The Single Sexiest Photo of Each of the Sexiest Men Alive (original) (raw)
PEOPLE's 2023 Sexiest Man Alive will be announced soon, and while we continue to remember Chris Evans' sexy 2022 reign, we can't forget all the men who've gone before him.
From some of our early 1980s-era honorees (looking at you, Mark Harmon) to more recent favorites (Idris Elba! Paul Rudd! The Rock!) we've done the hard work of selecting the hottest photo ever of each Sexiest Man Alive title recipient.
Enjoy — and visit PEOPLE this Wednesday morning for all things sexy. You won't be disappointed!
1985: Mel Gibson
Dino De Laurentiis Company/Getty
Mel Gibson played a sailor in 1984's The Bounty.
1986: Mark Harmon
Barry King/WireImage
Real men rock chest hair. Case in point: Mark Harmon.
1987: Harry Hamlin
Globe
Something about this Harry Hamlin photo just says, "step into my office and let me solve all of your problems for you."
1988: John F. Kennedy Jr.
Getty
It takes a special man — a.k.a. John F. Kennedy Jr. — to look this hot in short shorts.
1989: Sean Connery
Everett
How about you show us your gadgets, Bond?
1990: Tom Cruise
Getty
Why exactly did Tom Cruise ever take off his Top Gun uniform?
1991: Patrick Swayze
Terry O'Neill/Getty
We'd practice our Dirty Dancing any time, anywhere for Mr. Patrick Swayze.
1992: Nick Nolte
Zuma
We'll just leave this Nick Nolte photo here.
1993 and 1999: Richard Gere
American Stock/Getty
A young Richard Gere is just the thing to cure the rainy day blues.
1995 and 2000: Brad Pitt
Ron Galella/WireImage
What we'd give to know what's going on in Brad Pitt's mind in this pic ...
1996: Denzel Washington
Everett
Shirts are so overrated, at least when Denzel Washington is involved.
1997 and 2006: George Clooney
Jun Sato/WireImage
We love Amal, but George Clooney will always be our imaginary husband.
1998: Harrison Ford
Paramount Pictures
Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones can wrangle us any time.
2001: Pierce Brosnan
Anthony Jones/UK Press/Getty
The name's Alive, Sexiest Man Alive.
2002: Ben Affleck
CORBIS
Astronaut Affleck might just be the best Ben Affleck.
2003 and 2009: Johnny Depp
20TH CENTURY FOX
So early '90s in the best way possible.
2004: Jude Law
Steve Granitz/WireImage
Those eyes and that suit on Jude Law? It should come with a warning label, we're just sayin'.
2005: Matthew McConaughey
Splash News Online
"All right" doesn't even begin to cover how this photo of Matthew McConaughey makes us feel.
2007: Matt Damon
Universal
Matt Damon will always be Jason Bourne in our hearts.
2008: Hugh Jackman
Carlos Costa/Pacific Coast News
Hugh Jackman has maybe gone to the gym, like, a couple times.
2010: Ryan Reynolds
Splash News Online
Ryan Reynolds cleans up nice, to say the least.
2011: Bradley Cooper
Twentieth Century Fox
Need to take a vacation? Short-term solution: Look at this photo of Bradley Cooper over and over again.
2012: Channing Tatum
Warner Bros.
One word for this Channing Tatum snap: magical.
2013: Adam Levine
Mark Seliger/NBC/Getty
This just in: There's something really, really sexy about a plain white tee when it's on Adam Levine.
2014: Chris Hemsworth
Splash News Online
Chris Hemsworth: god of thunder and of our hearts.
2015: David Beckham
UPI Photo /Landov
It's impossible to pick the sexiest photo ever of David Beckham because every photo of him is the sexiest photo ever of Becks.
2016: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson
Pacific Coast News
It's a tough choice between the workout selfies and cute dad pics, but this smiley Baywatch shot of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a winner.
2017: Blake Shelton
Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage
A guy like Blake Shelton + a guitar = the way to our hearts.
2018: Idris Elba
Idris Elba/Instagram
Can we just do a whole gallery on him? (Oh wait, we did!)
2019: John Legend
Source: Chrissy Teigen/Instagram
Sometimes wife Chrissy Teigen's propensity to overshare on social media pays off, as it did when she gave us a glimpse of John Legend's impressive rear view.
2020: Michael B. Jordan
Lori Harvey via Michael B Jordan/Instagram
What we wouldn't give to be on that yacht with Michael B. Jordan ...
2021: Paul Rudd
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
The eyes have it in this shot of Paul Rudd.
2023: Patrick Dempsey
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty
It was hard to choose just one shot of the reigning Sexiest Man Alive — do we go for a close-up on his famous blue eyes, or choose one of him in scrubs as McDreamy on Grey's Anatomy? — but in the end, this tuxedo'ed shot of the racecar aficionado posing in front of some hot wheels at the 2023 Venice Film Festival premiere of Ferrari proved irresistible.