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Mona Sterling
Portrayed by Talia Balsam
First appearance Ladies Room
Details
Gender Female
Relations
Husband Bruce Pike
Ex-Husband Roger Sterling
Child(ren) Margaret Sterling (daughter)
Ellery Hargrove (grandson)
Other Relations Brooks Hargrove (son-in-law)
Nellie Sterling (ex mother-in-law, deceased)
Roger Sterling, Sr. (ex father-in-law, deceased)


Biography[]

Mona Sterling is the ex-wife of current Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce partner Roger Sterling. First Appearing in Season One's The Ladies' Room, it is revealed Mona grew up in wealth.

Marriage to Roger Sterling[]

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Mona and Joan Holloway, reaction to Roger's second heart attack, in episode The Indian Summer.

She was introduced to Roger Sterling by the late Mrs. Cooper, deceased wife of Sterling Cooper co-founder Bertram Cooper. During the marriage Mona concieved and gave birth to their only child Margaret Sterling. Even though Mona and Roger have been married a long time, it is revealed in Season one that he has been having a lengthy-extra-marital-affair with Joan Holloway. Whether Mona is aware of this conquest (or any of his other conquests) are unknown, as shown in the episode Babylon when Mona decides to bring Margaret into the office and Joan arranges for them to spend the day out getting haircuts. Throughout the First Season, Roger often complained about the marital problems between the couple, usually placing blame on Margaret, and her refusal to eat. Her devotion to Roger is shown during "The Long Weekend" where she remains at his side after he has suffered a heart attack (ironically brought about through sexual foreplay with another woman). Mona continues to care for him upon Roger's brief return to Sterling Cooper where he suffers a second heart attack, an event which puts her at odds with Bert Cooper.

Early in the Second Season, however, Mona recounts her wedding night with eloquent passion and reaffirms her love for Roger, placing his claims in doubt.

Always the wandering eyed phillanderer, Roger wraps up the show's Second Season by beginning an affair with Don Draper's new secretary Jane Siegel. During a moment of candid, alcohol fueled conversation, Don offers Roger life advice, which Roger interprets to mean he should leave his wife and find happiness. The following morning, an irate Mona confronts Don, believing he encouraged Roger to break up the marriage.

Although, even after Roger and Mona divorce they still remain friends, for Margaret's sake and can also get along quite well, even after Roger divorces Jane - he confides in Mona, and even asks her to use her business ties to get him a meeting with Ed Baxter the CEO of Corning.

Motherhood[]

Mona mothered only one child with Roger, it is seen in many episodes throughout Mad Men's run that Mona is a devoted mother. Even when things seemed tempestuous, what-with Jane trying to befriend Margaret, much to Margaret's dismay to the point where Margaret didn't want Jane at her wedding - Mona still enforced that she is Rogers wife. Roger also went as far as dedicating is speech to Mona at Margaret's wedding, calling her a lioness.

Trivia[]

Mad Men Characters
Don Draper's Past • Don Draper • Abigail Whitman • Archie Whitman • Adam Whitman • Mack Johnson • Lieutenant Don Draper • Anna Draper • Patty • Stephanie Horton •
Don Draper and Hofstadt Family • Betty Hofstadt • Sally Draper • Bobby Draper • Gene Draper • Gloria Massey • Eugene Hofstadt •
New York Suburb residents • Carla • Glen Bishop • Helen Bishop • Francine Hanson • Arnold Wayne • Suzanne Farrell • Edna Keener •
Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency employees • Roger Sterling • Bertram Cooper • Joan Holloway • Harry Crane • Freddy Rumsen • Salvatore Romano • Ken Cosgrove • Paul Kinsey • Herman Phillips • Burt Peterson • Greta Guttman • Hollis • Jimmy Barrett • Warren McKenna • Dale • Bobbie Barrett • Roger Sterling, Sr. •
Sterling Cooper secretaries • Peggy Olson • Jane Siegel • Allison • Hildy • Lois Sadler • Marge •
Sterling Cooper clients • Rachel Menken • Lee Garner, Jr. • Elliot Lawrence • Conrad Hilton • Annabelle Mathis • Crab Colson •
Campbell Family • Pete Campbell • Trudy Vogel • Bud Campbell • Tom Vogel • Jeannie Vogel • Judy Campbell • Andrew Campbell •
Olson Relations • Anita Olson Respola • Katherine Olson • John Gill • Gerry Respola • Mark Kearney • Joyce Ramsay • Abe Drexler •
London residents • Lane Pryce • Alec Martin • Saint John Powell • Guy MacKendrick • Harold Ford • John Hooker • Rebecca Pryce • Robert Pryce •
Francis Family • Henry Francis • Eleanor Francis • Pauline Francis •
New York City residents • Beth Dawes • Howard Dawes • Midge Daniels • Jennifer Crane • Jim Hobart • Margaret Sterling • Mona Sterling • Kitty Romano • Walter Emerson • Bethany Van Nuys • Cynthia Cosgrove • Gail Holloway • Greg Harris • Ruth Harris • Kevin Harris • Morris Ginsberg •
Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce employees • Faye Miller • Stan Rizzo • Michael Ginsberg • Joey Baird • Danny Siegel • Margie Koch • Bill Mitford •
Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce secretaries • Ida Blankenship • Dawn Chambers • Scarlett • Caroline • Sandy Schmidt •
Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce clients • Herb Rennet • Bob Finley • Thomas Fillmore • Akira Takahashi • Hachi Saito •
Calvet Family • Megan Calvet • Emile Calvet • Marie Calvet • Marie-France Calvet •
New York residents • Sylvia Rosen • Julia • Phoebe •
Cutler, Gleason, and Chaough employees • Jim Cutler • Frank Gleason • Ted Chaough • Smitty Smith • Kurt Smith • Nan Chaough •
Affair partners • Candace • Janine • Toni Charles • Joy •
Other characters • Lyle Evans • Davey Kellogg • Jim Hobart • Perry Demuth • Jack Hammond • Ralph Stuben •