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Famed Mad Men star Jon Hamm has always *seemed* like a good dude, and luckily, he’s actually a good dude. With Hamm out promoting the new season of his AppleTV series Your Friends and Neighbors, a story about him mentoring James Gandolfini’s son Michael has been recirculating.
When legendary actor James Gandolfini died of a heart attack in 2013 at age 51, his son Michael — who has now become an actor in his own right — was just 14 years old. Without his father, Michael was in need of a guide in the acting business, so he turned to Jon Hamm after recalling that his father told him Hamm was a “good guy.”
Not only is Hamm clearly a classically decent man, but he also has a similar life experience to James Gandolfini, as they’ve each portrayed two of the most iconic TV characters of all time: Don Draper and Tony Soprano, respectively.
Jon Hamm began mentoring Michael Gandolfini after his James passed because he told Michael that Jon is a “good guy”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hamm revealed that Michael reached out to him following his father’s death — because James Gandolfini had told his son to do so.
“He said, ‘My dad told me that you were a good guy,'” Hamm recalled, noting he was emotional about it. “‘OK, let’s be friends.’ And he is. He’s my buddy.”
Apparently Jon Hamm became a mentor to Michael Gandolfini after James passed 🥲
(Via @people) pic.twitter.com/UvcAo5dOIf
— Sopranos World (@SopranosWorld) April 7, 2026
Both Hamm and Gandolfini have big projects releasing this Spring, with Hamm reprising his starring role in season two of Your Friends and Neighbors, and Gandolfini also starring in the second season of Daredevil: Born Again.
Season two of Your Friends and Neighbors is streaming on AppleTV, while Daredevil: Born Again can be found on Disney+. Both shows have been renewed for season three.