Jon Hamm had doubts about his career

Actor Jon Hamm says he used to question himself about whether he could realise his acting ambitions.

The 43-year-old, who is famous for playing the role of Don Draper on "Mad Men", says the death of his mother when he was just 10 and the passing of his father a decade later, caused him to question whether he could ever realise his acting ambitions.

"It just changed everything. It was just a profound sense of being alone. And that lasted a while. I was in college and I had to start over again. I was at a crossroads. It really could have gone the other way," contactmusic.com quoted Hamm as saying.

He suffered rejection repeatedly before he finally struck the big time with "Mad Men". But he says he was always advised he wouldn't find success until later in life.

"Flick through the TV guide in the 1990s - I auditioned for every one of those shows. It wasn't just my looks. My energy wasn't right. I had to grow into being hireable. People said to me, just wait until you're 40. I was like, '40?'"