Handsomest Film Actor Ever

Paul Newman

Gary Cooper

Gregory Peck

Paul Newman, for sure.

Erroll Flynn in his earlier days.

It’s good that you include diversity with your Idris Elba choice, but there are at least 10 non-white actors that are more handsome than he is (not to say that he’s not sexy).

Franco Nero

Warren Beatty for me.

For younger generations, I am going to add Jude Law in the Talented Mr. Ripley era and Matthew McConaughey during his early years. These were absolutely stunning men. A rare combo of beauty, but also ruggedly masculine.

Wow, Robert Taylor's agent is still active?

Sean Connery

Antonio Banderas

George Maharis

Rudolph Valentino

When Banderas was young, as in El Ley del Deseo, there was no one better looking, white, hispanic, or otherwise.

Tab Hunter

All of these people but no Rock Hudson or Paul Newman?

Where are the Asian actors?

John Gavin

sessue hayakawa

Alain Delon - head and shoulders above the rest

^He WAS great looking, but slovenly and depraved, you could just tell. He was creepy.

^Same thing for James Dean, his affect was pretty off-putting. He thought he was very cute.

Delon is a bigot.

Ryan Phillpe

For a rabbit, I always thought Bugs Bunny was pretty fucking sexy.

Errol Flynn may very well have been the most handsome man in the history of Hollywood. And he did it all!!

Robert Redford

Grant Williams

R27 Hard to beat!

Guy Madison

Phillips Holmes

John Payne

Voted for Monty but Newman and Redford are a good #2 and #3.

My top three = Tyrone Power, Cary Grant, and Marlon Brando.

The old guys look better than the new guys.

Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Sessue Hayakawa in silent films.

Stephen Boyd. Handsome as hell but died when he was only 45.

Macauley Culkin

Jeffrey Hunter was stunning.

Robert Redford.

Kerwin Mathews

Rock Hudson

Rege Jean Page is it!

Henry Cavill now Paul Newman in the older days

James Dean always looked older than he was to me, though very handsome of course. His face looked too weathered for early 20s. Probably too much sun and smoking, but I do wonder if studios lied about age sometimes.

Young Gregory Peck.

Alain Delon is a good choice. But what about Robert Redford?

Who made this list, Jen Aniston? Where’s Brad Pitt? And where’s Tom Cruise?

Paul Newman

William Holden

Montgomery Clift

Jeffrey Hunter

Gary Cooper

Leo Dicaprio can be really handsome when he's thin. Problem is he puts on weight and his delicate features can't handle the bloat. You need a stronger bone structure to look good through extra weight.

Rock Hudson and Paul Newman.

Mickey Rooney

John Travolta

Rudy Valentino got my heart racing.

Rupert Everett

Tan Hunter

*Tab

Gregory Peck

Billy Dee Williams

Peter Capaldi

Paul Walker was gorgeous. I have always found young Chris Evans beautiful. He was at his peak in Cellular.

Kevin Spacey was stunning in his younger years.

Mathieu Carrière

Mel Gibson in 1982 and in this movie only.

Paul Newman

From the list, Montgomery Clift.

Hugh Grant

How come no-one has mentioned Sidney Poitier who must have been the most beautiful man who ever lived.

I don’t know that this works without specifying the films. Alain Delon was beautiful but maybe only for a few years in his early career. He looked excellent in Rocco and His brothers, Plein soleil, the leopard and l’eclisse for example. He also looked okay in le samauraï and the opening scene of swimming pool but by the late 60s he’d lost a lot of the physical appeal he had at the start.

Paul Newman looked handsome for most of his career from the 50s all the way through to the 80s in films like ‘the verdict’ so I’d say he was the most beautiful.

R68 Harry belafonte was more beautiful. I don’t think Sidney is a beautiful looking guy, he’s a great actor though.

The problem with some of these guys like John gavin and Gregory peck is that they acted like mannequins. Sure they looked good but the way they move and talk had no life.

Ty Hardin in the Chatman report has to be one of the most beautiful men.

Also John derek in all the kings men and knock on any door.

I'm with R5/R27/R30 - It's Errol Flynn.

Anthony Hopkins

R19 John Gavin all the way!!

Anton Wohlbrück (from Red Shoes). I think its his brooding melancholic presence that just does it for me.

Kevin Spacey was never "stunning" even in his best moment, R63.

Second that Harry Belafonte was handsomer than Sidney Poitier, by a long shot. Sidney was attractive and had a powerful screen presence, but not half as handsome as Harry.

Errol Flynn looked like a squirrel.

John Gavin. Co-starred with Susan Hayward in Back Street. He was not a good actor but was so yummy to look at.

Haha yes, r78. Was a moment away from posting John Gavin.

Ray Danton - kind of a 'bad boy' attitude but I thought he was HOT.

Michael Craig - he was a somewhat obscure actor from the 50's & 60's. He was the captain in the movie 'Mysterious Island' and starred with Susan Hayward in the movie 'Stolen Hours' which was a take on 'Dark Victory'. Susan was her most glamours in that movie. Michael Craig was a bit more mature in this movie playing a doctor but he was still so handsome. He was in another movie in the late 50's 'High Tide At Noon' where he was in his prime. He was a total doll in my book!

George Hamilton - he was quite handsome in his earlier years - especially in the movie 'Where The Boys Are' - what a classic!

James Dean

Kyle MacLachlan

Sessue Hayakawa

Some of you need your prescription eyewear corrected.

R86 - OK Gurl! Having 20/20 vision doesn't mean you can see any better than those who wear corrective lenses. Attractiveness is in the eye of the beholder! Maybe you should have YOUR eyes checked!

Sidney Poitier wasn't handsome as such, rather a charismatic and unique man. He wasn't as handsome as Harry Belafonte or Denzel but he packed a bigger presence. When he came on screen, he was the guy you looked at.

This guy was handsome in the 40s but he turned to film direction afterwards.

Where he revealed that he was either a complete drunk or just naturally hopeless at film direction,

Errol wins, bitchez

This guy was as pretty as Henry Cavill.

I don't get all this Sidney Poitier wasn't handsome. Sure he wasn't as great looking sexy as Harry Belafonte, but he was damned handsome and an excellent actor (unlike Harry). As for looks, Denzel isn't in the same category.

Fun bad movie to check out: The Slender Thread (1965) starring Poitier and Anne Bancroft. Bancroft is the spurned 'other woman' who has taken a bottle of pills, Sidney is on the suicide hotline trying to save her life. All their scenes are over the phone.

Off topic, but did any of you live in WeHo near the Erroll Flynn estate? It was abandoned and a drug and cruising spot. My roommate just mentioned that her dad managed a building full of eldergays and higher income folks right there in the late 1980's. I showed her this thread and she said someone older may know what became of it by the 1980's. I don't know about cruising though as police helicopters were shining lights on the park all night, every night.

R92 - we are talking facial symmetry and proportions. Denzel isn't in the same category in terms of screen presence, but his face has perfect symmetry. Bone structure, width between the eyes, jawline, lips, forehead....could have been a statue. Sort of an African-American Rock Hudson face. With Harry Belafonte you get more of a charming handsome with the smile like Elvis. On the other hand, Sydney struck me as a man with a powerful presence like Obama...sunny smile, glowing intelligence but objectively, he had a weaker jawline and his eyes were a bit too far apart for say, modeling. Nevertheless, like many actors of his age, including in the female category Marylin Monroe, his features worked with the camera and he had star quality.

Lambert Wilson looked terrific in various shots in Five Days One Summer, playing a dashing Swiss mountain guide

That Hexum guy who shoot himself for fun.

How come so many of these guys look like girls?

For an old-timey actor, Richard Greene was hot...

R97 That hunk at R91 looks as though he was wearing lipstick because Technicolor was still new in 1947.

Melvil Poupaud

You've also got to give some consideration to Princess Bride Cary Elwes.

Rudolph Valentino

River Phoenix. Joaquin Phoenix in his youth too.

Actually IMO Joaquin was hotter than anyone before he let himself go

Olivier Martinez. Looked stunningly handsome in "Le Hussard sur le toit" (TheHorseman on the Roof).

Charles Dance

Jeremy Irons

In which film did Errol Flynn look his best? My vote is for Elizabeth & Essex.

Hart Bochner

R108 Captain Blood.

There was something very contemporary about his look in Elizabeth and Essex in most of the scenes. Just so handsome.

R111 I prefer him clean shaven. The facial hair detracts from his perfection.

Flynn is also delectable in Gentleman Jim.

Gregory Peck

R93 Wasn’t it off Runyon Canyon?

OP types ancient and narrow.

Timothy Dalton

Young Gary Cooper gets me every time.

Daniel Day-Lewis

Yul Brynner

Tony Curtis

Wow, mostly white guys, with a few Black actors thrown in. If I had to go with a white guy I'd say young Marlon Brando.

Young Keanu Reeves does it for me. The mixed race features are gorgeous.

I like Rami Malek because I like the exotic looks and skin color.

No Hispanics? No Arabs?

I guess DL is a bunch of old white guys. I was trying to ignore that.

Yes there are so many Classic Hollywood Arab actors to choose from. And so many Hispanics. Like that guy in that thing. So so many. Must be DL's fault...

Not Classic Hollywood, classically handsome. I guess only white guys can be classically handsome.

Rami probably looks like a Pharoah, he's from the same ethnic group (Copts are descendants of Pharonic Egyptians). That's certainly "classic" or old fashioned.

I just noticed Omar Sharif is in the list. I stand slightly corrected.

Warren Beatty! And he stayed looking good for a really long time. Until Anette Benning captured him and sucked out all of his beauty.

I do LOVE Montgomery's pompadour and sideburns (and later mustache) in The Heiress!

R122 I’m with you on keanu. He was breathtakingly good looking particularly in ‘much ado about nothing’ - but an atrocious actor.

Rami Malek on the other hand, I just don’t see it at all. I can’t even see it when I contemplate the pharo stuff. He just is not handsome in my book. At a push he could be considered puppy dog cute. But that’s it.

I’ve never really gotten the appeal of Omar sharif although I like him to some extent as an actor - at least I enjoy some of his films.

Harrison Ford in the ‘Indiana Jones’ movies is another consideration although he is no comparison to Errol Flynn still.

R122, I see Asian actors, Middle-Eastern actors, and Latin actors.

I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t see color (yes I’m that girl.)

Woody Strode was beautiful, well into middle age. He maintained his body into the 60s and 70s. Look at him in THE LAST VOYAGE and SPARTACUS. Here he is as an artist model.

R89 peter Glenville directed 1964's Becket which was nominated for 12 Oscars and features 2 of the best performances by O'Toole and Burton. It's much more lively and engrossing than stodgy historical dramas like The Lion in Winter, A Man for Al Seasons and Anne of the Thousand Days perhaps thanks to the play by Jean Anouilh adapted for the screen by Edward Anhalt. Glenville was nominated for Best Director. It was 1 of 7 films he directed. I also like another film he directed Summer and Smoke (1961).

A vote for James Dean here.

R122 'I guess DL is a bunch of old white guys'

Look in the mirror, hon!

R126 He was 55 when he married Benning

Timothee Chalamet

Clift always seemed a bit gaunt. I voted for Idris Elba.

Tyrone Power in various scenes in “nightmare alley” and “rawhide” was so good looking and playing the Indian in “the rains came”.

Jeffrey Hunter was stunning in “Sergeant Rutledge” and is shirtless and hot for much of the action in “sailor of the king” and in “the searchers” he’s cute too.

Rock Hudson and John Gavin were similar types of handsome.

Paul Newman in “Paris Blues” wins it for me, particularly the scene after he’s spent the night with Woodward’s character and is walking around the room shirtless.

Timmy Chalamet

R139: Haha.....

The photo of Rudolph Valentino from R55 shows a nice bulge and shaved armpits.

Rupert Graves when he starred in Maurice but he's still quite handsome.

Jamie Dornan handsomest film actor ever.

3-way Tie: Lambert Wilson, Stéphane Freiss, Marc Ruchman

I made a comment to my much younger BF that George Clooney is the Cary Grant of his day. My BF replied 'Who's Cary Grant?"

R143 not with that beard. Really not keen, he seems to be fighting against his natural beauty

The man from The Golden Girls