers who know him primarily as Roger. A stage production, a compact independent film and a large studio ensemble distribute attention differently, allowing the same performer to occupy different positions in the audience's experience of a story.

Legacy and rediscovery

The gallery shows Slattery at a 2014 discussion with filmmaker Richard Ayoade and with Christina Hendricks and January Jones at the 2008 Peabody Awards. In the discussion photograph he is seated on the left; in the awards image he stands behind his colleagues. Both photographs document the public work surrounding his career, rather than scenes of Roger Sterling. A viewing route can pair Mad Men with one of his films as an actor and then one as director, keeping those distinct contributions visible.

Selected roles

• Mad Men: Roger Sterling — Television
• Desperate Housewives: Victor Lang — Television
• God's Pocket: Director and co-writer — 2014 film
• Maggie Moore(s): Director — 2023 film

A career in pictures

Separate film-discussion and television-awards photographs document Slattery with fellow performers and filmmakers.

Film discussion with Richard Ayoade (2014)

John Slattery, left

Photograph by punktoad.

With Mad Men colleagues at the Peabodys (2008)

John Slattery, standing, with Christina Hendricks and January Jones

Photograph credited to Peabody Awards.

Rewatch notes

• Slattery portrays Roger Sterling in Mad Men.
• He directed and co-wrote God's Pocket.
• He directed Maggie Moore(s).