Jon Hamm finally wins first Emmy for 'Mad Men'

In the final episode of "Mad Men," Don Draper appears to have come up with the perfect ad for Coca-Cola.

On Sunday, actor Jon Hamm -- who has won raves for his portrayal of the seductive, mysterious Draper for eight years -- finally got his perfect ending when he won his first Emmy, for best actor in a drama.

"It's incredible and impossible for me personally to be standing here," Hamm said after receiving a standing ovation from the audience at the 67th Emmys.

He thanked his co-stars, the AMC cable network, and others before saying: "Thank you to everyone who watched the show."

Hamm, 44, toiled in near-obscurity for years in bit parts on television shows -- and as a waiter to make ends meet -- before his lucky strike with "Mad Men."

His work on the retro-cool hit show about the bed-hopping lives of a group of 1960s advertising men -- and a few women -- in New York has made him an international sex symbol.

With slicked-back dark hair, fitted suits and a deep voice, Hamm created an indelible character -- an anti-hero raised in a brothel who stole a man's identity during the Korean War, and remade himself as a Madison Avenue big shot.

This was his eighth nomination for the role.

"Hamm's interpretation of Don Draper was significant because his own unique look and style made Draper sympathetic and even likable, even though he was a despicable character," said Deborah Jaramillo, an assistant professor of television studies at Boston University.

"Draper was so deeply flawed, but Hamm gave him humanity."

New version of 'cool'

The actor with the piercing green eyes is in real life more relaxed -- and much more of a jokester -- than his alter ego.

He has had four other Emmy acting nominations, all for guest roles in a comedy -- three for appearances on "30 Rock," and one this year for Netflix's "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" starring Ellie Kemper, who was once his drama student at high school.

He also has made memorable guest appearances on "Saturday Night Live," and done voice work on animated comedy series like "Family Guy" and "The Simpsons."

But, like his alter ego, Hamm has experienced some darker times.

His parents separated when he was just two years old, and he lost his mother to cancer at age 10, followed by his father a decade later. He battled depression in his 20s after the death of his dad.

In a flash of life imitating art, Hamm -- who as Draper is not often without a drink in his hand -- completed a stint in rehab for alcohol abuse earlier this year.

And this month, he split with his partner of 18 years, Jennifer Westfeldt, who directed him in the 2011 film "Friends with Kids."

At the end of his acceptance speech on Sunday, he thanked "Jen" -- a possible nod to his long-time girlfriend.

On the big screen, Hamm made a memorable cameo in 2011 comedy smash "Bridesmaids" and lent his voice to this summer's animated hit "Minions."

He is soon set to feature with "Gone Girl" star Rosamund Pike in the upcoming "High-Wire Act."

But of all his roles, Don Draper is likely to remain Hamm's towering legacy.

"'Mad Men' as a whole made a sizable mark on pop culture, but Hamm's work especially created a new version of 'cool' in the figure of Don Draper," Jaramillo said.