Long before Instagram and dating apps, there were plenty of good-looking men who didn’t need filters or computer trickery to look handsome because they were naturally attractive.
Those unmistakable blue eyes
There’s no mistaking Paul Newman’s eyes, and they almost became their own kind of celebrity. Newman was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, in 1925, and he had that rare mix of ridiculously bright blue eyes with a very athletic face. Let’s not forget his slightly crooked smile, either.
It’s no wonder the cameras loved him because, really, he was just so attractive. He starred in movies including Cool Hand Luke, The Hustler, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. But all these decades later, people still talk about how beautiful his eyes were. What a man.
A very different kind of leading man
Marlon Brando in The Godfather isn’t the attractive Brando most of us are thinking about. No, it’s the Brando in 1951’s A Streetcar Named Desire who was really attractive. He was muscular and brooding in all the right, or wrong, ways.
Brando was a slightly rougher and less polished leading man than most guys of the day, and that’s probably what made him stand out on screen. He just had that kind of look to him that made it hard to deny how handsome he was.
The president with movie-star appeal
It’s weird to think that, when John F. Kennedy was elected, he wasn’t the typical president people were used to seeing. He had thick hair and a broad smile, for one. He also looked more like someone who’d be at home on a movie set rather than a Cabinet meeting.
But he really played up to his youthful appearance. It actually became a big part of his public image, in fact, and the JFK Library has written about how people saw him back then. Politics or no politics, it’s clear that the camera liked him, and so did the American public.
The face of teenage rebellion
James Dean died at the very young age of 24 after making just three major movies. But still, his face is printed on posters more than 70 years later, and people sometimes even describe handsome men as having a ‘James Dean look’ about them.
It’s not hard to see why. He was slim, rather than muscular, and had that classic look of a guy during the ‘50s, with messy hair and sharp cheekbones. He also had a slightly irritated squint that seemed to come to him so naturally. He looks attractive even by modern standards.
Hollywood polish from Bristol
Cary Grant became one of Hollywood’s most polished leading men, and that seems so obvious when you look at him. He just looks so well put together. Yes, this was a man who had the suits and the hair. He had the chin and the posture, too.
Grant appeared in more than 70 films, so it’s clear that the studios liked him as well. He was the kind of guy who could look relaxed while wearing clothes that’d restrict most other men. There was even one early screen test that said he might actually be too handsome for the screen. That’s not a terrible problem to have.
The man built like a statue
One of the reasons that Charles Atlas first became famous was because people wanted to look at him. Then they wanted to look like him. He was born in Italy and moved to the United States as a child. He later became one of the nation’s first major fitness personalities.
Advertisers in particular loved his look, and they’d do whatever they could to get him into their advertisements. He also posed for artists and sculptors. That makes sense when you see the photos, and his physique became his entire public image.
The impossibly neat profile
Actor Gregory Peck looked almost frustratingly handsome when he was younger. He had a straight nose and clean jawline that made him really stand out, since nothing seemed out of place. There was also the fact that he was 6-foot-3.
That definitely helped him out when he started getting cast as romantic leads and respectable men in suits. He could look serious without looking severe, and the Los Angeles Times also wrote about how classically handsome he was. ‘Chiseled’ doesn’t even begin to describe him.
France’s famously perfect face
French actor Alain Delon was born in Sceaux in 1935, and he kind of looks unreal in some shots. He had blue eyes and sharp cheekbones, as well as the kind of facial symmetry directors clearly enjoyed filming. They’d record him from every possible angle.Â
Just watch films like Plein Soleil or Le Samouraï, and you’ll see why they were so into him. Filmmakers would do their best to use mirrors and lighting to make even more of Delon’s appearance. They had plenty to work with already because he was such a photogenic man.
From the football field to Hollywood
Jim Brown didn’t need Hollywood to make him look good because he already had that on lock. He was around 6-foot-2 and was one of the biggest stars in the NFL while playing for the Cleveland Browns. Brown eventually retired from football and went straight into movies.
There was something about his ease on camera that made him look even better, especially since it wasn’t exactly guaranteed for a former football player. He looked good without really trying, and that only made him more handsome.
A close-up made for the movies
The closer the camera got, the better that actor Montgomery Clift looked. He had high cheekbones and large eyes, as well as a softness around his expression that made him look different from the tougher male stars around him. Different in a good way, though.
His look was almost kind of hypnotic, and he was especially suited to portraits and close-ups. It makes what happened in 1956 even sadder. He was badly injured in a car accident that year, and he was forced to undergo major reconstructive surgery.
The international heartthrob
Omar Sharif entered Lawrence of Arabia almost as a tiny figure in the distance. He left as one of the film’s biggest stars. You might recognize him for his role as the romantic lead in Doctor Zhivago and Funny Girl.Â
Sharif was born Michel Chalhoub in Alexandria, Egypt, and had already acted in Egyptian films before Hollywood knew him. American audiences fell in love with his mustache and that very calm, slightly amused expression that he wore so well.Â
Fox’s tall, dark leading man
The phrase ‘Hollywood leading man’ doesn’t do Tyrone Power justice. He became a major star at 20th Century-Fox, thanks to his thick dark hair and dark eyes. His athletic build and very even features didn’t exactly hurt, either.
Power looked particularly good in costume adventures like The Mark of Zorro and The Black Swan, although he was still very attractive without the disguise. His beauty actually got in the way sometimes, as he couldn’t get meatier roles. Studios wanted to keep casting him as the tall, dark, handsome movie star.
The replacement Tarzan
It would’ve been nearly impossible for Lex Barker to disappear into the background. He was 6-foot-4. The New Yorker served in World War II before Hollywood gave him an opportunity to replace Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan. He made five films in the role.
One look at him makes it clear why he was chosen, as he was blond and broad-shouldered. He was also more clean-cut than his predecessor. It’s kind of ironic, really, since Tarzan was meant to be a jungle man, but even so.
Quiet elegance on screen
It doesn’t matter whether Sidney Poitier was wearing a plain suit or something more flashy. He’d look exceptionally polished either way. The fact that he was tall and lean helped with that, but so did those sharp cheekbones and that steady gaze.Â
He also carried himself like a true gentleman. The media seemed to agree about how handsome the actor was, as the Los Angeles Times once described his appearance as almost princely. This was an attractive man, through and through.
The original screen heartthrob
Movies didn’t even have dialogue yet, but still, Rudolph Valentino managed to be a sex symbol. He exploded in popularity during the 1920s after appearing in The Sheik. People just loved his heavy-lidded eyes and slim dancer’s build.
Women would pack theaters to see him, and men tried to copy his hairstyle because, let’s be honest, he was that attractive. His beauty probably has a lot to do with his Italian ancestry.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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