This is a list of fictional characters in the television series Mad Men, all of whom have appeared in multiple episodes.
Donald "Don" Draper (né Dick Whitman; Jon Hamm) born 1926, is the creative director at Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency; he eventually rises to become a partner. He later becomes a founding partner at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Draper is the series' protagonist, and more storylines focus on him than on other characters.
Margaret "Peggy" Olson (Elisabeth Moss), upon introduction, is the ostensibly naïve "new girl" at Sterling Cooper. She was originally Draper's secretary, but showed surprising talent and initiative, including a knack—similar to Draper's—for understanding the consumer's mind. Don promotes her to copywriter, and she eventually accepts a copy chief position with Ted Chaough's firm, CGC, only to find herself once again working for Don following a merger.
Peter "Pete" Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) is an ambitious young account executive whose father-in-law controls the advertising for Clearasil, a Sterling Cooper account. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he becomes more competitive with Don as the series progresses, and ultimately becomes a partner of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.
Elizabeth "Betty" Francis (née Hofstadt, formerly Draper; January Jones) is the ex-wife of Don Draper (who affectionately called her "Betts," or on occasion "Birdy") and mother of their three children, Sally, Bobby, and Gene. Her family home was in Elkins Park, Pa., and she graduated from Bryn Mawr College. She speaks fluent Italian. She is the archetypal dissatisfied 1960s housewife, who dutifully turned her back on her education and professional career (as a model) to become a homemaker. After obtaining a divorce from Don, she marries Henry Francis and moves to Rye in late 1965. Despite no longer being married to Don, Betty is shown to harbour feelings for him.
Joan P. Harris (née Holloway; Christina Hendricks) is first depicted as an office manager at Sterling Cooper, who acts as a professional and social mentor, as well as an occasional rival, to Peggy Olson, much as Don Draper is to Pete Campbell. Throughout the course of the series, Joan has a long-standing affair with Roger Sterling, which results in their conceiving a son. She ascribes the boy's fatherhood to her husband, a physician serving as a military officer in Vietnam, whom she later divorces. SCDP's partners (except Don, who disapproves) negotiate to reward her for engaging in a sexual tryst with a client by making her a partner.