Joan Holloway

Lore & Background

Joan Holloway was raised in Spokane, Washington, by her single mother, Gail Holloway, and attended college in Boston. She worked as a secretary before rising to office manager at Sterling Cooper, where she had a lengthy romantic involvement with Roger Sterling that ended after his heart attack. She was briefly married to a man named Scotty, which she called the 'worst six months of my life.' She also had an intimate relationship with copywriter Paul Kinsey, which she ended because he had 'a big mouth.' In season 2, she becomes engaged to Greg Harris, a resident physician, and marries him despite her mixed feelings. After Greg rapes her in Don Draper's office, she leaves her job but later returns to help launch Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. She gives birth to Kevin, letting Greg believe the child is his, and divorces Greg after learning he reenlisted in the Army voluntarily.

In Their Own Story

The afternoon sun filtered through the blinds, slicing across Joan's desk in warm stripes. She sat perfectly still, pen poised over a ledger while the phone rang incessantly nearby. Outside her office door, the murmur of pitches and arguments drifted through the hallway like distant thunder. She took a slow drag from her cigarette, exhaling smoke that curled toward the ceiling lights before vanishing into the air conditioning vents. For a moment, she was not just an employee, but the silent conductor of this chaotic symphony, ensuring every note played exactly as required.

Reader's Guide

Joan Holloway begins as the office manager at Sterling Cooper, responsible for managing secretarial, steno, and telephone operator pools, attending to executives, and organizing agency events. She implements Robert's Rules of Order during meetings and assists Don Draper and Lane Pryce with financial duties. She is the original supervisor of Peggy Olson, and though they do not get along at first, they become good friends over the course of the series. Joan's ultimate goal is to find a promising and devoted man to marry, becoming the strength supporting him behind the scenes. She marries Greg Harris, a resident physician, but the marriage is strained by his lack of professional skill and anger issues. After Greg rapes her, she leaves her job but later returns to help launch Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. She is promoted to director of agency operations at the end of season 4, though without a raise in pay. She gives birth to Kevin and divorces Greg after he reenlists in the Army voluntarily.

Did You Know?

• Joan was born on February 24, 1931, and raised in Spokane, Washington, by her single mother Gail Holloway.
• She attended college in Boston.
• Joan was briefly married to a man named Scotty, which she called the 'worst six months of my life.'
• She had a lengthy romantic involvement with Roger Sterling that started when she was his secretary and ended after his heart attack.
• Christina Hendricks received six consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance.

Career Trajectory and Professional Dynamics

Joan Holloway serves as the office manager at Sterling Cooper from season 1 through season 3, managing secretarial, steno, and telephone operator pools, attending to executives, and organizing agency events. She implements Robert's Rules of Order during meetings and assists Don Draper and Lane Pryce with financial duties. She is the original supervisor of Peggy Olson, and though they do not get along at first, they become good friends over the course of the series. In season 2, she is briefly given additional responsibilities reading television scripts to determine ad placement, but Media Director Harry Crane ultimately hires a young, unqualified man for the job. After leaving Sterling Cooper following her marriage, she returns to help launch Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce by finding accounting materials and client records. She takes the position of office manager at the new firm. At the end of season 4, she is promoted to director of agency operations in recognition of her role in keeping SCDP afloat, though without a raise in pay.

Romantic Ambitions and Personal Relationships

Joan's ultimate goal is to find a promising and devoted man to marry, becoming the strength and motivation supporting him behind the scenes. She has many playful affairs with powerful men but discounts them as marriage material. She had a lengthy romantic involvement with Roger Sterling, which started when she was his secretary and ended after his heart attack. She was briefly married to a man named Scotty, which she called the 'worst six months of my life.' She also had an intimate relationship with copywriter Paul Kinsey, which she ended because he had 'a big mouth.' In season 2, she becomes engaged to Greg Harris, a resident physician at St. Luke's Hospital. She marries him despite her mixed feelings, but he turns out to be a poor choice due to his delicate ego, anger issues, and lack of professional skill. Greg rapes her in Don Draper's office in season 2. After Greg reenlists in the Army voluntarily, Joan throws him out and he threatens to divorce her. She later has a brief one-night stand with Roger Sterling that leads to her pregnancy with Kevin, and she lets Greg believe the child is his.

Defining Moments of Trauma and Resilience

After Marilyn Monroe's death, Roger Sterling finds Joan lying on his couch crying, upset over the similarities she sees between the actress's life and her own. Roger comforts her by assuring her she will not end up alone and in despair like Monroe. In season 2, Greg Harris rapes Joan in Don Draper's office after becoming jealous of her connection to Roger. After marrying Greg, Joan leaves her job at Sterling Cooper but later finds herself working as a shop assistant at Bonwit Teller. She helps Greg prepare for a job interview, but he fails to get it, leading to a heated argument where she smashes a vase over his head. In season 5, Greg returns from Vietnam on furlough and informs Joan he is being ordered back for an additional year, but she learns he reenlisted voluntarily. She becomes enraged, throws him out, and tells him he has never been a good man, alluding to his rape. He threatens to divorce her, and she is later served with divorce papers.

Cultural Impact and Critical Recognition

Christina Hendricks has received six consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Joan Holloway. She has won two Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She has also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series twice along with the cast of Mad Men.