From the Magazine Sexiest Man Alive 39 Years and 35 Guys: Sexiest Man Alive by the Numbers All the facts, figures and 411 you need to know about the Sexiest Men Alive of years past By Diana Pearl Diana Pearl Diana Pearl is a former writer and reporter at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2018. 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 03:12PM EST Patrick Dempsey; John Legend; JFK Jr. Photo: James Gourley/Getty; Kayla Oaddams/WireImage; Rick Maiman/Sygma via Getty 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. 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. 01 of 13 1 Ron Galella/WireImage The first Sexiest Man Alive was Mel Gibson. He was given the honor in 1985. 02 of 13 2 Mitchell Gerber/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images In 1993, the honor went to two people as the "Sexiest Couple Alive": Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford. 03 of 13 3 Vestron/REX/Shutterstock Three Sexiest Men Alive have died since receiving the honor: John F. Kennedy Jr., Patrick Swayze and Sean Connery. 04 of 13 4 Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images Four men have received the honor twice: Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, George Clooney and Richard Gere. 05 of 13 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. 06 of 13 13 Hugh Jackman, Chris Evans, Ben Affleck. FlixPix / Alamy Stock Photo (2); Collection Christophel / Alamy Stock Photo From Chris Evans to George Clooney, a whopping 13 former SMAs have starred as a superhero on film over the years. 07 of 13 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. 08 of 13 27 Ron Galella/WireImage The youngest ever Sexiest Man Alive was John F. Kennedy Jr., who was 27 years old when he earned the title in 1988. 09 of 13 34 Richard Ger; Matt Damon; Idris Elba. Andreas Rentz/Getty; Ilya S. Savenok/Getty; Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty A total of 35 men have scored the Sexiest Man Alive title (including the most recent, John Krasinski). 10 of 13 39 Bradley Cooper; Michael B. Jordan; Ryan Reynolds. Jesse Grant/Getty; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty; Gotham/WireImage The franchise has been around for 39 years. 11 of 13 59 Evan Agostini/AP The oldest winner was Sean Connery, who nabbed the title in 1989 at age 59. 12 of 13 1994 Ron Galella/WireImage 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. 13 of 13 1997 Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage 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. Close