# Christina Hendricks
**Christina Hendricks** ([Twin Falls, Idaho](https://www.edgepedia.org/twin-falls-idaho)) is an American actress best known for playing office manager Joan Holloway Harris on the AMC drama *Mad Men*, a role that earned her six Primetime Emmy nominations and made her one of the most recognized television performers of the 2010s.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/christina-hendricks) • [2](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2026/0523/1574893-harris-hendricks-begin-filming-new-bbc-legal-drama/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | May 3, Twin Falls, Idaho; one source gives the year 1975 and Knoxville, Tennessee as the birthplace[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/christina-hendricks) • [3](https://elpais.com/cultura/2016/05/19/television/1463663227_779726.html) |
| Breakthrough role | Joan Holloway (later Joan Harris) on *Mad Men*, 2007–2015[4](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/jun/02/christina-hendricks-we-were-critically-acclaimed-and-everyone-wanted-to-ask-me-about-my-bra) |
| Emmy record | Six nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2010–2015), no wins[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/christina-hendricks) |
| Other awards | Two Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series; a SyFy Genre Award for her *Firefly* guest role[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/christina-hendricks) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0376716/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Lead role | Beth Boland on NBC's *Good Girls* (2018–2021), canceled after four seasons[6](https://time.com/5163688/good-girls-nbc-review/) • [7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/christina-hendricks/) |
| Current work | Plays global pop star Davina Knight in *Reputation*, a six-part BBC legal drama from writer Anya Reiss, filming from May 2026[8](https://banijayuk.com/naomie-harris-and-christina-hendricks-to-lead-the-cast-in-new-bbc-legal-drama-reputation/) |
| Personal life | Married cameraman George Bianchini on 20 April 2024, after separating from her first husband, the actor Geoffrey Arend[9](https://as.com/tikitakas/famosos/la-nueva-vida-de-christina-hendricks-joan-holloway-en-mad-men-modelo-y-casada-con-un-operador-de-camara-n/) |
## Early life and modeling career
Hendricks grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho, where she took part in a children's theater group. When she was 13, her parents moved the family to [Fairfax, Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/fairfax-virginia), for her father Robert's job with the [United States Forest Service](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-forest-service), and she has described the move and her years at Fairfax High School as unhappy ones; her parents later divorced. Her mother, Jackie, entered her photograph in a competition to appear on the cover of *Seventeen* magazine; she did not win but reached the final ten.[10](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/aug/03/christina-hendricks-joan-mad-men-gods-pocket-interview)
**Modeling before acting.** At 18 she signed with an agency and moved to New York, working in television and magazine advertising and living for a year in London in a flat just off Holloway Road. Her father was born in Birmingham, England, and she holds dual nationality. She worked as a model from 18 until 27, then moved to Los Angeles, took acting classes for almost a year and a half while putting auditions on hold, and then began auditioning for acting work.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2011/sep/16/christina-hendricks-drive-mad-men) • [10](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/aug/03/christina-hendricks-joan-mad-men-gods-pocket-interview) • [4](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/jun/02/christina-hendricks-we-were-critically-acclaimed-and-everyone-wanted-to-ask-me-about-my-bra)
Her early television work included appearances on *ER*, *Without a Trace*, *Cold Case*, and *The Court*, plus a recurring role as the con artist Saffron in [Joss Whedon](https://www.edgepedia.org/joss-whedon)'s short-lived space western *Firefly*, for which she later won a SyFy Genre Award for Best Special Guest/[Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television).[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/christina-hendricks) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0376716/?showAllCredits=true)
## Mad Men and Joan Holloway
In 2007 Hendricks began playing Joan Holloway, the office manager of the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency in AMC's 1960s-set drama *Mad Men*. Over the show's run Joan rises to become a partner of the retooled agency, and by the seventh season, in Hendricks's account, she was almost the central part.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/jun/02/christina-hendricks-we-were-critically-acclaimed-and-everyone-wanted-to-ask-me-about-my-bra) • [12](https://www.participations.org/13-02-04-holladay.pdf) The series ran for seven seasons and wrapped in 2015.[13](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/christina-hendricks-people-think-i-m-joan-they-think-i-m-sexy-and-sophisticated-and-really-cool-1.1890142)
The part almost did not happen. Her manager wanted her to take it, but her talent agency refused, arguing that a period piece on a network with no other big shows would not make money, and it dropped her as a client. She accepted the role anyway.[10](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/aug/03/christina-hendricks-joan-mad-men-gods-pocket-interview)
The role brought sustained award recognition. Hendricks was nominated six times for the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, all for Joan, and never won.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/christina-hendricks) She also won two Critics' Choice Television Awards in the same supporting-actress category.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/christina-hendricks) In 2010 a poll of female readers for *Esquire* named her "the sexiest woman in the world", part of a wave of press attention she later said took three or four seasons to arrive, because the show's early focus was on its male characters.[10](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/aug/03/christina-hendricks-joan-mad-men-gods-pocket-interview) • [4](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/jun/02/christina-hendricks-we-were-critically-acclaimed-and-everyone-wanted-to-ask-me-about-my-bra)
## Later television
**Good Girls.** From 2018 to 2021 Hendricks starred as Beth Boland, one of three suburban mothers who turn to crime, in NBC's comedy-drama *Good Girls*, alongside Retta and [Mae Whitman](https://www.edgepedia.org/mae-whitman). The series ran four seasons before NBC canceled it in June 2021.[6](https://time.com/5163688/good-girls-nbc-review/) • [7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/christina-hendricks/) Critics praised the chemistry among the three leads and the show's twist on the familiar male antihero crime story.[14](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/good_girls/s01)
**Other series work.** She played Mrs. Patricia St. George in *The Buccaneers*, Apple TV+'s drama inspired by [Edith Wharton](https://www.edgepedia.org/edith-wharton)'s unfinished final novel, from 2023 through 2025.[15](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0376716/) In 2024 she appeared in season three of the HBO comedy *Hacks* as a conservative cable executive with an unusual inclination.[16](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/05/hacks-season-3-review-late-night-comedy/678266/) In 2025 she starred as a Hollywood television executive returning to Ireland in [Chris O'Dowd](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-odowd)'s Sky Atlantic comedy *Small Town, Big Story*; a *Guardian* review described her performance as "terrifying" in the comic register.[17](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/feb/12/christina-hendricks-mad-men-stardom-small-town-big-story) • [18](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/christina-hendricks)
**Reputation.** In May 2026, filming commenced on *Reputation*, a six-part legal drama for [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one) and [BBC iPlayer](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-iplayer) written by Anya Reiss and produced by The Forge, a Banijay UK company. Hendricks plays Davina Knight, a global pop star at the center of a libel battle with her ex-husband Billy ([Kyle Soller](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyle-soller)) after her song accuses him of abusive behavior, with Academy Award nominee Naomie Harris as her lawyer Lena. The series is distributed internationally by Banijay Rights.[8](https://banijayuk.com/naomie-harris-and-christina-hendricks-to-lead-the-cast-in-new-bbc-legal-drama-reputation/)
## Film, voice work, and stage
Her film credits include the neo-noir *Drive* (2011), Sally Potter's *Ginger & Rosa*, the independent drama *Struck by Lightning*, and *God's Pocket* (2014), directed by her *Mad Men* co-star [John Slattery](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-slattery), in which she appeared with [Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://www.edgepedia.org/philip-seymour-hoffman) in one of his final performances.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/christina-hendricks) • [10](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/aug/03/christina-hendricks-joan-mad-men-gods-pocket-interview) • [13](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/christina-hendricks-people-think-i-m-joan-they-think-i-m-sexy-and-sophisticated-and-really-cool-1.1890142) She voiced a character in the animated feature *Toy Story 4* (2019).[15](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0376716/) • [9](https://as.com/tikitakas/famosos/la-nueva-vida-de-christina-hendricks-joan-holloway-en-mad-men-modelo-y-casada-con-un-operador-de-camara-n/) On stage, she performed in [Stephen Sondheim](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-sondheim)'s *Company* for the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center in 2012, to favorable reviews.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/christina-hendricks)
## Public image and other work
Hendricks has been described as a rare mid-career television star whose fame rested substantially on a single character; she has said people assume she is Joan. In 2025 she launched a 12-dress collection with the British clothing brand Joanie, priced at £129 each and available in UK sizes 8 to 26, drawing on the vintage-inspired styling associated with her public image.[13](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/christina-hendricks-people-think-i-m-joan-they-think-i-m-sexy-and-sophisticated-and-really-cool-1.1890142) • [19](https://www.womanandhome.com/fashion/fashion-news/christina-hendricks-joanie-dress-collection/)
## Personal life
Hendricks married the actor [Geoffrey Arend](https://www.edgepedia.org/geoffrey-arend); the marriage ended, and she began a relationship with cameraman George Bianchini in 2021. They married on 20 April 2024, and their wedding was reported by entertainment media the same week.[9](https://as.com/tikitakas/famosos/la-nueva-vida-de-christina-hendricks-joan-holloway-en-mad-men-modelo-y-casada-con-un-operador-de-camara-n/) • [2](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2026/0523/1574893-harris-hendricks-begin-filming-new-bbc-legal-drama/)
## References
1. [Christina Hendricks | Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/christina-hendricks)
2. [Harris, Hendricks begin filming new BBC legal drama, RTÉ](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2026/0523/1574893-harris-hendricks-begin-filming-new-bbc-legal-drama/)
3. [Christina Hendricks: 'Nunca me había imaginado como una sex symbol', El País](https://elpais.com/cultura/2016/05/19/television/1463663227_779726.html)
4. [Christina Hendricks: 'We were critically acclaimed – and everyone wanted to ask me about my bra', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/jun/02/christina-hendricks-we-were-critically-acclaimed-and-everyone-wanted-to-ask-me-about-my-bra)
5. [Christina Hendricks, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0376716/?showAllCredits=true)
6. [Good Girls Is the Perfect Show for This Moment, Time](https://time.com/5163688/good-girls-nbc-review/)
7. [Christina Hendricks – Actress, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/christina-hendricks/)
8. [Naomie Harris and Christina Hendricks to lead the cast in new BBC legal drama Reputation, Banijay UK](https://banijayuk.com/naomie-harris-and-christina-hendricks-to-lead-the-cast-in-new-bbc-legal-drama-reputation/)
9. [La nueva vida de Christina Hendricks, AS Tikitakas](https://as.com/tikitakas/famosos/la-nueva-vida-de-christina-hendricks-joan-holloway-en-mad-men-modelo-y-casada-con-un-operador-de-camara-n/)
10. [Christina Hendricks: 'My agency dropped me when I first agreed to play Joan in Mad Men', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/aug/03/christina-hendricks-joan-mad-men-gods-pocket-interview)
11. [Mad Men and me: Christina Hendricks interview, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2011/sep/16/christina-hendricks-drive-mad-men)
12. [Participations journal, Mad Men feminist viewership study](https://www.participations.org/13-02-04-holladay.pdf)
13. [Christina Hendricks: 'People think I'm Joan', The Irish Times](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/christina-hendricks-people-think-i-m-joan-they-think-i-m-sexy-and-sophisticated-and-really-cool-1.1890142)
14. [Good Girls: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/good_girls/s01)
15. [Christina Hendricks, IMDb filmography](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0376716/)
16. [Hacks Goes for the Jugular, The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/05/hacks-season-3-review-late-night-comedy/678266/)
17. ['No one tells you how to not fall on your face': Christina Hendricks on Mad Men, stardom and her 'spidey sense', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/feb/12/christina-hendricks-mad-men-stardom-small-town-big-story)
18. [Christina Hendricks | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/christina-hendricks)
19. [Christina Hendricks' new collection for Joanie, Woman & Home](https://www.womanandhome.com/fashion/fashion-news/christina-hendricks-joanie-dress-collection/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames He to Hs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license