Christina Hendricks (born May 3, 1975) is an American actress best known for her starring role as Joan Holloway in the AMC cable television series Mad Men, and as Saffron in Fox's short-lived series Firefly. As an actress, Hendricks has made her mark in a number of guest TV appearances. Her first television break came when she became a regular in the series Beggars and Choosers. Since then, she has starred in the series The Big Time and The Court, opposite Sally Field and Craig Bierko, as well as the law drama Kevin Hill. She has also had recurring roles in ER and Firefly and guest-starred in episodes of Angel, Miss Match, Tru Calling, Presidio Med, Without a Trace, and Las Vegas. Hendricks starred opposite Kip Pardue in South of Pico. La Cucina, an award-winning indie film, premiered on Showtime in December 2009 and stars Hendricks as a sexy writer opposite Joaquim de Almeida. She has appeared in four episodes of the NBC TV show Life in the recurring role of Olivia, detective Charlie Crews' soon-to-be stepmother and Ted Earley's love interest. Her best-known role is that of Joan Holloway on the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning AMC series Mad Men. The show centers on the macho, booze-soaked world of advertising in New York City in the early 1960s. Hendricks' character is the office manager of Sterling Cooper, providing mentoring to a group of women who must deal with the come-ons and callousness of professional advertising executives.

Trivia
Her character in the TV series "Firefly" (2002) never gave her real name. The three aliases the character used, Yolanda, Saffron, and Bridget, were contracted into the nickname "Yo-Saf-Bridge" in the episode "Trash".

Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, but raised in Twin Falls, Idaho since the age of three.

Although known as a redhead, Hendricks is a natural blonde having dyed her hair since she was 10 years old. : (

In 1989, her family moved to Fairfax, Virginia, where she appeared in several high school plays and local community theatre.

She was a teen model. She was in a Visa commercial with Pierce Brosnan.

Engaged to Geoffrey Arend (and sadly now married to him).