Who says only women can become sexier with age? Here are ten actors and performances in film that have grown significantly sexier with age, and have packed enough star power in Hollywood to show that often times being an icon is a man’s work not fit for boys. Here are ten actors over thirty five in Hollywood currently making waves and aging well. They’re classy, sophisticated, and the object of desire for many women across the world.
10. Seann William Scott (36)
Every girl loves a funny guy. A charming and funny guy is even better. Seann William Scott did not hit my radar as a good looking man until I saw him in Bulletproof Monk. Maybe it was the humor, maybe it was the way he acted in that movie, or maybe it was the martial arts, but from then on, I was hooked. He barely made the list this year as he is just 36, the baby of this list really. He can veer into the too goofy realm easily as in the American Pie movies, but when he lets his acting chops shine, like in Goon, he is downright sexy.
9. Robert Downey Jr. (48)
He’s Iron Man. He’s Sherlock Holmes. He’s a damn fine man. The shortest on the list I believe (sorry, I like them tall). Robert Downey Jr. oozes sex appeal and charm, even when he plays bad boy, which he does oh so well. He is also a very talented actor, nominated for many a prize in his lengthy career; yet, I like him best as Tony Stark, the cocky industry leader and super hero. Probably the best casting decision of the Marvel universe in my eyes, along with Thor, but he is too young to make the list. RDJ has been on the radar since Less Than Zero and will mostly likely still be 10 years from now.
8. Stuart Townsend (40)
During my vampire period, I went and saw the pretty dismal Queen of the Damned. The movie was not very good, the soundtrack however was great, and the eye candy was fantastic. If nothing else, that movie gave me both Frenchman Vincent Perez and Irishman Stuart Townsend as vampires. Townsend caught my eye and I went back through his previous movies and newer ones as they were released. Beside League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, most of his movies are very good and he shows a lot of talent. Resurrection Man and About Adam probably being the ones I would recommend the most to see what the actor can do when given good characters to work with proving he is not just a pretty face. He will soon be seen on Betrayal, a new television series.
7. David Belle (40)
The only Frenchman on the list for some reason, David Belle is usually a stuntman in movies like Babylon A.D., Prince of Persia, and Crimson Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse, but he also acts as in the B13 movies. He is a parkour artist, a stuntman, an actor, and a good ass-kicker who looks very good while doing all of this. I was surprised when I looked him up to find out he is 40 years old, looking much younger. All those action sequences must keep a man in shape. Also worth noting, he also has some great tattoos, adding to his bad boy charm. Being mainly a stuntman, every chance we get to see him is worth it and I find myself almost looking forward to the B13 remake called Brink Mansion in which he stars alongside Paul Walker.
6. Jeffrey Dean Morgan (47)
Only a good, gorgeous man could play father to the Winchester boys on Supernatural and they found the perfect mix of sexy, gorgeous and gritty in Jeffrey Dean Morgan. He may only have been on 12 episodes of the show, but he made an impression, just as he did as the sheriff in Dead & Breakfast, probably one of the best horror musicals out there. His turn as the Comedian in The Watchmen was memorable and his performance was good, but the impression that character left was not a necessarily good one, which goes to show the man has talent. His presence in The Losers made the movie much better and he may even help the remake of Red Dawn, if ever I find myself watching it.
5. Bradley Cooper (38)
Bradley Cooper was not a case of love at first sight here. At first, he got on my last nerve. I did not like The Hangover much at all and most of what I saw him in, I could not care less about. Then he showed up in The Midnight Meat Train and bam! That was it, loved him in the horror movie as a photographer who follows a potential serial killer and puts himself in danger. This was the movie that made him interesting to me. Then, I watched Limitless and The A-Team and he became a cutie, then a beautiful man who spoke French with such an adorable accent, even though he speaks it fluently. This French speaker was smitten by that one sentence in my first language. From then on, I was on the Bradley Cooper is hot bandwagon. I am still happy is not going to be the next Eric Draven as once rumored though, sorry.
4. Takeshi Kaneshiro (39)
This half-Japanese, half-Chinese actor started as a pop star in China and is now a very talented and respected actor. I discovered him as the love interest in Chunking Express and in Returner, and then fell in movie love with him as Jin in House of Flying Daggers. I must admit, I prefer him in period pieces, but that is my usual preference in international cinema (may it be French or Japanese or Italian). His performance in The Warlords and Red Cliff just further cemented this movie love as he is a fantastic actor on top of a very good looking man. The fact that he is a more than decent martial artist (or great at faking it) may also be helping him.
3. Dolph Lundgren (55)
Probably the oldest and tallest gent on this list, Dolph Lundgren has been like a fine wine, aging very well. Still known for his action movie roles, this writer discovered him by seeing him in both Universal Soldiers opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme and in Showdown in Little Tokyo opposite Brandon Lee. Lundgren is not only a third-degree black belt in Kyokushinkai Karate, he also has a chemical engineering master’s degree, effectively making him the brawn and the brains, something very sexy in a man. Not all his movie choices were the best; he has made more than his fair share of b-movie caliber actioners. Lundgren has been a favorite since my teens years when I rented absolutely anything he was in, as none of his movies made it to theater at the time. His return to theaters in The Expendables was highly appreciated as I would gladly check out any of his movies, good or not, in theaters any week over most of the action hits being churned out recently.
2. Jason Statham (45)
The voice, the accent, the body, Jason Statham has is all to be good eye and ear candy. On top of this, he is a talented action actor. Once upon a time, Jason Statham was a part of the British National Diving Team, something that could explain how he got the body he has and the fact that he did all his own stunts on The Transporter, including the swimming scenes. Statham was discovered when he first modeled for French Connection and then starred in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. He is one of those actors the ladies loves and the guys don’t hate. Good looking, but not too good looking. His team up with director Guy Ritchie made him an unavoidable English star. Recently, his turn as Lee Christmas in The Expendables series has brought him on the level of top action star leveling him with the other guys in the movie, everyone seemingly becoming a fan.
1. Timothy Olyphant (45)
These days, Timothy Olyphant cannot be missed as Raylan Givens on Justified. If you are not watching this show, you are seriously missing out. I first spotted him in Scream 2 and then in the great Go where he made many girls I know wish they were Katie Holmes. From there, he was in everything from Gone in 60 Seconds to Rock Star to Dreamcatcher to Deadwood. The man is everywhere it seems when you think about it. And why not, he is charming, talented, sexy, and has a crazy swagger that makes him perfect for a variety of roles. The next season of Justified cannot start soon enough.