Biography
Even at a young age, Kiernan Shipka displayed such an undeniable ease and charm in front of the camera that when she decided to become an actress, it only seemed a natural fit. After receiving her start as a print model, Shipka landed guest parts on popular shows like the action-comedy "Monk" (USA Network, 2002-09), the sketch comedy "MADtv" (Fox, 1995-2009), and the sci-fi drama "Heroes" (NBC, 2006-10). But it was her role on the provocative AMC drama series "Mad Men" (2007-15) that made Shipka a household name. As the oldest daughter of the series' lead character, Don Draper, Shipka's character often went through the wringer as a result of her parents' troubled marriage and her father's shady past. The role clearly gave Shipka the opportunity to display an emotional range that was well beyond her years, making Hollywood sit up and take notice of her rising star potential. Kiernan Shipka, whose name meant "son of a lord" in Irish, was born on Nov. 10, 1999 in Chicago, IL to John Young Shipka, a real estate developer, and Erin Ann Brennan. Shipka started her career at a young age; at five months old, she had a minor role on the long-running medical drama "ER" (NBC, 1994-2009), and she appeared in more than 200 print ads and two dozen commercials. Beginning in 2006, she took on guest starring roles on television shows like "Monk," MADtv," and the NBC series "Heroes," where she played a little girl who was rescued from a fire. In 2007, shortly after her family relocated to Los Angeles, Shipka landed a small role on the award-winning series "Mad Men," a stylized drama set in the 1960s that follows the lives of the fiercely competitive men and women who works at a prestigious Madison Avenue advertising agency. "Mad Men" centered on Don Draper (Jon Hamm), one of the firm's most talented ad executives-turned-partner who drinks hard, chain-smokes, and holds deeply-rooted secrets from both his family and colleagues. Shipka played Draper's daughter Sally, a sweet, young girl who, initially, mostly played with dresses and tried to become a grown-up by making cocktails for her parents during parties. Even though she was only six when she first landed the part, Shipka gave her character such emotional depth and authenticity that the show's producers upgraded her role to series regular during the start of season four. As the series progressed, her storyline expanded to include a death in the family, her parents' divorce, and constant pressure from her mother Betty Draper (January Jones), a model-turned-housewife who tries in vain to keep her family intact, in spite of knowing her husband's infidelities. As a result, Shipka's character went through a rebellious phase and public meltdowns that prompted her mother to put her in therapy. While her stint on "Mad Men" kept her busy, Shipka juggled other projects, including an appearance in the feature comedy "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" (2010) and a guest role on the series "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23" (ABC, 2012-13) as herself. Between seasons of "Mad Men," Shipka began her voice acting career with a starring role on animated series "The Legend of Korra" (Nickelodeon 2012-14), co-starred in a made-for-TV version of notorious thriller "Flowers in the Attic" (Lifetime 2014), and appeared in indie drama "Very Good Girls" (2013). The same year that "Mad Men" came to a close, Shipka starred in indie drama "One and Two" (2015) and teen comedy "Fan Girl (2015), and appeared in a key supporting role in psychological drama "The Blackcoat's Daughter" (2015). Following a supporting role as B.D. Hyman in Ryan Murphy's miniseries "Feud: Bette and Joan" (FX 2017), Shipka returned to series TV in the title role of "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" (Netflix 2018- ), part of the "Riverdale" universe of darker and more mature takes on the Archie Comics characters.
