Peggy Olson

Infobox character | colour = #7DC622
name = Peggy Olson


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portrayer = Elisabeth Moss
creator = Matthew Weiner
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gender = Female
first = Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
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age = 22
occupation = Secretary to Don Draper, Copy Writer (advertising)
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children = 'Illegitimate' baby boy resulting from affair with co-worker Pete Campbell
relatives = Anita Olson Respola (Sister), Katherine Olson (Mother)
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Peggy Olson is a prominent fictional character in the AMC's television series "Mad Men", and is portrayed by actress Elisabeth Moss. Initially, Peggy is secretary to Don Draper, creative director of the advertising agency Sterling Cooper (her first day at work is shown in the first episode of Mad Men, entitled Smoke Gets In Your Eyes). Later, she is promoted to copy writer, the first female writer at the firm since WWII.

Biography

Peggy Olson is presented as an innocent but determined young woman, eager to be a success in her job at Sterling Cooper after having graduated from a respected Secretarial School. She was brought up in Brooklyn, New York by a strict Roman Catholic family. In the first episode of Mad Men, Peggy's supervisor (office manager Joan Holloway) directs her in her duties as well as offering personal advice, which includes referring her to a gynaecologist to obtain contraception. Peggy begins taking 'the pill', but too soon has a sexual encounter with junior advertising executive Peter 'Pete' Campbell, and becomes pregnant. She carries the child to full term, completely unaware that she is pregnant. Complaining of a bad stomach ache, she visits the emergency room and goes into labour almost immediately. Her family work to cover up the incident by claiming she is in quarantine with tuberculosis, but Don Draper (her boss, creative director at Sterling Cooper) seeks her out at the hospital. He finds her, discovers the true details and encourages her to forget about the entire thing, giving her advice he is often heard giving, to 'move forward'. Her baby is put into the care of her sister and mother, as the state of New York has declared her an unfit mother. Although she attends church and visits her family regularly, her feelings towards both remain ambiguous to the viewers of Mad Men. Peggy's sharp mind and creativity are recognised by Fred 'Freddy' Rumsen, another executive at Sterling Cooper, and she is promoted to writing copy for advertising. She is ambitious and her approach is compared to that of Don Draper.

References

http://www.amctv.com