Many roles has Slattery's star rising

On "Desperate Housewives," John Slattery plays a wily politician.

On "Mad Men," he's an advertising agency magnate.

"A friend said to me, 'You have a suit on all the time.' And I said, 'Yeah, well, nobody's offering me a part in a dress.' "

Maybe not. But whatever his costume, Slattery, 45, manifests a remarkable range. He has stayed busy for more than two decades in theater and in films, including "Mona Lisa Smile," "Traffic," "Flags of Our Fathers" and the forthcoming "Charlie Wilson's War." His past TV series have included "Homefront," "Feds," "Jack & Bobby" and "K Street," as well as recurring roles on "Judging Amy" and "Ed."

This isn't to say he's a household name, or that, even on the streets of Manhattan, where he lives, people typically recognize him as a star.

"They think I went to high school with them," Slattery says, "which is just about the perfect level of celebrity for me. Being on 'Desperate Housewives' has kind of bumped it up a little, and I'm not sure how much I like that."

On the hit ABC soap, Slattery resumes his role as the calculating Victor Lang, who, having caught Gabby (Eva Longoria) on the rebound, has less-than-romantic plans for his attractive bride. He figures she can fetch him the Latino vote in his impending run for governor.

On AMC's "Mad Men," Slattery plays Roger Sterling, the boss of a Manhattan ad agency in 1960. A gin-soaked product of that bygone era, Sterling is a charmer, a manipulator, a skirt-chaser, but also, intermittently, a family man who's apt to toss off a wistful crack like: "One minute you're drinking in a bar and they come and tell you your kid's been born. Next thing you know, they're heading off to college."

The pilot for the series (which premiered in July) was shot more than a year ago. Then, not long afterward, Slattery got asked to join "Housewives" for a story arc to begin in early 2007.

"I confess to not watching the show regularly before. But when I called friends, they were like, 'Are you crazy? You gotta do it!' And I'm glad I did!"

Slattery, juggling the "Mad Men" season finale (airing Oct. 18) with his affairs on Wisteria Lane, hastens to contrast the two gigs.

"On 'Desperate Housewives,' I'm sort of a hired hand," he notes, "and for a finite amount of time. That show was wildly successful before, and will continue to be after I'm gone."

With "Mad Men," though, Slattery is a charter member. Happily for him along with "Mad Men" devotees, AMC just announced the series' renewal for a second season.

The Sterling character is full of contradictions and deceptions. And that means welcome surprises for the man who plays him.

"Television can be a scary thing," he says. "You open the script week to week, and sometimes you go: 'Oh, no! Really?!'

"Good writing doesn't come along so much."