Roger Sterling
Encyclopedia
Roger Sterling, Jr., played by John Slattery
, is a fictional character
on the AMC
TV
series Mad Men
. He formerly worked for Sterling Cooper, an advertising agency his father co-founded in 1923, before he became a founding partner at the new firm of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce in late 1963.
, having served in the Pacific theater.
The "Sterling" in the firm's name refers to Roger's father rather than Roger, explaining why his name appears before that of Bertram Cooper. A picture in Cooper's office shows Roger as a child alongside Cooper as a young adult. In the same scene, Cooper refers to the picture and calls Roger "Peanut", indicating that Roger has known Cooper for most of his life. In Season 2, Bertram Cooper mentions that "the late Mrs. Cooper" introduced Sterling to his wife, Mona (played by Slattery's real-life spouse, Talia Balsam
), whom Sterling is in the process of divorcing in favor of Don's former secretary, the 20-year-old Jane Siegel. Bertram Cooper's sister, Alice Cooper, babysat Sterling when he was a child.
Sterling is a notorious womanizer and a heavy drinker (living like he was "on shore leave") until two heart attacks in the same year changed his perspective, at least for a while. His health scare does not affect his drinking or smoking
habits, which remain excessive. He retains considerable affection from both Sterling Cooper employees (with whom he has far more contact than Bert Cooper) and his family. By 1962, Sterling has returned to work and is seen to indulge in his old habits. Although numerous episodes in the third season imply that he is genuinely happy with Jane; for example, he turns down an old flame trying to rekindle their relationship.
Nevertheless, romantic tension continues between Roger and his former mistress, Joan Holloway
. The romantic tension between the two reaches its peak after they are mugged one evening. Overcome with emotion and excitement, Roger and Joan spend the night together, and this encounter leaves Joan pregnant. Though initially she and Roger acknowledge that they can't have the child, in the season finale Joan is seen talking to her husband, Greg, telling him she is pregnant with his child, when really it is Roger's.
John Slattery
John M. Slattery, Jr. is an American actor and director, best known for his role as Roger Sterling on AMC's series Mad Men. He has been nominated for many awards, and has won two SAG Awards with the Mad Men ensemble....
, is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the AMC
AMC (TV network)
AMC is a cable television specialty channel that primarily airs movies, along with a limited amount of original programming. The letters originally stood for American Movie Classics; however since 2002, the full name has been deemphasized as a result of a major shift in programming...
TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series Mad Men
Mad Men
Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
. He formerly worked for Sterling Cooper, an advertising agency his father co-founded in 1923, before he became a founding partner at the new firm of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce in late 1963.
Fictional history
Sterling is a US Navy veteran of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, having served in the Pacific theater.
The "Sterling" in the firm's name refers to Roger's father rather than Roger, explaining why his name appears before that of Bertram Cooper. A picture in Cooper's office shows Roger as a child alongside Cooper as a young adult. In the same scene, Cooper refers to the picture and calls Roger "Peanut", indicating that Roger has known Cooper for most of his life. In Season 2, Bertram Cooper mentions that "the late Mrs. Cooper" introduced Sterling to his wife, Mona (played by Slattery's real-life spouse, Talia Balsam
Talia Balsam
Talia Balsam is an American actress.-Early life:Balsam was born in New York City to actors Martin Balsam and Joyce Van Patten.-Career:...
), whom Sterling is in the process of divorcing in favor of Don's former secretary, the 20-year-old Jane Siegel. Bertram Cooper's sister, Alice Cooper, babysat Sterling when he was a child.
Sterling is a notorious womanizer and a heavy drinker (living like he was "on shore leave") until two heart attacks in the same year changed his perspective, at least for a while. His health scare does not affect his drinking or smoking
Smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance, most commonly tobacco or cannabis, is burned and the smoke is tasted or inhaled. This is primarily practised as a route of administration for recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them...
habits, which remain excessive. He retains considerable affection from both Sterling Cooper employees (with whom he has far more contact than Bert Cooper) and his family. By 1962, Sterling has returned to work and is seen to indulge in his old habits. Although numerous episodes in the third season imply that he is genuinely happy with Jane; for example, he turns down an old flame trying to rekindle their relationship.
Nevertheless, romantic tension continues between Roger and his former mistress, Joan Holloway
Joan Holloway
Joan P. Harris is a fictional character on AMC's television series Mad Men. She is portrayed by Christina Hendricks.-Fictional character biography:Joan was born on February 24, 1931....
. The romantic tension between the two reaches its peak after they are mugged one evening. Overcome with emotion and excitement, Roger and Joan spend the night together, and this encounter leaves Joan pregnant. Though initially she and Roger acknowledge that they can't have the child, in the season finale Joan is seen talking to her husband, Greg, telling him she is pregnant with his child, when really it is Roger's.