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Salvatore "Sal" Romano
Salvatore
Portrayed by Bryan Batt
First appearance Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Final appearance Wee Small Hours
Details
Gender Male
Employer Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency (formerly)
Occupation Art director
Residence New York City, NY
Relations
Wife Kitty Romano


Biography[]

Salvatore "Sal" Romano worked for the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency advertising agency. ("Smoke Gets in Your Eyes") Sal was an Italian-American from Baltimore, MD and a closeted gay man. Lois Sadler had a crush on him and he also received advances from Elliot Lawrence, a salesman for Belle Jolie, and Lee Garner, Jr., owner of Lucky Strike cigarettes. Sal did not engage in any homosexual activity, however.

Sal married Kitty Romano, also from Baltimore, between seasons 1 and 2. It was implied that he had a crush on Ken Cosgrove. ("The Gold Violin")

On a business trip, Don Draper witnessed Sal in a compromising situation with a male bellhop, the first time Sal allowed himself to give into his sexual desires. To Sal's relief, Don did not mention or ask Sal about the incident. Instead, Don pitched the slogan "Limit Your Exposure" as both an idea for an advertisement and as advice for Sal's personal life. ("Out of Town") After the incident Don gave Sal's career a boost when he suggested that Sal should direct a commercial for Patio Cola. ("The Arrangements")

Sal's wife became frustrated by Sal's refusal to have sex with her, and began to suspect that he was gay after seeing his enthusiastic description of Ann-Margret's performance in Bye Bye, Birdie as part of his work for his new Patio Cola commercial.

He was eventually fired from Sterling Cooper when he brushed off Lee Garner, Jr.'s advances. Garner was angered and Roger Sterling and Don Draper fired Sal to keep the $25,000,000 Lucky Strike account with Don expressing anger that Sal refused to sleep with Garner. Sal is last seen at a truck stop, with the implication that he was there to meet a man for a sexual encounter. ("Wee Small Hours")

Gallery[]

Mad Men Characters
Draper's Past Don DraperAbigail WhitmanArchie WhitmanAdam WhitmanMack JohnsonLieutenant Don DraperAnna DraperPattyStephanie Horton
Draper and Hofstadt Family Betty HofstadtSally DraperBobby DraperGene DraperGloria MasseyEugene Hofstadt
New York Suburb CarlaGlen BishopHelen BishopFrancine HansonArnold WayneSuzanne FarrellEdna Keener
Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency Roger SterlingBertram CooperJoan HollowayHarry CraneFreddy RumsenSalvatore RomanoKen CosgrovePaul KinseyHerman PhillipsBurt PetersonGreta GuttmanHollisJimmy BarrettWarren McKennaDaleBobbie BarrettRoger Sterling, Sr.
Secretary Peggy OlsonJane SiegelAllisonHildyLois SadlerMarge
Client Rachel MenkenLee Garner, Jr.Elliot LawrenceConrad HiltonAnnabelle MathisCrab Colson
Campbell Family Pete CampbellTrudy VogelBud CampbellTom VogelJeannie VogelJudy CampbellAndrew Campbell
Olson Relation Anita Olson RespolaKatherine OlsonJohn GillGerry RespolaMark KearneyJoyce RamsayAbe Drexler
London Lane PryceAlec MartinSaint John PowellGuy MacKendrickHarold FordJohn HookerRebecca PryceRobert Pryce
Francis Family Henry FrancisEleanor FrancisPauline Francis
New York City Beth DawesHoward DawesMidge DanielsJennifer CraneJim HobartMargaret SterlingMona SterlingKitty RomanoWalter EmersonBethany Van NuysCynthia CosgroveGail HollowayGreg HarrisRuth HarrisKevin HarrisMorris Ginsberg
Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce Faye MillerStan RizzoMichael GinsbergJoey BairdDanny SiegelMargie KochBill Mitford
Secretary Ida BlankenshipDawn ChambersScarlettCarolineSandy Schmidt
Client Herb RennetBob FinleyThomas FillmoreAkira TakahashiHachi Saito
Calvet Family Megan CalvetEmile CalvetMarie Calvet
New York Sylvia RosenJuliaPhoebe
Cutler, Gleason, and Chaough Jim CutlerFrank GleasonTed ChaoughSmitty SmithKurt SmithNan Chaough
Affair CandaceJanineToni CharlesJoy
Character Lyle EvansDavey KelloggJim HobartPerry DemuthJack HammondRalph Stuben
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