From the Magazine Sexiest Man Alive The 'Sexy' Degrees of Separation: How We Connected Every Single Past Sexiest Man Alive Like the Six Degrees of Separation, but sexy and with many more degrees By Andrea Wurzburger, Andrea Wurzburger Andrea Wurzburger is a former features writer at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2022. People Editorial Guidelines Michael Calcagno, Michael Calcagno Michael Calcagno is a former photo editor at PEOPLE. He left PEOPLE in 2021. People Editorial Guidelines and Alexandra Schonfeld Alexandra Schonfeld Alexandra Schonfeld is a features writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since April 2022. Her work previously appeared in Newsweek. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 13, 2024 05:50PM EST Denzel Washington and Patrick Dempsey. . Photo: People; Carter Smith Setting out to connect all of the past Sexiest Men Alive — a moniker given out from 1985 to present — is no easy feat. And while it shouldn't' be possible — the following proves that it very much is. The result is what we call The 'Sexy' Degrees of Separation — Like the Six Degrees of Separation, but sexy and with many more degrees. Dating all the way back to SMAs from the '80s and '90s such as John F. Kennedy Jr., Denzel Washington and George Clooney to our most recent sexy men John Krasinski, Patrick Dempsey and Chris Evans, see how they are all — one way or another — connected. 01 of 54 John Krasinski Dia Dipasupil/WireImage Was named 2024's Sexiest Man Alive, but Office fans might mistake him for ... 02 of 54 Randall Park Rothstein/Marvel/Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock; Marvel Studios who costarred in Ant-Man & the Wasp with ... 03 of 54 2021's Sexiest Man Alive, Paul Rudd Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic was in the 2002 cult classic film Wet Hot American Summer which was the feature film debut of … 04 of 54 2011's Sexiest Man Alive, Bradley Cooper Amy Rice/Eureka Pics/North Coast Group/Kobal/Shutterstock; Saeed Adyani/Netflix/Kobal/Shutterstock (pictured here in 2015's Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp). And they both also starred in ... 05 of 54 the 2005 Broadway production of 'Three Days of Rain' Paul Hawthorne/Getty with Julia Roberts, who starred in Pretty Woman with … 06 of 54 1999's Sexiest Man Alive, Richard Gere Buena Vista/Getty who was also crowned ... 07 of 54 Sexiest Couple Alive in 1993 with Cindy Crawford Brenda Chase/Online USA/Getty who was on the very first cover of George magazine, which was owned by … 08 of 54 1988's Sexiest Man Alive, John F. Kennedy Jr. BOB STRONG/AFP via Getty and the magazine also had a cover featuring Calista Flockhart, and she is married to ... 09 of 54 1998's Sexiest Man Alive, Harrison Ford Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock; Steve Granitz/WireImage who plays the iconic Indiana Jones, and his fictional dad in the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was … 10 of 54 1989's Sexiest Man Alive, Sean Connery Paramount/Getty who starred in The Hunt for Red October with ... 11 of 54 James Earl Jones Paramount/Getty; Moviestore/Shutterstock and the late actor voiced ... 12 of 54 Mufasa in the original animated Disney movie 'The Lion King'... Courtesy Everett Collection; Inset: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty; Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty while Moira Kelly voiced Nala, and Kelly appeared on The West Wing, as did ... 13 of 54 1986's Sexiest Man Alive, Mark Harmon Eric Liebowitz/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; NBCU Photo Bank who appeared in Freaky Friday with ... 14 of 54 Jamie Lee Curtis Moviestore/Shutterstock who starred in Halloween with ... 15 of 54 a young Kyle Richards Alamy who was on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills with ... 16 of 54 Lisa Rinna! lisa rinna/ instagram And Rinna is married to ... 17 of 54 1987's Sexiest Man Alive, Harry Hamlin Emma McIntyre/Getty (Pictured second from left) and Hamlin was in Mad Men with ... 18 of 54 January Jones Jordin Althaus / © AMC / Courtesy Everett Collection; Michael Yarish / ©AMC / Courtesy Everett Collection who was in Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, where ... 19 of 54 1991's Sexiest Man Alive, Patrick Swayze Miramax/courtesy Everett Collection; Miramax made a cameo as a dance instructor. Swayze was also in The Outsiders with ... 20 of 54 1990's Sexiest Man Alive, Tom Cruise Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty who starred in Tropic Thunder with … 21 of 54 1992's Sexiest Man Alive, Nick Nolte Dreamworks Llc/Kobal/Shutterstock; Mary Evans/DREAMWORKS/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection In the film with Cruise and Nolte was Robert Downey Jr., who played Iron Man in Marvel's Avengers franchise, which also stars … 22 of 54 2014's Sexiest Man Alive, Chris Hemsworth & 2022's Sexiest Man Alive, Chris Evans Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection and Hemsworth was in Snow White and the Huntsman with ... 23 of 54 Charlize Theron Dave M. Benett/Getty and she did a commercial in 2018 with … 24 of 54 1995 & 2000's Sexiest Man Alive Brad Pitt, who acted in 12 Years a Slave alongside ... 25 of 54 Lupita Nyong'o Jon Furniss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock who was in Black Panther with … 26 of 54 2020's Sexiest Man Alive, Michael B. Jordan George Pimentel/WireImage who was on The Wire with ... 27 of 54 2018's Sexiest Man Alive, Idris Elba Blown Deadline Productions/HBO/Alamy; HBO/Courtesy Everett Collection who starred in the 2007 film American Gangster alongside … 28 of 54 1996's Sexiest Man Alive, Denzel Washington Universal Pictures; Moviestore/Shutterstock whose son, John David Washington, starred in the TV series Ballers with ... 29 of 54 2016's Sexiest Man Alive, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Allen Berezovsky/Getty; Jeff Daly/©HBO/courtesy Everett Collection who stars in the 2021 film Red Notice with … 30 of 54 2010's Sexiest Man Alive, Ryan Reynolds Frank Masi / Netflix who starred in the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine with … 31 of 54 2008's Sexiest Man Alive, Hugh Jackman 20th Century Fox/Courtesy Everett Collection who played Jean Valjean in the movie musical version of Les Misérables alongside ... 32 of 54 Amanda Seyfried Alamy And Seyfried was also in Mamma Mia, which means that Hugh shares an on-screen daughter with … 33 of 54 2001's Sexiest Man Alive, Pierce Brosnan Universal/courtesy Everett Collection who famously played 007 in 1995's James Bond film GoldenEye, which featured actor ... 34 of 54 Alan Cumming Alamy who was also in the cult classic ... 35 of 54 'Spice World' Columbia Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection; Inset: Ron Galella, Ltd/Ron Galella Collection via Getty starring Posh Spice a.k.a. ... 36 of 54 2015's Sexiest Man Alive, David Beckham's Anthony Harvey/Getty wife, Victoria Beckham, and she made a cameo in ... 37 of 54 'Zoolander' Paramount Pictures as did Gwen Stefani, who is married to … 38 of 54 2017's Sexiest Man Alive, Blake Shelton Emma McIntyre/Getty who coached The Voice with ... 39 of 54 2013's Sexiest Man Alive, Adam Levine & 2019's Sexiest Man Alive, John Legend Art Streiber/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty and Legend performed at "Movies Rock: A Celebration of Music in Film" in 2006 with ... 40 of 54 Tony Bennett and Jennifer Lopez Kevin Winter/Getty and Lopez was married to ... 41 of 54 2002's Sexiest Man Alive, Ben Affleck Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty who starred in the 2021 film The Tender Bar, which is directed by … 42 of 54 1997 & 2006's Sexiest Man Alive, George Clooney David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage who starred in Ocean's Eleven with ... 43 of 54 2007's Sexiest Man Alive, Matt Damon Shutterstock (and check out Brad Pitt, too!) and Damon starred in The Talented Mr. Ripley with … 44 of 54 2004's Sexiest Man Alive, Jude Law Phil Bray/Paramount/Miramax/Kobal/Shutterstock who was in Anna Karenina with ... 45 of 54 Keira Knightley Moviestore/Shutterstock who was in Pirates of the Caribbean with … 46 of 54 2003 & 2009's Sexiest Man Alive, Johnny Depp Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). Moviestore/Shutterstock who was in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street with ... 47 of 54 Helena Bonham Carter Leah Gallo/Dreamworks/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock who played Ophelia in the 1990 movie version of Hamlet, starring … 48 of 54 1985's Sexiest Man Alive, Mel Gibson Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock who was in Lethal Weapon with ... 49 of 54 ...Danny Glover Mary Evans/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection and Glover was in Angels in the Outfield with … 50 of 54 2005's Sexiest Man Alive, Matthew McConaughey Buena Vista Pictures/ Courtesy: Everett Collection; Inset: Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty who appeared in Magic Mike with … 51 of 54 2012's Sexiest Man Alive, Channing Tatum Moviestore/Shutterstock who was in the 2013 movie This Is The End with none other than … 52 of 54 2021's Sexiest Man Alive, Paul Rudd! Columbia Pictures 53 of 54 And if that wasn't enough... Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic Rudd (far right) also shared a stage with Kevin Bacon (far left) when they were both part of staged readings for the MCC Theatre in N.Y.C. Bacon has never been named Sexiest Man Alive, but this connection fulfills the theory that suggests any actor in Hollywood can be connected to Kevin Bacon within six degrees, a.k.a. The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. 54 of 54 And wait, there's more... Patrick Dempsey and Laura Linney. Don Arnold/WireImage; Roy Rochlin/Getty And in another case of Kevin Bacon being just a few people removed from the dynasty of SMA guys, the Footloose star starred in 2003's Mystic River with Laura Linney who later appeared alongside 2023's Sexiest Man Alive, Patrick Dempsey, in the mini-sequel of Love Actually for Red Nose Day in 2017. Close