January Jones is a well-known American actress and model who has appeared in films and television shows. In her early career, she was cast in some of the most memorable films of the American film industry, including ‘Bandits,’ ‘Anger Management,’ and ‘American Wedding.’ She gained fame for her role as Betty Draper in the American TV show ‘Mad Men,’ and has appeared in some of the most memorable films of the American film industry, including ‘Bandits,’ ‘Anger Management,’ and ‘American Wedding.’ She was born and raised in South Dakota and began her career as a model in New York before going to Los Angeles and progressively gaining parts in television and film. She began her acting career in supporting roles and guest appearances before being cast in the lead role. January was also named one of the sexiest ladies in ‘Maxim,’ a men’s monthly magazine. She made the front covers of various European and Asian magazines after gaining international renown, including the British GQ magazine in 2009. She became a versatile actor over time, taking on more challenging roles. ‘Seeking Justice,’ ‘X-Men: First Class,’ and ‘The Last Man on Earth’ are among her recent ventures. Her performances have received critical acclaim and have earned her Golden Globe and Guild Screen Award nominations.
Childhood and Adolescence
Jones was born on January 5, 1978, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Karen and Marvin Jones. Her mother worked as a manager at a sporting goods business called ‘Scheels,’ while her father worked as a coach, gym instructor, and fitness trainer.
She and her two sisters, Jacey and Jina, grew up in Hecla, South Dakota. Her ancestors are Danish, English, German, Welch, and Czech.
Jones attended the same school as her siblings. During her summer vacation, she worked as a lifeguard and at the local ‘Dairy Queen.’
After returning to Sioux Falls, she graduated from ‘Roosevelt High School’ and decided to forego further education in order to pursue a modeling career.
The career of January Jones
She traveled to New York right after college to pursue a career in the fashion industry. Even though she wasn’t tall enough for the fashion world at 5 feet 6 inches, she signed quite a few jobs. Despite this, her sharp looks helped her land modeling jobs and TV ads.
She had no formal training in theatre and had never performed in a play, yet she seemed to have a natural knack for acting. She quickly rose to prominence as a commercial model for ‘Abercrombie’, ‘Fitch,’ and ‘Clearasil.’
She began working in Paris, the fashion industry’s epicenter, as her fame as a model grew. Her modeling career, on the other hand, didn’t satisfy her desire; it was clearly a means to a higher aim.
She relocated to Los Angeles in order to pursue a career in the entertainment business. She landed a few of TV show prototypes and a short cable television series, but her breakthrough came in the 1998 film ‘All the Rage,’ in which she played Janice Taylor, a supporting character.
Jane Cohen was cast in the pilot episode of Fox Network’s comedy series ‘Get Real’ in 1999. In 2011, she made a guest appearance in the mystery thriller ‘The Glass House,’ and also appeared in the supporting role of Claire or “Pink Boots” in the film ‘Bandits.’
In 2002, she starred alongside Eddie Kaye Thomas in Max Makowski’s mystery thriller ‘Taboo,’ in which she played Elizabeth. The film had its world premiere at the ‘Sundance Film Festival,’ where it got positive reviews.
She also appeared as a guest star in the 2002 film ‘Full Frontal,’ which was based on a few Hollywood personas. In the film, she played Tracy with Julia Roberts, Blair Underwood, Brad Pitt, and Catherine Keener.
She was cast in a supporting part in numerous films in 2003. She starred alongside Hugh Grant and Liam Neeson as Gina in the American thriller ‘Anger Management,’ Cadence Flaherty in the sex comedy ‘American Wedding,’ and Jeannie in the Christmas rom-com ‘Love Actually.’
In 2004, she was cast as Eve in the musical romantic drama ‘Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,’ in which she played a minor role. She starred in the television film ‘Love’s Enduring Promise,’ which earned positive reviews.
She played Marisa Wells in two episodes of the comedy series ‘Huff,’ and she also played Darla alongside Barry Pepper in the French-American film ‘Three Burials,’ or ‘The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.’
In 2006, she reprised her role as Darla in ‘Swedish Auto,’ and the following year, she was cast as Carole Dawson in the historical biographical film ‘We Are Marshall,’ which is based on the 1970 plane tragedy that killed 37 football players.
With the part of Betty Draper in AMC’s television series ‘Mad Men,’ she had tremendous success in 2007. Jones appeared in 67 episodes of the show, which lasted seven seasons and ended on May 17, 2015. She played Don Draper’s ex-wife and mother of three children.
She appeared as Kim Brody in the police-legal TV drama ‘Law & Order’ for the episode ‘Quit Claim’ in 2008 and 2009, and as Elenore in the British comedy film ‘The Boat That Rocked’ in 2009.
In 2011, she appeared in many films, including ‘Unknown’ as Elizabeth Harris and ‘X-Men: First Class’ as Emma Frost, a strong superhuman mutant. In the action-thriller ‘Seeking Justice,’ she also played Laura Gerard.
In 2013, she was cast as Sarah Ramirez in the film ‘Sweetwater,’ in which she played an ex-prostitute looking for a normal life with her husband. She co-starred in the film with Ed Harris, Stephen Root, and Jason Aldean. In 2014, she landed the major part of Molly Egan in Andrew Niccol’s film ‘Good Kill.’
The film received favorable reviews and was nominated for the ‘Golden Lion’ award at the ’71st Venice International Film Festival.’
Jones began filming for the post-apocalyptic Fox series ‘The Last Man on Earth’ in 2015, and the show is still airing after three seasons. In the comedic series, she portrays Melissa Chartres, a former real estate agent.
Major Projects of January Jones
‘Love’s Enduring Promise,’ her television film, earned mostly positive reviews. She portrays a schoolteacher and a voracious reader in the series. Her role in the film was widely appreciated, and the narrative unfolds as a love triangle. ‘Movie Guide’ named it the Most Inspiring TV Program.
Jones has garnered a lot of praise for her performance in ‘Mad Men.’ “A visually stunning adult drama of introspection,” according to the ‘San Francisco Chronicle.” The ‘American Film Institute’ named the show one of the top ten shows from 2007 to 2012 based on the performances.
Her portrayal of a superhuman in ‘X-Men: First Class’ was lauded in 2011, and the film scored a 7.4 out of 10 rating on ‘Rotten Tomatoes.’ It earned a total of 353.6 million dollars at the box office.
‘The Hollywood Reporter called her current role in the TV series ‘The Last Man on Earth’ “a genre-busting breakout that is imaginative and inspirational.” Her portrayal of Melissa, a complex character in the comedy series, has been praised.
Achievements & Awards
She won her first prize at the ‘Character and Morality in Entertainment Awards’ in 2005 for her role in the TV show ‘Love’s Enduring Promise.’
In 2009 and 2010, she won the ‘Screen Actors Guild Award’ in the category of ‘Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for her work in ‘Mad Men.’
She was also nominated for the ‘Golden Globe Awards in 2009 and 2010 for ‘Best Actress – Television Drama Series.’
She was named the twelfth most desirable lady in the ‘Hottest 100’ women by Maxim magazine in 2011, and the 29th most desirable woman in the ‘Ask Men’s Top 99 Most Desirable Women’ rankings by Ask Men.
Personal History and Legacy
From 2003 until 2006, January Jones dated pop star, Josh Groban. She stayed silent about her subsequent relationships after her breakup with Josh.
In 2010, she was found guilty of ramming numerous parked cars while attempting to outrun the paparazzi. The police considered the incident an accident because she was not under the influence of alcohol.
She gave birth to her son, Xander Dane Jones, on September 13, 2011, at the ‘St. John’s Medical Centre’ in California. Though she never told the public who Xander’s father is, sources have confirmed that he is the son of filmmaker Matthew Vaughn of ‘X-Men: First Class.’
She is a workaholic who took maternity leave when she was eight months pregnant while filming ‘Mad Men.’ She was back on the set of the show two months following her delivery.
Jones is an animal enthusiast who has served as a spokeswoman for ‘Oceana.’ The organization is dedicated to ensuring the safety of endangered sharks.
Estimated Net worth
January Jones is an actress from the United States with a net worth of $10 million.
Trivia
Her parents named her January after the character ‘January Wayne’ in the bestselling book ‘Once Is Not Enough.