Aaron Staton
An actor whose nuanced portrayal of a mid-century ad man captured the quiet desperation and ambition of the American dream.
Born 1980 (age 46)·American actor·Birthday: August 10·Generation X
Biography
Aaron Staton built a career on understated precision, most famously as Ken Cosgrove, the accounts man and aspiring writer on AMC's 'Mad Men.' His performance, running the show's entire seven-season arc, gave depth to a character who could have been a mere foil, revealing the quiet yearning beneath the slicked-back hair and three-martini lunches. This talent for embodying complex interiority translated seamlessly to video games, where his motion-capture and voice performance as L.A. Noire's troubled detective Cole Phelps broke new ground for narrative in the medium. Beyond these defining roles, Staton has consistently worked in television and theater, choosing parts that favor subtlety over showiness, proving his range extends far from the Sterling Cooper offices.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Aaron was born in 1980, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Aaron Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Aaron's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Turned 30
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 40
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Portrayed Ken Cosgrove across all seven seasons of the critically adored series 'Mad Men.'
- Earned a BAFTA Games Award nomination for Best Performer for his role as Cole Phelps in 'L.A. Noire.'
- Starred as the lead in the short-lived but well-reviewed television series 'The Beautiful Life: TBL.'
- Has maintained a steady presence in network television with roles in series like 'Nashville' and 'Billions.'
Did You Know?
He is a trained stage actor and a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama.
Staton is an avid musician and plays the guitar.
He originally auditioned for the role of Pete Campbell on 'Mad Men,' which went to Vincent Kartheiser.
His performance in 'L.A. Noire' required extensive motion capture work, including facial expression capture.
“I'm not just an account man; I have stories to tell.”
