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Donald Francis "Don" Draper is a fictional character and the protagonist of AMC's television series Mad Men. Until the third season finale, Draper was Creative Director of Manhattan advertising firm Sterling Cooper. He became a founding partner at a new firm, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, after he and his superiors abandoned their old agency in advance of an unwanted acquisition. Draper's character is partially based on Draper Daniels, the creative head of the Leo Burnett advertising agency in Chicago in the 1950s who created the Marlboro Man campaign. Draper's physical appearance has been compared to that of Tyrone Power in the series. Harry Crane remarks in the third episode of the series, "Draper? The name "Don Draper" is an alias; Draper's birth mother was a prostitute, and his father Archibald Whitman was her client. Whitman was put under the command of Lt. Donald Draper, an engineer who was in charge of building a field hospital with only Whitman to assist him. When Lt. Draper tells Whitman that he has pissed himself, Whitman accidentally drops his lighter and ignites a pool of gasoline, which sets off a stockpile of explosives. Lt. Draper is killed in the explosion, his face burned beyond recognition. Upon seeing this, Whitman removes Lt. Draper's dogtags and switches them for his own to escape not only the Army and the war, but his past as well. Whitman (as Draper) awakens in the hospital, and is awarded the Purple Heart. He is then sent home with Lt. Draper's coffin (now believed to be Whitman's) to offer the Army's regrets to Whitman's survivors. Whitman makes his escape and begins his life as Don Draper. Life as "Don Draper" Draper was working as a used car salesman when he was tracked down by Anna Draper, the real Draper's widow. The two remained friends until Draper met and married Betty Hofstadt. Not many details have been provided as to how Don Draper became the creative director at Sterling Cooper. For some time, Draper was a used car salesman, and he wrote copy for a fur company. Roger Sterling claims that he "discovered" Draper in this job, and brought him to work at Sterling Cooper. Draper eventually became Creative Director, and then a junior partner, at Sterling Cooper. Among these is account executive Pete Campbell, who seems to view Draper as both a mentor and a hindrance to his advancement within the firm. When Campbell purposely takes a package addressed to Draper from his estranged brother Adam, Campbell discovers Drapers true identity, subsequently attempting to blackmail Draper with this information. However, when Campbell confronts Draper in his office with what he's discovered, Don walks directly to senior partner Bert Cooper's office, with Campbell following behind incredulously. Peggy Olson begins her career at Sterling Cooper as Draper's secretary, but with his support transitions into the role of copywriter. Peggy is one of few people in the office to refer to Draper by his first name on a regular basis. After being kicked out of the Draper family residence, Don moves into an apartment, apparently on his own. They form the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce agency, working out of a hotel suite. Personality In many respects, Draper is the stereotype of an American upper-middle class white man of Post-World War II America. It becomes clear during the second season that many of Draper's less admirable qualities (his infidelity, for example) are his way of dealing with internal conflicts. Draper appears to be one of the very few men at Sterling Cooper who does not engage in the sex-centered, locker-room style conversations that characterize its corporate culture. In fact, Draper keeps his extramarital affairs to himself and otherwise appears to be a decent and chivalrous man. In the first episode of the second season (For Those Who Think Young), Draper is in an elevator listening to two younger men having a crude sexual conversation. Draper is disgusted and, when an older woman enters the elevator and they continue their graphic conversation, Draper twice tells one of the men to remove his hat. The man ignores Draper, who proceeds to remove the man's hat himself, thereby ending the men's conversation and sparing the woman further embarrassment. During the episode "Six Month Leave," Draper admonishes several subordinates for mocking Freddy Rumsen's episode of urinary incontinence, a symptom of his alcoholism. In "My Old Kentucky Home" (Season 3, Episode 3), Draper attends a festive Kentucky Derby party hosted by Roger Sterling, where he watches as Sterling serenades his young wife in blackface minstrel makeup. Draper also adheres to a more strict code of business ethics than many of his colleagues. A second season arc has Draper upset about being told to drop the small local Mohawk Airlines client in favor of a chance at American Airlines. In the season three episode where Betty gives birth to their third child, he has a conversation with another man in the waiting room who says that he's going to be a better man for his wife and child. Draper and women Draper met his wife Betty Draper (ne Hofstadt) in her modeling days, surprising Betty by buying her the fur she wore on a photo shoot where he was in attendance; In Season 3, Betty gave birth to a second son named Eugene after her recently-deceased father, with whom Don shared a mutually antagonistic relationship Don cheats on Betty repeatedly throughout Seasons 1 and 2. In Season 1, Draper is involved with Midge, a pot-smoking beatnik and illustrator who works out of her small, dingy apartment. Despite bickering with her during initial business meetings, Draper begins an affair with her. In Season 2, Draper turns to an older woman, Bobbie Barrett. Draper and Bobbie continue their affair, taking a trip to the beach at "Stony Brook" on Long Island, but their plans are interrupted by a car accident followed by his arrest for drunken driving. Bobbie and Don continue their affair until Episode 6 ("Maidenform"), when Bobbie lets slip that Draper's previous mistresses have been talking about his sexual skills. Jimmy finishes the night by telling Draper off with Betty within earshot. Betty's father has another stroke (Episode 10, "The Inheritance"), necessitating a visit from Betty, and to keep up appearances, the two of them pretend to be a happily married couple while staying at her father's home. Draper realizes that this "sexual freedom" is excessive, even for him, and seeks out his confidant, Anna Draper (Episode 12, "The Mountain King.") Anna reassures Don, who tells her that he's "ruined everything," that his loving Betty doesn't mean he has to tell her everything. Draper and vehicles Don worked as a used-car salesman at the time Anna Draper found him, and on at least one occasion enjoyed the company of motorcyclists and hot rod enthusiasts while he was visiting Anna in Southern California. Sterling tells him that the Cadillac was a sign that Don had 'arrived.' Pop-Cultural References Don Draper is imitated by the character Abed in the show Community in Season 1, Episode 17, "Physical Education" while trying to learn to pick up women at the encouragement of his Spanish study group. The Don Draper character was also parodied in a skit on Saturday Night Live, in "Don Draper's Guide to Picking Up Women." Don Draper was announced Number 1 Most Influential Men of 2009 in AskMen.com References
Midge Daniels (ex-lover) Rachel Menken (ex-lover) Bobbie Barrett (ex-lover) Suzanne Farrell (ex-lover)
Sally Draper (daughter with Betty Draper) Bobby Draper (son with Betty Draper) Gene Draper (son with Betty Draper)
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