Jessica Paré was born on December 5, 1980, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her father, Anthony Paré, was a professor of psychology at McGill University, and her mother, Louise Mercier, was a translator. She has three brothers.
Paré began her acting career with a small role in the 1999 television series “Bonanno: A Godfather’s Story.” She gained early recognition for her role as Mary in the 2000 film “Stardom,” directed by Denys Arcand. Her early film roles included appearances in “Lost and Delirious” (2001) and “Bollywood/Hollywood” (2002).
Paré is best known for her role as Megan Calvet Draper in the AMC television series “Mad Men,” which she joined in 2010 and remained a part of until the series concluded in 2015. Her performance garnered significant critical acclaim and contributed to her wider recognition. She received a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the ensemble cast of “Mad Men.”
Following “Mad Men,” Paré appeared in the CBS series “SEAL Team” (2017-2018) as Mandy Ellis. She has also starred in the Netflix series “Alias Grace” (2017), based on the novel by Margaret Atwood.