1986: Mark Harmon Mark Harmon was the natural choice for PEOPLE's second annual winner. The star of '80s hits, like St. Elsewhere and Moonlighting, was at his peak and women couldn't stop swooning for the actor. Michael Ochs Archives - Getty Images
1987: Harry Hamlin Harry Hamlin rose the ranks in Hollywood by playing a handsome attorney on L.A. Law, which premiered on TV in 1986. The following year, much to his shock, Hamlin was dubbed PEOPLE's third "Sexiest Man Alive." Fairfax Media Archives - Getty Images
1988: John F. Kennedy Jr. Born into a political dynasty, John F. Kennedy Jr. was the closest thing to American royalty we had at the time and was considered one of the most eligible bachelors of the '80s. Brownie Harris - Getty Images
1989: Sean Connery With a host of young stars as former recipients, PEOPLE was eager to expand the title to include all types of sexy, so in 1989 they gave the honor to Connery. At the time, the iconic actor was almost 60 years old, but he proved that age was merely a number. Archive Photos - Getty Images
1990: Tom Cruise Thanks to roles in movies like Top Gun, Rain Man, and Risky Business, Tom Cruise proved he could handle any role in Hollywoodincluding the role of PEOPLE's "Sexiest Man Alive." Walter McBride - Getty Images
1991: Patrick Swayze Dirty Dancing put Patrick Swayze on the map, but his 1990 film Ghost made him Hollywood's crush of the decade and earned him the coveted POEPLE cover. Ron Galella, Ltd. - Getty Images
1992: Nick Nolte At the age of 51, and just after his Academy Award-nominated performance in The Prince of Tides, Nick Nolte landed a spot on PEOPLE's 1992 "Sexiest Man Alive" cover, with a coverline that described him as, "Strong, sensitive, and square-away at last, he's a man's man that women can't resist." Ron Galella - Getty Images
1993: Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford In 1993, Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere weren't just a celebrity couple. They were the celebrity couple. Apparently, PEOPLE thought so too, because the publication flipped the script and dubbed the pair the "Sexiest Couple Alive." KMazur - Getty Images
1994: Keanu Reeves Although Keanu Reeves didn't technically land the cover in 1994 (PEOPLE skipped the award that year), in 2015 the magazine's editor retroactively named the Speed star that year's "Sexiest Man Alive." David Keeler - Getty Images
1995: Brad Pitt By 1995, Brad Pitt had taken Hollywood by storm. His hit film Se7en had just been released, he was dating up-and-coming actress Gwyneth Paltrow, and he was named that year's "Sexiest Man Alive." Life was good. Time Life Pictures - Getty Images
1996: Denzel Washington On the heels of two hit films, Courage Under Fire and The Preacher's Wife, Denzel Washington was named the "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1996, making him the first non-white recipient of the title. Jeff Kravitz - Getty Images
1997: George Clooney In 1997, George Clooney was at the top of his game. He was a hotshot doctor on ER. and was pegged to play Batman in the new franchise flick, Batman & Robin. So it's not a surprise he caught the eye of those over at PEOPLE looking for their leading man. Kurt Krieger - Corbis - Getty Images
1998: Harrison Ford The Star Wars and Indiana Jones star wasn't new to Hollywood, but PEOPLE didn't care. At the age of 56, the actor was named the "Sexiest Man Alive." One person who wasn't surprised by this? His Working Girls costar, Melanie Griffith: "Everybody is goo-goo-eyed over Harrison. He's just so handsome and sweet and elegant and cool and macho," she told People in 1998. Ron Galella - Getty Images
1999: Richard Gere After Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford divorced in 1995, neither of them stopped being sexy. In 1999, on the heels of Gere's latest movie hitting theaters, Runaway Bride, the actor earned his first solo title. Getty Images - Getty Images
2000: Brad Pitt So nice, they named him "Sexiest Man" twice. Pitt was the first solo recipient of the title to be given it a second time. This was the same year that the actor married actress Jennifer Aniston. Kurt Krieger - Corbis - Getty Images
2001: Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brosnan had already shown us he could be cooler than cool as James Bond and being named PEOPLE's "Sexiest Man Alive" was just icing on the cake. Neil Munns - PA Images - Getty Images
2002: Ben Affleck Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's film, Gigli, may have been an epic flop, but it did bring the two rising stars together. The relationship significantly boosted Affleck's profile, which might be part of the reason he was that year's "Sexiest Man Alive." George Pimentel - Getty Images
2003: Johnny Depp Johnny Depp starred in Pirates of the Caribbean in 2003. The same year that he was sailing the high seas, Depp also snagged the "Sexiest Man Alive" title. Pascal Le Segretain - Getty Images
2004: Jude Law Matt Damon wanted to be him so badly in The Talented Mr. Ripley, that, well...you know. We have a feeling many men in Hollywood wanted to be Law in 2004 after he snagged PEOPLE's iconic title. Franco Origlia - Getty Images
2005: Matthew McConaughey Matthew McConaughey was definitely alright, alright, alright back in 2005. The actor, who had already proved himself as the king of rom-coms, was starting to take on more serious roles, like in Saharaoh, and he was PEOPLE's "Sexiest Man Alive." George Pimentel - Getty Images
2006: George Clooney George Clooney was named the "Sexiest Man Alive"AGAIN!in 2006, if for no other reason than to prove that he really does just get better with age. Steve Granitz - Getty Images
2007: Matt Damon Matt Damon hit his stride as the star of the Bourne action movies in the mid-2000s, which is also around the time when he was given the title of "Sexiest Man Alive." Vera Anderson - Getty Images
2008: Hugh Jackman An Australian accent, biceps, and an incredibly charming personality. How was Wolverine...we mean...Hugh Jackman not given the "Sexiest Man Alive" title until 2008? Andrew H. Walker - Getty Images
2009: Johnny Depp Despite being crowned the "Sexiest Man Alive" six years prior, Depp was given it again in 2009, right around the time that his film, Public Enemies, was about to be released. Vera Anderson - Getty Images
2010: Ryan Reynolds It turns out funny is sexy. At least, that's what everyone should take away from Ryan Reynolds becoming the "Sexiest Man Alive" in 2010. NBC - Getty Images
2011: Bradley Cooper A surefire way to get nominated for PEOPLE's coveted cover? Wear a scarf on a red carpet. Bradley Cooper knows that. Hence why (at least, according to our theory) he was put on the cover in 2011. Jemal Countess - Getty Images
2012: Channing Tatum In the era of Magic Mike madness, Channing Tatum secured the well-deserved title as PEOPLE's "Sexiest Man Alive." "Y'all are messing with me," Tatum said to the magazine when they told him. Turns out he's modest, too. Alberto E. Rodriguez - Getty Images
2013: Adam Levine Maroon 5 frontman, Adam Levine, had just begun dating Victoria's Secret model, Behati Prinsloo, when he was named 2013's "Sexiest Man Alive." Guess it sealed the deal, as the two are now married and have two children. Cindy Ord - Getty Images
2014: Chris Hemsworth Not only does he play the fiercely strong superhero, Thor, but Chris Hemsworth springs into action on the home front as well as a father of three children. In 2014, the actor took on another responsibility: PEOPLE's "Sexiest Man Alive" for the year. Jun Sato - Getty Images
2015: David Beckham David Beckham being named the "Sexiest Man Alive" was a long time coming. Since his days on the soccer field, Beckham has been turning heads. Chris Jackson - Getty Images
2016: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson The former WWE wrestler and one of the highest-grossing movie stars in the world was dominating the game in 2016. If that wasn't enough, his PEOPLE coverline said, "He's sweet, smart, and sculpted." CHRIS DELMAS - Getty Images
2017: Blake Shelton Blake Shelton became infinitely sexier after showing off his coaching chops on The Voice, and dating costar Gwen Stefani. Oh and he was named PEOPLE's "Sexiest Man Alive." That too. Erika Goldring - Getty Images
2018: Idris Elba Idris Elba, checks all of their boxes for the PEOPLE's exclusive list: good-looking, modest, humble, kind. He's also respectful to women, which the magazine's Editor in Chief, Jess Cagle, said was a must in an interview . Jeff Spicer - Getty Images
2019: John Legend He's an EGOT winner, Chrissy Teigen's husband, and now the "Sexiest Man Alive." The singer's wife seems equally pumped about this revelation: "My secret is out. I have fulfilled my dream of having boned @people's sexiest man alive!! An honor!!!!!" Teigen tweeted for the occasion. NBC - Getty Images
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