Jon Hamm, an award winning actor best known for the period drama, “Mad Men”, is set to be the 2024 SLU commencement speaker. He will be speaking to the graduating class this May.
Hamm is a St. Louis native who lived in the suburbs of Creve Coeur attending John Burroughs, a private school in Ladue, Missouri. Throughout the years, Hamm has stayed connected to his hometown, teaching eighth-grade acting at Burroughs before going on to pursue acting full time.
Students are excited for Hamm’s speech next month. SLU freshman, Viveka Bhagia, said she was pleasantly surprised to hear about the announcement.
“It’s definitely different from the commencement speakers we’ve had in the past here”, Bhagia said.
Previous SLU graduation speakers have included medical professionals and acclaimed authors, making Hamm’s announcement an interesting shift. Washington University is similarly having well-known actor Jennifer Coolidge deliver the commencement speech this May.
Even graduating seniors who aren’t necessarily fans of the esteemed actor are excited to see him next month.
“I think it’s cool we get people to come in and talk for SLU students” said Samanvita Kasthuri.
The University of Missouri alumni gained critical and commercial acclaim for starring in the show “Mad Men” from 2007-2015, where he won two Golden Globes and an Emmy award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series.
Outside of his dramatic roles, Hamm has an expansive career in comedy, with one of his first roles being in the NBC comedy “30 Rock” from 2009-2012. He also appeared in films such as “Bridesmaids” (2011) and “Tag” (2018). More recently, he starred in the award winning anthology series “Fargo” and the hit musical remake “Mean Girls”.
Along with delivering the commencement speech, Jon Hamm will be receiving an honorary degree from the University along with three alumni: Fr. P. Marie Joseph Christie S.J., Susan E. Klepper, Ph.D., and William M. Klepper, Ph.D. The commencement ceremony will be taking place in Chaifetz Arena on May 18 at 9 a.m.. The event will also be available to stream on slu.edu.
