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Christina Rene Hendricks (born May 3, 1975) is an American actress known for her role as Joan Holloway in the AMC cable television series Mad Men, and as Saffron in Fox's short-lived series Firefly. Hendricks was named "the sexiest woman in the world" in 2010 in a poll of female readers taken by Esquire magazine.

Hendricks was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and raised in Twin Falls, Idaho, from third through eighth grade. She holds dual British and American nationality, as her father is British. While in Twin Falls, she began her acting career with Junior Musical Playhouse Company, with roles in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Grease. In 1989, her family moved to Winchester, Virginia, where Hendricks appeared in several John Handley High School plays and local community theater.
Hendricks has made a number of guest television appearances, starting as 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 legal 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.
On October 11, 2009, Hendricks married actor Geoffrey Arend.In July 2010, Hendricks' hourglass figure was highlighted as a positive influence for women by UK Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone, who said "Christina Hendricks is absolutely fabulous...We need more of these role models. There is such a sensation when there is a curvy role model. It shouldn't be so unusual." Hendricks commented in September 2010 that the media is too focused on women's bodies and not their actual talents, "I was working my butt off on the show [Mad Men] and then all anyone was talking about was my body."