Christina Hendricks (born May 3, 1975) is an American actress best known for her starring role as Joan Holloway in the AMC cable television series Mad Men, and as Saffron in Fox's short-lived series Firefly.

Early years

Hendricks was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and raised in Twin Falls, Idaho from third through eighth grade. In 1989, her family moved to Fairfax, Virginia, where Hendricks appeared in several high school plays and local community theater. She got her start acting in Junior Musical Playhouse productions, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Career

As an actress, Hendricks has made her mark in a number of guest TV appearances. Her first television break came when she became a regular in the series Beggars and Choosers. Since then, she has starred in the series The Big Time and The Court, opposite Sally Field and Craig Bierko, as well as the law drama Kevin Hill. She has also had recurring roles in ER and Firefly and guest-starred in episodes of Angel, Miss Match, Tru Calling, Presidio Med, Without a Trace, and Las Vegas. Hendricks starred opposite Kip Pardue in South of Pico. She has appeared in four episodes of the NBC TV show Life in the recurring role of Olivia, detective Charlie Crews' soon-to-be stepmother and Ted Earley's love interest.