Intended as an annual feature, the Sexiest Man Alive designation by People magazine is billed as a benchmark of male beauty.
For the first decade or so, the feature appeared at uneven intervals. Originally awarded in the wintertime, it shifted around the calendar, resulting in gaps as short as seven months and as long as a year and a half (with no selection at all during 1994). Since 1997, the dates have settled between mid-November and early December.
Dates of magazine issues, winners, ages of winners at the time of selection, and pertinent comments are listed below.
- 1985-02-04 - Mel Gibson, 29; first winner
- 1986-01-27 - Mark Harmon, 34
- 1987-03-30 - Harry Hamlin, 35
- 1988-09-12 - John F. Kennedy Jr., 27; longest gap between selections (eighteen months); only winner now deceased; youngest winner
- 1989-12-18 - Sean Connery, 59; oldest winner
- 1990-07-23 - Tom Cruise, 28; second-youngest winner
- 1991-08-26 - Patrick Swayze, 39
- 1992-03-16 - Nick Nolte, 51; shortest gap between selections (seven months)
- 1993-10-18 - Richard Gere, 44, and Cindy Crawford, 27; People took a one-year hiatus from Sexiest Man and instead awarded Sexiest Couple
- 1995-01-30 - Brad Pitt, 31; first of two awards
- 1996-07-29 - Denzel Washington, 41; first and only African American winner
- 1997-11-17 - George Clooney, 36
- 1998-11-16 - Harrison Ford, 56
- 1999-11-15 - Richard Gere, 50; first two-time winner (previous win was shared)
- 2000-11-13 - Brad Pitt, 36; first solo two-time winner
- 2001-11-26 - Pierce Brosnan, 48
- 2002-12-02 - Ben Affleck, 30
- 2003-12-01 - Johnny Depp, 40
- 2004-11-29 - Jude Law, 31
- 2005-11-18 - Matthew McConaughey, 36
- 2006-05-30 - Taylor Hicks, 29