Good-looking people who were never considered sex symbols.

Colleen Moore

Madonna

Barbara Steele

Meryl.

Thelma Ritter

Ann B. Davis

Neil Carter

Martina Nav…….tennis dyke

Lulu Roman

Phyllis Diller

A lot of the film noir guys: Glenn Ford, John Garfield, Dana Andrews

Doris Day

Connie Francis

Dick Clark

None

Grace Kelly

Audrey Hepburn

There have especially been a lot of women that were very beautiful but rarely considered sexy. Is it a vibe they dont give off to be considered a sex symbol?

[quote] A lot of the film noir guys: Glenn Ford, John Garfield, Dana Andrews.

All three of those guys were considered sex symbols in their day.

Irene Dunne - supposedly she wouldn't even "think sexy thoughts" when still photographer George Hurrell asked her to , when he was photographing her. It was something he asked virtually all the leading actresses he photographed to do, and she said something like, "Let's not be silly." And it's true she really was not very overtly sexy, on screen, or interested in being sexy. I'm sure she, like almost all leading ladies, was somebody's idea of sexy, though. But unlike her counterparts, Claudette Colbert and Myrna Loy, she never went through an early sex-symbol phase.

Gregory Peck. I think he was greatly admired more for his acting skills than his attractiveness, unlike Paul Newman.

R15 Not to my mother. She thought he has sex incarnate.

Tim Daly

Katharine Hepburn.

Bradley cooper

Robert Young. My mom at least always mentioned how handsome she thought he was - but he was no sex symbol.

*And Jane Wyatt, too - his TV wife. Very, very pretty. But not a sex symbol.

Helen Hunt

Hedy Lamarr helped invent Wi-Fi, to prevent people from being bombed in the war, so those of us using DL could gossip about all of this!

Anyone that said she’s nothing but a sex symbol or was considered one may have not considered that she could be recording them instead of vice versa

That's Hedley!

Who cares about being good-looking?

Who cares about being a symbol?

I was a reality!

Grace Kelly / beautiful but aloof

Kevin Kline / handsome but not really sexy

How could Grace Kelly, in Rear Window, and To Catch A Theif, not be a sex symbol? I knew guys who drooled over her who were just watching her old movies when she was dead.

R17, Tim Daly is so hot. I remember being a kid and having a huge crush on him in Wings. Then as an adult I met him just like a couple of years ago. He is so handsome, hot tall Daddy. Outwardly clean cut but has this dirty vibe about him. God I wanted him then and there.

Would Lucille Ball fit this category? I guess a lot of comedians could fit into this category - funny people who are known more for their sense of humor than their sex appeal. Young Tom Hanks for example.

I saw Tim Daly hanging out in Williamstown about 30 years ago and he was very, very good looking in person.

Was Vivien Leigh ever considered to be a sex symbol?

R30 I would say no.

R27 of course your mileage may vary, but I've never considered Grace Kelly sexy. Beautiful, yes. I view Audrey Hepburn the same way. They seem to float above the ground and I can't imagine them having sex. Too ethereal.

Neil Carter

Charles Nelson Riley

Francis Baver

Divine

Taylor Swift

Lucille Ball

Audrey Hepburn is a good answer. The idea of her having sex is incomprehensible, which is oddly why I think her casting really works in Breakfast at Tiffany's (she's the anti-Marilyn)

Gwen Stefani

Anthony Perkins was a strikingly handsome young actor who (mostly) kept his looks into middle age.

But I don't think he was ever regarded as a sex symbol. Perhaps it was PSYCHO. Perhaps it was being a closeted gay man (who nonetheless had male lovers).

Eric Bana

Doris Day

Jason Bateman

r15, oh no. He was sexy and not that bright. Smoldering.

R15, Did he ever do a love scene in a film?

r37, I disagree. There was a cutsey non-sexy thing the earlier albums. But Bathwater takes me there.

Now Gwen’s face is stretched tighter than Marilyn’s dress over Kim K’s lard ass.

r43, Spellbound with Ingrid Bergman. Duel in the Sun, Jennifer Jones.

Robert Redford.

Good looking in his prime, but never sexy.

Robert Downey Jr., at least when young. IMO he was gorgeous, but he never seemed to be seen as sexy.

julie andrews

Kurt Cobain.

Whitney Houston -- surprised nobody mentioned her yet.

r47, my mother would disagree about Robert Redford. But I get ya.

I think Missi Pyle is gorgeous and falls into this category

I think Madonna & Dolly Parton fit perfectly under this description. Both are "sexy", but exude zero sex appeal. I think sex appeal has to include nuances of intimacy & neither one of them are approachable in that manner, being too ostentatious & cartoony in their individual definitions of what it is to be a sex symbol.

It's absurd to claim Robert Redford was not a sex symbol (the topic of this thread).

You may not have found him sexy, but he and Paul Newman were served up as pure cheesecake to American fraus in BUTCH CASSIDY and THE STING. Redford pretty much plays "the girl" (ie, the silent adored love object) to Streisand's protagonist in THE WAY WE WERE.

Photos/posters like this one were a staple of my 70s childhood: magazines, Spencer's Gifts, etc.

Redford was absolutely a sex symbol, one of the biggest of his era.

Tom Cruise

Henry Fonda and James Stewart were both good looking, I'm sure they were sex symbols to a lot of their fans, but overall, they were not sex symbols. I think Fonda even said Zanuck felt he was not a sex symbol and didn't cast him in certain things for that reason (while Tyrone Power, another Fox star, was definitely a sex symbol).

R32 Grace, in my opinion, was sexy. She often acted seductively in a quiet, smoldering way, and had that come-hither look in her eyes in her love scenes with Cary Grant and Clark Gable. She was always smoldering beneath the surface. Hitchcock was well aware of this quality. Audrey had no such quality, though she wasn't bereft of sexiness, wither. Just way less than Grace.

Don Knotts

*either

Tim Daly is incredibly handsome and sexy. He has gorgeous feet, too.

R47 doesn’t know squat

Dick Van Dyke. Marginally handsome, but exuded no sex appeal at all.

R38

I think Anthony Perkins was considered sexy, boyish, sensitive, sometimes awkward, but definitely sexy. Before Psycho, he had a fair number of young leading man roles in which he was a heartthrob (in addition to being a skilled and sensitive actor). After Psycho, he also appeared in Goodbye Again as a young lover, and Phaedra, to name just a few. Like many young stars of his era, he recorded a number of songs for the teen market. He had a decent voice. If you look on Twitter, Pinterest, and other parts of the web, you'll find accounts by women, men, and nonbinary people who find him incredibly sexy.

R42

Why do you think Gregory Peck wasn't smart?

Shirley Booth

Cliff Richard

Olivia Newton-Johh

Sheena Easton

Jon "Culture Club" Moss

Daryl Hall

Actually most pop stars

Jodie Foster. Long before she was out, she had an adult romantic leading role and I remember thinking that she was quite pretty but had zero sex appeal.

R68 is extremely ignorant.

Olivia Newton-John was a superstar sex symbol after Grease came out Grease and into half of the 1980s.

Sheena Easton was SEXY. She came alive as being a hot fantasy when her song Strut came out and was a huge hit. After that for pretty much another decade she got sexier and sexier in her music videos and appearances for many years.

Michael Caine

Rosalind Russell, Jean Arthur, Luise Rainer, Lew Ayres, Don Ameche, Olivia de Havilland, Joan Leslie, Ann Harding, Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Judy Garland, John Lund, Jeffrey Hunter, Paula Prentiss, Mary Tyler Moore, Dorothy McGuire.

r66, I read it somewhere.

Roz? She was a handsome won being kind.

woman*

Cheryl is leaving. I forgot who her partner was. They should have given her someone better whoever it was.

Robert Redford was not a sex symbol? Hahaha ok.

Leslie Howard

Michael Wilding

Conrad Nagel

Reginald Denny

Lucille Ball was absolutely gorgeous and could have been a 40s sex symbol for sure

What about Deborah Kerr ?

Eva Marie Saint. Joanne Woodward.

Vera Miles, Patricia Neal, Anne Bancroft.

Candice Bergen

Shirley Jones

r81, I don't know, she was a bit the femme fatale here.

R84 Yes I thought of that, but even so, she was not considered a "sex symbol", was she?

R42, R66

Jane Fonda said so, publicly.

She stated that Peck was a poor substitute for the recently-deceased Burt Lancaster in one of her movies.

R74 You don't think Rosalind Russell was good looking? The headline does not say "gorgeous".

^ Russell was more handsome than 'good looking'.

She would've made a good man (like Ingrid and Vanessa.

Danes??

R86, “Old Gringo”?

^Yes.

I never saw the movie (because I don't like Fonda) but I was surprised she could be so amazingly tactless about her co-star in front of an interviewer.

Pierce Brosnan

You rang.

^ Good looking but they radiate as much sexual heat as a cinderblock.

Kate Jackson

Sigourney Weaver

Barbara Bel Geddes

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Dudley Do-Right

Julie Andrews, thread closed.

And no, I’m not reading 100 posts about uggos to see it she’s been mentioned already.

R98 If you don't want to read 100 posts you use the "Command F button and the cut and paste buttons on your keyboard to find what you want.

Rosalind Russell handsome but *not* good looking? Okay I have no idea how this is possible or why she is "handsome"...and saying Ingrid Bergman was not beautiful ...well alrighty then.

Measure yourself, R100.

I bet Rosalind and Ingrid were taller than you.

Whitney Houston

Someone else mentioned this upthread. Clare Danes. There is Zero sex appeal.

I still see Robert Redford as very handsome but very sexless. He is lovely to look at but I'd never jump those bones. I just have this feeling I'd be so disappointed.

Oh well he wouldn’t have ever given you a second glance r104

The Gish sisters.

Jeffrey Hunter

Jeff was definitely a sex symbol.

Sexy Jesus

R108 was he thought? While handsome he’s not really considered a sex symbol on a par with Newman, Redford or mcqueen… he’s mostly forgotten even though he starred in The Searchers and is regularly seen in King of Kings. I think a true sex symbol is someone like Newman who most straight actors always bring up as their style icons…

R110, His final wife and widow was Nurse Jessie from “General Hospital”.

WTF with the weirdo who thinks Ingrid Bergman and Rosalind Russell weren't attractive because they were tall?! Is it the incel troll?

Tony Curtis

Jack Lemmon

Ingrid Bergmn

Matt Damon.

[quote] Jon "Culture Club" Moss

Funny that you should mention Moss since he was one of the first celebrities I was head over heels in lust with. Can't remember how many times I wanked watching his photos. He was dark, hairy and mysterious, and super super sexy. I wasn't the only one thinking that since his good looks were known even before Culture Club and he was featured in a one page poster in a teen mag. There was something lustfully dirty about him. When it later turned out he'd been fucking Boy George the whole time the band was together and that Boy wrote practically all songs about him I wasn't really surprised at all.

R113 Tony Curtis was definitely a sex symbol. He was a good actor (and got even better) but he sure didn't become a sensation originally because of his acting.

I thought Andrew Ridgely was hotter than George Michael. He was so cute,to me. Now when I see pictures of both of them in that era I wonder why I thought either of them were handsome. Looks of young pop stars, actors and models are more smoothed out, now. Most of them have perfect teeth, hair and jawlines. Not that I thought I liked that sort of thing, particularly, but I guess you get used to a standard.

Tony Curtis in his costume-movie phase, The Prince Who Was A Thief.

Courtney Cox - very pretty, not much sexuality.

I think both Stefani and Tim Daly were considered sex symbols. It's just that there were BIGGER ones during their time.

Audrey Meadows

George Michael was sexiness personified.

That Markie Post frosted mullet he's rocking isn't helping your argument, R122.

R122, I thought it was Kristy McNichol.

It does look like Markie Post's hair.

Robert Redford was literally the preeminent male sex symbol of his day, with maybe the exception of Burt Reynolds. Tens of millions of swooning women would have said so at the time. To say otherwise is like saying Marilyn Monroe or Jean Harlow weren’t sex symbols in their day. It’s ludicrous to say otherwise.

Someone’s sex appeal may not be to your individual taste, but you need to be able to be somewhat objective when your opinion is in the decided minority.

I disagree that Grace Kelly wasn’t a sex symbol. She epitomized the classy, “cool” blonde that many straight men go apeshit for. I mean have you SEEN Rear Window? And apparently she was no shrinking violet when it came to men back in her heyday.

I adore Audrey Hepburn, but I agree that she wasn’t the sex symbol type. She didn’t need to be. Audrey was a star for women and gay men.

Celine Dion.

Cuba Gooding Jr.

A lot of people are just putting down names of celebs that never wanted a sexed-up image. Just because someone doesn’t flaunt their body constantly doesn’t mean they are devoid of sex appeal.

Cuba could get it, at least back in the day.

Beauty and sex appeal are incredibly connected for many-if not most- people. To say otherwise is ridiculous.

Martha Scott.

Greer Garson, Anna Lee, Ruth Warrick. Kathryn Grayson.

The OP's question is stupid. A person's "sexual appeal" is all in the mind of the beholder.

What I might have considered 'sexy' fifteen years ago is mutton today.

Was this man sexy as he burbled Sweet Nothings in my ear?

Ted McGinley very conventionally handsome but not a sex symbol. I’d still eat his ass though.

R135 "never considered sex symbols" seems obvious. OP means by the world. The general public, the press, etc. Not subjectively. But anyway James Mason was a sex symbol, especially in England during the 40s, as was Stewart Granger who he sometimes appeared with.

Michelle pheiffer: too skinny . Looked so much better with more fullness

[quote] OP means by the world.

I refuse to speak for the world. 90% of them are sheep.

Irene Dunne for sure

Jim Morrison

Matt Damon

I never noticed it before, but Kegan Keller/Tony Goodfellow bears a striking resemblance to John Garfield.

Priscilla Lane.

Glynis Johns.

Blythe Danner

Jill Clayburgh

Hope Lange

Lucie Arnaz

Michael Rennie

Robert Ryan

Brysen of Sean Cody bears a striking resemblance to John Garfield.

Agree with Audrey Hepburn. Winona Ryder. I know her boobs are big, but Im really glad she isnt flaunting it. Natalie Portman. Played a stripper in some movie. Just total pedo vibes. Sure she is a sex symbol for incels and nerds, because she looks like somebody who will just lay there and wont take advantage of them. I think ex child stars in general are hard to see as adults, harder in particular with Natalie. I dont get the Grace Kelly posts. She projects ice queen sure, but people do want to fuck her because she seems unattainable. Even if she probably will really just lay there and do nothing.

R140, Married to her dentist husband for 40 years, one adopted child, extremely devout Catholic.

Boring!

R144 none of them are beauties. Good actresses maybe, but…

Brigitte Bardot

No, beauty and sex appeal are completely different things. Robert Mitchum was not a beautiful man but was (in my eyes) the sexiest actor of Old Hollywood. An objectively beautiful woman like Grace Kelly gave off the sexuality of wet paint.

Lots of insane names on this thread too. Gregory Peck and Robert Redford were absolutely sex symbols. Ingrid Bergman was one of the most beautiful women in the world, nobody gave a shit about her height!

I agree most pop stars have no genuine sex appeal. They are designed to appeal to teenagers, specifically teenage girls.

The early Beatles are an interesting study of this, actually. Paul was branded the cute one from the beginning because he was a precious non threatening little twink, but George was far more handsome and John was far sexier.

[quote] nobody gave a shit about her height!

First of all, we used a toilet.

Secondly, we used platform soles.

Robert Mitchum

Gary Cole was never made into any symbol!

Vivian Vance

Pam Grier

Rod Taylor

Burt Reynolds

A woman at work said to me (she's old) "I never understood why Spencer Tarcy was so popular with the girls I knew. He was a sex symbol, but I didn't get it."

I've never thought of Tracy as a sex symbol.

I would say G., but you said good looking.

Corrine Bailey Rae

Tom Hanks

R156, Pam Grier?????????

What??? she is one of the biggest sex symbols in black cinema of all time. And pretty well known as such among white audiences too.

There would be no public personnas of Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, even Queen Bey to an extent without Pam Grier.

Phylicia Rashad

Grace Kelly - in the "Sex Symbols Of The 50s" Coin Series. Okay? As Archie Bunker used to say, Case closed - next case.

Pam Grier was a total sex symbol when she was young.

'Torn' singer Natalie Imbruglia.

June Allyson

Debbie Reynolds

Diane Keaton

Deborah Kerr

I love it when (presumably) gay men declare beautiful women non-sexy just because they don't fancy them. Guys, if you just take a minute to wonder if you find even remotely attractive men sexy then you realize that straight men are exactly like that with women as well.

I found George Michael super hot when I was a horny teen boy but granted now when I'm 50 his babyfat face doesn't really hold much appeal to me anymore. However I still remember the dozens of times I wanked watching his speedo pics.

Lee Remick

Keri Russell

Lee remick was sexy in Face in the Crowd.

Lee Remick was sexy in stuff like Anatomy of a Murder

Ron Howard

Mr. Whipple

Alex Trebek.

James Wilby

I'm not so sure about that r176

BURT REYNOLDS?! He's before my time, but I'm pretty sure that guy was considered a sex symbol, wasn't he? He was in Playgirl

James Garner.

Loretta Young

James Garner was most definitely considered sexy as Jim Rockford R180. And rightly so.

Loretta "Hot Lips" Swit.

Robert Mitchum for example wasn’t considered good looking but was considered sexy. And quite a few others fall into that category. The opposite of the question. But hey, let anarchy reign.

Barbi Benton

Huey Lewis

r157, are you serious? Burt Reynolds was a sex symbol. He was even in playgirl.

He didn't float my boat but his younger pics were pretty hot.

George W. Bush

R188 my weird ass found him sexy during presidency.

Burt Reynolds was poor man’s Marlon Brando.

R144 Glynis Johns played sexy roles, like Miranda the mermaid.

Sexy is as sexy does.

R187, that picture was chosen to illustrate the word "herpes" in the dictionary

Bert Convy

167 I was going to mention June Allyson, then didn't, because even though she was not considered a sex symbol in general, my father told me that when he was in WWII a lot of the guys he knew thought she was cute/sexy and pinned her picture up. I. e. she was their favorite.

R167 (see above)

R43 The Snows Of Kilmanjaro, On The Beach, The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit, Gentleman's Agreement, and many others. Peck was a hot, handsome leading man and was always doing love scenes. He even had a very steamy couple of scenes as the sexy cowboy bad boy with Jennifer Jones in Duel In The Sun.

Tilda Swinton

Jerry Lewis