John Slattery

Biography:

John Slattery was born in Boston to Joan (née Mulhern), a retired accountant, and John “Jack” Slattery, a leather goods dealer. One of six siblings, he grew up with dreams of becoming a professional baseball player. Of Irish heritage and raised Roman Catholic, he attended Saint Sebastian’s School in Newton, Massachusetts, before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Catholic University of America in 1984.

Beyond his acclaimed role on Mad Men, Slattery has built a wide-ranging television career. He played union organizer Al Kahn in Homefront, Walter Mondale in HBO’s From the Earth to the Moon, political strategist Tommy Flannigan in HBO’s K Street, and had guest roles on Will & Grace, Judging Amy, Sex and the City, Ed, and Jack & Bobby. From 2007 to 2009, he appeared on Desperate Housewives as Victor Lang, Eva Longoria’s on-screen husband. His film work includes Mona Lisa Smile, Rabbit Hole, Sleepers, Flags of Our Fathers, Charlie Wilson’s War, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, and The Adjustment Bureau. He has also narrated audiobook versions of works by Don DeLillo, Stephen King, and Ernest Hemingway.

Slattery made his directorial debut with God’s Pocket (2014), adapted from Pete Dexter’s novel, which premiered at Sundance and was later released by IFC Films. In 2015, he portrayed journalist Ben Bradlee Jr. in the Oscar-winning drama Spotlight, and appeared in Netflix’s Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, earning a Critics’ Choice nomination. In 2025, he starred as Burton C. Andrus, commandant of the prison holding Nazi war criminals during the Nuremberg Trials, in the film Nuremberg.

He has also become widely recognized for portraying Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in Iron Man 2 (2010), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). His additional film credits include Reservation Road (2007), Churchill (2017), Confess, Fletch (2022), and Nuremberg (2025). On television, Slattery has held lead roles in Homefront (1991–1993), Maggie (1998–1999), Jack & Bobby (2004–2005), and neXt (2020), along with recurring parts in 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Veep, Modern Love, Mrs. America, and The Good Fight.

Slattery married actress Talia Balsam in 1998, who also portrayed his on-screen wife Mona in Mad Men. The couple has one son and resides in SoHo, Manhattan.