39 Years and 34 Guys...So Far! Sexiest Man Alive by the Numbers
All the facts, figures and 411 you need to know about the Sexiest Men Alive of years past
All the facts, figures and 411 you need to know about the Sexiest Men Alive of years past James Gourley/Getty; Kayla Oaddams/WireImage; Rick Maiman/Sygma via Getty Patrick Dempsey; John Legend; JFK Jr.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Patrick-Dempsey-John-Legend-JFK-Jr-110524-tout--mk-8a2c8ce73e84451a84b189efe904543a.jpg "Patrick Dempsey; John Legend; JFK Jr.")
It's all in the numbers.
While there is no secret formula to becoming PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive, all of the SMAs of years past are connected one way or another and here — we break down all 39 years of sexy men by the numbers.
From how many men secured the title twice, to who among them played a doctor on television, learn more about the important numbers tying these famous guys together.
1
The first Sexiest Man Alive was Mel Gibson. He was given the honor in 1985.
2
In 1993, the honor went to two people as the "Sexiest Couple Alive": Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford.
3
Three Sexiest Men Alive have died since receiving the honor: John F. Kennedy Jr., Patrick Swayze and Sean Connery.
4
Four men have received the honor twice: Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, George Clooney and Richard Gere.
5
Only five people who aren't actors have ever won the title: Kennedy, Adam Levine, David Beckham, Blake Shelton and 2019's winner, John Legend.
12
FlixPix / Alamy Stock Photo (2); Collection Christophel / Alamy Stock Photo Hugh Jackman, Chris Evans, Ben Affleck.
From Chris Evans to George Clooney, a whopping 12 former SMAs have starred as a superhero on film over the years.
15
ABC; NBC/Getty (2)
When Patrick Dempsey was crowned 2024's Sexiest Man Alive, he became the 15th onscreen doctor to be awarded the title.
27
The youngest ever Sexiest Man Alive was John F. Kennedy Jr., who was 27 years old when he earned the title in 1988.
34
Andreas Rentz/Getty; Ilya S. Savenok/Getty; Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Richard Ger; Matt Damon; Idris Elba.
A total of 34 men have scored the Sexiest Man Alive title (with a 35th soon to be announced!).
39
Jesse Grant/Getty; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty; Gotham/WireImage Bradley Cooper; Michael B. Jordan; Ryan Reynolds.
The franchise has been around for 39 years.
59
The oldest was Sean Connery, who nabbed the title in 1989 at age 59.
1994
1994 is the only year since its founding that a Sexiest Man Alive wasn't awarded. In 2015, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the franchise, PEOPLE editors selected Keanu Reeves as the 1994 winner.
1997
Since 1997 — when George Clooney was dubbed the Sexiest Man Alive — the issue has been released in November, with exceptions in 2002 and 2003, when it was released in the first week of December.
