January Jones

January Jones

Active - 1999 - 2023  |   Born - Jan 5, 1978 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States  |   Genres - Drama, Romance, Adventure

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Biography by AllMovie

Actress January Jones made her screen debut with a small role in the teen-oriented suspense thriller The Glass House (2001). Subsequently, she played supporting roles in Bandits (2001), Full Frontal (2002), and the Jack Nicholson-Adam Sandler vehicle Anger Management (2003). She was also cast in American Wedding, the 2003 third installment in the American Pie series, as the sister of not-so-blushing bride Michelle (Alyson Hannigan). In her private life, Jones was romantically linked with two noted comic actors, Jim Carrey and Ashton Kutcher. She landed parts in the ensemble romantic comedy Love Actually, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, and the inspirational sports drama We Are Marshall.

She had a genuine breakthrough in 2007 when she landed the part of Betty Draper on AMC's highly-respected drama Mad Men. Playing the part of the spoiled, long-suffering wife of a philandering advertising exec earned her Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and Emmy nominations. In 2011 she landed a major role opposite Liam Neeson in Unknown.

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Factsheet

  • Named after January Wayne, a character in Jacqueline Susann's novel Once Is Not Enough.
  • Worked at a Dairy Queen while attending high school.
  • At 16, took on extra course work and graduated from high school early in order to embark on a modeling career.
  • Like ex-boyfriend Ashton Kutcher, she is a former Abercrombie & Fitch model.
  • Originally auditioned for Peggy Olson on Mad Men, a role that went to Elisabeth Moss, until series creator Matthew Weiner quickly wrote a bigger part for Betty Draper especially for her.
  • In 2009, became a spokesperson for Oceana, an international organization dedicated to protecting the world's oceans, and their campaign to save sharks.