Video: Jon Hamm on TV Game Show Before Mad Men

By Gilbert Falso :: 4:45 PM

Before he was the chain-smoking, alcohol-swilling, dapperly-dressed advertising executive Don Draper on AMC’s hit show Mad Men, actor Jon Hamm was just like any other aspiring star in Los Angeles – trying desperately to get himself in front of a camera.

And, he succeeded. In 1996, at 25 years old, Hamm was a contestant on The Big Date game show.

The video, below, shows the young Hamm in action, describing how he would craft the perfect date with the girl, if she were to pick him. Judging from his responses, it would be a “fabulous” date.

It would take a few more years before Hamm finally had any decent luck with acting jobs, however. He landed a gig on NBC’s Providence in 2000. His feature film debut came later that year, in Space Cowboys.

Sadly, Hamm was not selected for the date in this episode of Big Date.