Who Is Christina Hendricks? Wiki: TV Show, Net Worth, 'Mad Men' And Facts You Need To Know

Christina Hendricks is an accomplished actress, known for television and film roles, and her image off the screen as a bombshell. She is most recognized for playing secretary Joan Holloway on the AMC drama ‘Mad Men,’ for which she was nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards. Although she has been made into a sex symbol by the media, Hendricks has frequently been frustrated by people ignoring her acting talent and only talking about her body. Over the course of her career, she has built up an impressive resume and brought attention to the lack of so called ‘curvy’ women in the entertainment industry.

Hendricks was born in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1975 to her mother, Jackie and her father, Robert. Robert is from England, which means Hendricks has dual citizenship. He worked for the United States government, and Hendricks moved several times as a child. She described herself as an outcast in school. At 18, she submitted a photo to a contest to appear on the cover of ‘Seventeen’ magazine, and ended up landing a modelling contract. She continued modeling until she was 27, when she decided to take up acting. Her first role was in the MTV series ‘Undressed,’ on which she was in four episodes. In 2000, she landed a role on a series called ‘Beggars and Choosers,' where she was a regular on the show for one year of its two season run. In 2002, she had a four episode arc on ‘ER,’ which was followed up by a role in TV movie ‘The Big Time,’ which also starred Molly Ringwald and Christopher Lloyd. Later in 2002, Hendricks was a guest star on the sci-fi series ‘Firefly.’ She was nominated for a SyFy Genre Award for her appearance as Saffron, and she won. In 2004, she began starring on a new series called ‘Kevin Hill,' along with actor Taye Diggs, but the show only ran for one season. Hendricks then starred in two films, ‘La Cucina,’ an indie shown on Showtime, and ‘South of Pico,’ in 2007.

'Mad Men’ first aired in 2007 and the drama about an ad agency in the 1960’s became a huge hit. The show also made stars of many of its cast members including Jon Hamm as Don Draper, mysterious ad man who works at the agency Sterling Cooper. Hendricks stars as office manager Joan Harris (later Holloway). Her character highlights everything that a woman was supposed to be in the ‘60’s, and all of the issues that came along with that. Joan earns the respect of her male colleagues and goes through several transformations over the course of the show. ‘Mad Men’ ran for seven seasons, and ended in 2015. During her time on ‘Mad Men’ Hendricks acted in several other projects, became a star and was nominated for several awards. Her notable roles between 2007 and 2015 include a part in ‘Drive,’ a crime film starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan, ‘I Don’t Know How She Does It,’ a romantic comedy starring Sarah Jessica Parker, and ‘Dark Places,’ a thriller also starring Charlize Theron. Her rise to stardom was in part because women identified with her character on ‘Mad Men,’ and in part due to her rising status as a sex symbol. As Joan, she is highly desired by men in the Sterling Cooper office, and in real life it was much the same. The media praised her for having an hourglass figure, but Hendricks did not appreciate being labeled as full figured. She said that she looked and felt like a woman, and would rather be talked about for her hard work on television rather than her body. While the media concentrated on her figure, the critics took notice of her talent. Starting in 2010, she was nominated for an Emmy every year until 2015 for Outstanding Supporting Actress. The cast of ‘Mad Men’ was nominated for Best Ensemble at the SAG Awards four years in a row, from 2008 to 2011. They won twice, in 2008 and 2009. Hendricks also won two Critics Choice Awards for her work on ‘Mad Men,’ in 2011 and 2012.

After ‘Mad Men,’ Hendricks has had a variety of interesting roles both on the small screen and big screen. Her first project was ‘Hap and Leonard,’ a darkly comic television series with a noir feel. She played Trudy, Hap’s ex-wife who sends Hap and his friend Leonard on a mysterious treasure hunt. ‘Hap and Leonard’ has already run two seasons on the Sundance channel, and a third will premiere in 2018. She next starred in an experimental film ‘The Neon Demon.’ This was her second collaboration with ‘Drive’ director Nicolas Winding Refn. The film stars Elle Fanning as a young woman pursuing a modeling career. ‘The Neon Demon’ was divisive among critics, with some praising it for being unique and others not buying in to the concept. On the other side of the spectrum, Hendricks’ next role was in the comedy series ‘Another Period.’ The Comedy Central series created by Natasha Leggero and Riki Lindhome is a raunchy mockumentary about a wealthy family in early 20th century. Hendricks’ next film role was in ‘Fist Fight’ with Charlie Day and Ice Cube. ‘Fist Fight’ is another comedy, about a school teacher who accidentally gets another teacher fired, and is then challenged to a fist fight. The film did moderately well.

Hendricks starred in a number of smaller films throughout 2017 and 2018. She had a part in Agatha Christie adaptation ‘Crooked House,’ a role in a children’s Christmas movie, ‘Pottersville’ and she also starred in the horror movie ‘The Strangers: Prey at Night.’ She was also in the Amazon original series ‘Tin Star.’ Currently, Hendricks is starring in a new NBC drama called ‘Good Girls.’ The show premiered in February 2018. ‘Good Girls’ is about three suburban mothers who turn to crime when they find themselves in a desperate situation. Hendricks plays Beth, one of the mothers, alongside Rhetta and Mae Whitman.

Christina Hendricks’ net worth is approximately $8 million dollars. She married actor Geoffrey Arend in 2009, and the couple does not plan to have children.