With three of the year’s best scene stealers in Stan Rizzo, Bon Benson, and occasionally Ginsberg, Mad Men’s Jim Cutler still manages to steal quite a few scenes himself, as Sterling Cutler and Partners pervy, bizarro Roger Sterling. Harry Hamlin, who plays Jim Cutler, has been nothing short of outstanding this season, in what may be one of the juiciest roles in his 35 year career. The miracle of Hamlin, and his role in Mad Men, is that this is an actor that’s basically been written off four or five times in his life, reduced to unseen television movies and adult diaper commercials. But this man PERSEVERES. He’s kind of amazing, both for his ability to hit career highs and then fall to extreme lows almost immediately thereafter. But the man always comes back.
Harry Hamlin is a goddamn force of nature, and he needs to be appreciated. So, ahead of the penultimate episode of Mad Men’s sixth season, let’s a quick look back at the most memorable roles of Harry Hamlin, keeping in mind that for every one of these great roles, there were two or three Like Father, Like Santa or Laguna Heats on his CV.
As Perseus in Clash of the Titans
In 1982’s Making Love, the FIRST mainstream Hollywood drama to address the subjects of homosexuality (it bombed at the box office).
As Michael Kuzak for five years on L.A. Law
People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive in 1987.
As Aaron Echolls in Veronica Mars
In a season of Army Wives with, allegedly, Kim Delaney
As a gay, pedophile in Shameless
In 2012, he was in an adult diaper ad (Depends) with his wife, Lisa Rinna.
As Jim Cutler in Mad Men
Hamlin has also had four wives.
Ursala Andress, his Clash of the Titans co-star, who was 15 years older.
Laura Johnson, from Falcon Crest.
Nicollete Sheridan, from Knots Landing and later, Desperate Housewives (she is unrecognizable)
And his current wife, Lisa Rinna.
