About This Quiz
If we give you pictures of some of the hottest guys on the planet, can you tell one hottie from another? Â Do you know the difference between legends like Mel Gibson and Brad Pitt, or Harrison Ford and George Clooney? What about some of the newer stars to hit the scene -- like Jamie Dornan or Kit Harrington -- think you can recognize them from a single picture? Take our quiz to see if you can recognize some of these sexiest men alive!
Women know sexy when they see it, but what exactly contributes to this sex appeal? While it's different for everyone -- it depends on tastes, personal preference and experience -- the hottest guys have a few things in common; they've reached the highest points of their respective fields, they smolder on film and they have a unique style all their own.Â
Yet just like it has been well established that a certain waist-to-hip ratio is proven to increase a woman's sex appeal to men, scientists have found one piece of concrete evidence that evolution has a hand in making men sexy, but not in the way you think. A 2018 study published in Royal Society Open Science found that women rate men whose legs are roughly half the length of their body as sexier than those with longer or shorter legs -- who knew?
Whether it's the perfect proportions, luscious locks, deep blue eyes, bulging muscles or just a certain something, the men in this quiz rank high on the lists of the world's sexiest men. Take our quiz to see how many you can name!
Ryan Reynolds has been wowing women since his days as a teen soap star on the series "Hillside" in Canada. He starred in teen flicks like "Can't Hardly Wait" and "Van Wilder" before graduating to more grownup parts as the Green Lantern and Deadpool.
David Beckham easily ranks as one of the most popular soccer players of all time. The sexy British sports star has been married to former Spice Girl Victoria since 1999.
Matt Damon first rose to fame in 1997, when he and buddy Ben Affleck won an Oscar for Best Screenplay for "Good Will Hunting." In the years since, Damon has won even more fans with his roles in "Saving Private Ryan," "The Martian" and the Bourne series of films.
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Scottish star Sean Connery was the first James Bond, playing the sexy PI seven times between 1962 and 1983. In the years since, he was named People's Sexiest Man Alive, and took on starring roles in "The Untouchables" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen."
Channing Tatum wooed female fans with roles in "Coach Carter" and "Step Up," but it was his role as a male stripper in the "Magic Mike" films that really made him into a sex symbol for the ages. Since then, he's also found success in action flicks, including the G.I. Joe franchise.
George Clooney first won women's hearts on "The Facts of Life" back in the '80s. He played a hot doctor on "ER" before becoming a full-fledged movie star in films like "Ocean's Eleven" and "Argo." The confirmed bachelor finally tied the knot in 2014, and became a dad to twins in 2017.
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Mark Harmon was a football star at UCLA before becoming a male heartthrob as Dr. Robert Caldwell on "St. Elsewhere." He starred in a number of films, and got an Emmy nod for his role on "NCIS."
Chris Pine sure knew how to sport a space suit as Captain James Kirk in the 2009 "Star Trek" remake. He gained even more fans with his role as the Prince in the 2014 film, "Into the Woods."
Chris Hemsworth was an Aussie TV star in the early '00s before becoming one of the sexiest leading men in Hollywood. He starred in "The Cabin in the Woods" and "Snow White and the Huntsman," as well as playing Thor in numerous Marvel flicks.
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Ryan Gosling has been stealing hearts since his days on "The Mickey Mouse Club." He became a female favorite with his role on "The Notebook" and in 2016, and he won a Golden Globe for his role in "La La Land" opposite Emma Stone.
Tom Cruise had female eyes glued to the screen starting with the 1981 film, "Endless Love." He won more fans with "Risky Business," then with roles in "Top Gun," "Interview with the Vampire," and "Mission Impossible."
Denzel Washington has been one of the world's hottest actors since the '90s, playing the title role in the 1992 film, "Malcolm X." In 1996, he became the first non-white man to be named People's Sexiest Man Alive, and won an Oscar for his role in "Training Day" in 2001.
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Harrison Ford has played roles to appeal to all types of tastes. He was the scruffy Han Solo in "Star Wars," the adventurous Indy in the "Indiana Jones" franchise, and took a turn as an action hero in the Jack Ryan flicks. What's not to love?
In 1985, Mel Gibson was People Magazine's very first selection for Sexiest Man Alive. He gained fame as the title character in the "Mad Max" flicks, and found a wider audience as a cop in "Lethal Weapon." In more recent years, he has focused on producing and directing more refined films like "The Passion of the Christ" and "Hacksaw Ridge."
English actor Jude Law found fame with roles in "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Cold Mountain." In addition to that sexy British accent, he also has the honor of being a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters -- a distinction awarded to him by France in 2007.
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Brad Pitt had only a minor part as a hitchhiker in "Thelma and Louise," but it was enough to get women everywhere talking about his good looks. Just a few years later, he was a leading man, with roles in "Interview with the Vampire," "Fight Club" and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," where he connected with his future wife, Angelina Jolie.
Richard Gere became a sex symbol with his role in "American Gigolo" in 1980. Leading parts in "An Officer and a Gentleman" and "Pretty Woman" made him one of Hollywood's hottest leading men.
Johnny Depp became a teen idol in the '80s as Officer Tom Hanson on "21 Jump Street." Since then, he has played the swashbuckling Jack Sparrow, as well as quirky roles in "Edward Scissorhands" and "Alice in Wonderland."
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Matthew McConaughey found his breakout role in "Dazed and Confused" in 1993. He won an Oscar for "Dallas Buyers Club" in 2013, then took a turn as a gritty police officer in "True Detective."
Hugh Jackman showed his sweet side in "Kate and Leopold," and his rough and rugged side as Wolverine in the X-Men flicks. If that wasn't enough to woo you, he can also sing -- he picked up a best actor nomination at the Oscars for his role as Jean Valjean in the 2012 film version of "Les Mis."
Dwayne Johnson was a football star at the University of Miami before taking on the persona of The Rock in the wrestling ring. He transitioned into film with "The Scorpion King" and "The Fast and the Furious," taking his impressive physique and bulging muslces along with him.
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English actor Tom Hardy has played an incredible variety of roles, showing off his versatility and charm. He starred in the 2001 action flick, "Black Hawk Down," then played Bane in "The Dark Night Rises." He also found success on TV, starring in "Band of Brothers" and "Peaky Binders."
Idis Elba played a drug trafficker in the gritty TV series, "The Wire," then took on such varying roles as freedom fighter Nelson Mandela and Krall in the "Star Trek" universe. Showing his softer side, he voiced characters in animated films, including "Finding Dory" and "Zootopia."
Leo has been a teen idol since the days of "Growing Pains," but his starring roles in "Romeo and Juliet" and "Titanic" also helped him woo the women. More recently, he has chosen more serious films, starring in "Django Unchained" and "Blood Diamond."
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Jason Momoa was a hot Hawaiian model before transitioning into acting with "Stargate Atlantis." Since then, he has showed off his sexy, rugged style in "Conan the Barbarian" and as Aquaman in the Justice League universe.
Harry Styles was a wannabe singer when he showed up on "The X-Factor" in 2010. After joining forces with four other hopefuls, he became part of the mega-successful pop group, One Direction. He's since found success as a solo artist, and took on a role in the 2017 Christopher Nolan film, "Dunkirk."
Classically trained British actor Benedict Shakespeare has become a top Hollywood star in the '10s. He has played the title role in the "Sherlock Holmes" series since 2010, starred as Khan on "Star Trek," and played Doctor Strange in the Marvel universe.
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Drake became a teen ifol thanks to a turn on "Degrassi" in the '00s. He later forged a hugely successful rap career, winning the Grammy for Best Rap Album for his 2011 release, "Take Care," and another for Best Rap Song in 2016 with "Hotline Bling."
Chris Pratt wasn't exactly a heartthrob when he starred as Andy Dwyer on "Parks and Recreation," but as he found success in film, his sexy side was unleashed. His first turn as a leading man came in 2014 with "Guardians of the Galaxy." He followed it up with turns​ in "Jurassic World" and "The Avengers."
English actor Eddie Redmayne was modeling and winning Tony Awards for his work in the theater before hitting it big in Hollywood. He played the gorgeous Marius in the 2012 version of "Les Mis," and later became a superstar thanks to his role as Newt Scamander in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."
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Blake Sheldon has been a huge star in the country music world since his 2001 release, "Austin." His role on "The Voice," starting in 2011, introduced him to a wider audience, and he was chosen as People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 2017.
Irish actor Jamie Dornan was finding success in music and modeling before finding success on TV shows like "Once Upon a Time" and "The Fall." His role as Christian Grey in "50 Shades of Grey" attracted the attention of women all over the world.
British actor Henry Cavill has found super success as an action film star. He played the Man of Steel in the 2013 version of "Superman," as well as several other Marvel creations. He was also selected to star as CIA assassin August Walker in the 2018 action blockbuster, "Mission Impossible: Fallout."
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British actor Kit Harrington has been keeping fans tuning in to watch him play Jon Snow on "Game of Thrones" since 2011. He also has a softer side, voicing Eret in the "How to Train Your Dragon" flicks.
Zac Efron became a genuine teen idol playing Troy Bolton in the "High School Musical" franchise. He won older fans with turns in "Hairspray," "Baywatch," and "The Lucky One."
Bradley Cooper first found fans as Will Tippin in "Alias." He later took on comedic roles in "The Weddings Crashers" and "The Hangover," but still managed to show his romantic side in "Silver Linings Playbook" -- and his serious side as the producer and star of "American Sniper."
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Robert Pattinson managed to nab roles in two of the biggest teen movie franchises of the past 20 years. First, he played the doomed Cedric Diggory in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." Later, he won the starring role in the "Twilight" series, playing gorgeous vegetarian Edward Cullen from 2008 to 2012.
Michael Fassbender has played starring roles in virtually every genre, so no matter what your definition of sexy, he hsa met the standard at one stage or another. From his role as a Spartan warrior in "300," to a turn as a marine in "Inglorious Bastards," to playing the beloved Mr. Rochester in "Jane Eyre," Fassbender is both versatile and sexy.
Justin Timberlake has been driving women wild since his days on "The Mickey Mouse Club." As a member of 'NSYNC he sold millions of albums, and has since found even greater fame as an actor and solo artist. His 2002 album, "Justified," won him two Grammys.
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English actor Orlando Bloom made women swoon with his turn as the long-haired Legolas in "The Lord of the RIngs" trilogy. If that wasn't enough to win him female fans, his role as the swashbuckling Will Turner in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise helped him find a whole new circle of admirers.