39 Movie Stars Who Show How Male Beauty Has Changed Over Time (From the 1950s to Today)

The history of cinema can be seen from many different angles. You can focus on the classics, the highest-grossing films, productions with the most awards, or those with the most significant performances... In our case, we’ll see it from the point of view of the actors who’ve captivated the most viewers’ hearts. Maybe you’ve heard the name of some of them, but you’ve never seen their faces, like James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Cary Grant. And when it comes to the newer actors, you may have seen them on Netflix, but not know what their names are, like Noah Centineo or Jacob Elordi.

Bright Side made a list of gorgeous men who were, and continue to be, symbols of fashion, grace, and beauty in the film industry.

The ’50s

James Dean

He was an American actor who, after playing small roles on television and in the theater, moved to Los Angeles in the early 1950s to start his film career. His most famous parts were his leading roles in the films Rebel Without a Cause (1955), East of Eden (1955), and Giant (1956).

John Wayne

Known as “Duke,” he was an American actor who began his profession in silent cinema in the 1920s. Throughout his extensive career, he took advantage of his looks and became a symbol of the rugged and masculine. He came to play over a hundred roles in different movies.

Cary Grant

This English star was one of the most popular in Hollywood, and he kept that position for decades thanks to his charm, sharpness, and overall exquisite elegance.

Gregory Peck

The American actor remained at the peak of his career (and his looks) between the second half of the 1940s through to the early 1960s. He won the Oscar for “Best Actor” in 1962, for his role as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Marlon Brando

This dreamy-eyed fella devoted himself to the theater during the 1940s and, in the early 1950s, moved into cinema. He distinguished himself worldwide for his roles in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Viva Zapata! (1952), Julius Caesar (1953), and On the Waterfront (1954). After he got older, his work on the big screen diminished in quality, until he finally regained his place with his performances in The Godfather (1972), Last Tango in Paris (1972), and Apocalypse Now (1979).

The ’60s

Alain Delon

This French actor was an icon in the ’60s and ’70s. He became the winner of the César Awards and a successful businessman with his own brand of perfumes, watches, and accessories.

Jean-Paul Belmondo

This French actor and director of Italian origin rose to fame after showing off his looks and talent in À bout de souffle, internationally known as Breathless.

Sean Connery

This Scottish multi-award-winning actor and film producer rose to stardom thanks to his role as James Bond in Dr. No. The character’s success was so remarkable that he played James Bond in 6 sequels (one unofficial) and even lent his voice for the video game, James Bond 007: From Russia with Love.

Jean-Louis Trintignant

This French actor was born in the 1930s. He appeared on the big screen in 1955, and rose to fame in ’56 with his role alongside Brigitte Bardot in the movie And God Created Woman.

Paul Newman

Newman was an American actor, director, producer, and a winner of Oscars and Golden Globes. Also, he stood out as a race car driver, a sport he became interested in during the filming of the movie Winning, in 1968.

Franco Nero

An Italian actor with more than 200 roles in movies and television shows. He became widely known for his role in the western Django (1966).

The ’70s

Giuliano Gemma

This is the Italian actor most associated with spaghetti westerns. His most remembered role is that of “Ringo,” a character from the movie A Pistol for Ringo and The Return of Ringo. His identification with the role transcended the big screen: Ringo became his personal nickname.

Robert De Niro

The American actor, director, and film producer is also the handsome winner of 2 Oscars for his performances in Raging Bull and The Godfather Part II. Over the years, he’s shown off his acting skills as he has gone through several genres, from horror movies to comedies.

Harrison Ford

The American film and television actor played iconic roles such as Han Solo (Star Wars), Indiana Jones, and Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, a serious cult science fiction film.

Al Pacino

The American actor, screenwriter, and both film and theater director was an iconic and multi-award-winning figure in 20th-century cinema. He’s famous for his portrayal of Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972).

John Travolta

This American actor, singer, and dancer rose to fame for his performance in the series Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-1979), and for his leading roles in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978). His acting career declined during the 1980s, but in the 1990s, he reemerged with his participation in the critically acclaimed film Pulp Fiction, by director Quentin Tarantino (1994).

Sylvester Stallone

This American actor, screenwriter, producer, and filmmaker has Italian roots. This tough man and Hollywood star brought to life iconic characters like boxer Rocky Balboa and Vietnam War veteran John Rambo.

The ’80s

Tom Selleck

This actor, screenwriter, and producer, has won several awards since he reached stardom in 1980, thanks to his role in the television series Magnum, P.I.

Alec Baldwin

American film and television actor and the oldest of the “Baldwin brothers,” is from a family that is recognized in the film industry. He rose to fame in 1988, with his starring role in the movie Beetlejuice, from renowned director Tim Burton.

Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson is an Australian-American actor, director, and film producer, who also has his Irish citizenship. He gained fame with his roles in Mad Max (1979) and Lethal Weapon (1987). Not satisfied with that, he took the challenge of directing and starring in Braveheart (1995), which won 5 Oscars, including “best picture” and “best director.”

Kevin Costner

This American actor and director had his first leading role in the Western film Silverado in 1985. Sometime later, he directed and starred in Dances with Wolves (1990), a film that won 7 Oscars. He should also win something for his looks...

The ’90s

Pierce Brosnan

This Irish cutie is an actor and most well-known for being the fifth man to portray James Bond in Goldeneye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2002).

Tom Cruise

As an actor and film producer, he’s considered one of the highest-grossing Hollywood box office actors of all time. As a man, he’s gorgeous. His films have made more than $4 billion in the United States and more than $10 billion worldwide. He has starred in films like Top Gun (1986), The Color of Money (1986), and the Mission Impossible saga (which started in 1996), among others.

George Clooney

He’s an accomplished actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, and the winner of 4 Golden Globes, 2 Academy Awards, and one BAFTA. He rose to fame as the cute Dr. Doug Ross on the show E.R. (1994-1999, returning in 2009 for the last season). Thanks to this role, he starred in films like Batman & Robin (1997) and Out of Sight (1998). Later, in the 2000s, he achieved his greatest career success starring in the Ocean’s trilogy.

Brad Pitt

This handsome actor and film producer has been nominated 4 times for an Oscar and has won as producer (2014) and as best supporting actor in (2020). He was nominated to 7 Academy Awards, winning 2 of them. Also, he was nominated 10 times for the Golden Globe and won as best supporting actor in 1996 and 2019 and as best drama motion picture in 2014 as a producer. In addition to his talent, he enjoys a significant worldwide media presence because he’s been regarded as one of the most attractive men on the planet for many years.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Multi-award-winning actor, producer, environmentalist, and screenwriter: This guy has done it all. He rose to fame with his starring role as Jack Dawson in Titanic (1997). Years later, he played more emblematic roles in The Beach (2000), Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Aviator (2004), Blood Diamond (2006), Django Unchained (2012), and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), among other movies.

The 2000s

Orlando Bloom

This British actor rose to fame after playing the leading roles in 2 major productions: he portrayed the charming elf prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), and the attractive blacksmith Will Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003).

Jean Dujardin

Jean Dujardin is a multi-award-winning French actor, who achieved glory with his role in The Artist. He won the award for “Best Actor” at the Cannes Film Festival, at the Golden Globes, at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and at the Oscars.

Jude Law

This handsome British film and theater actor became recognized for his role in the Oscar Wilde biopic, Wilde. During the 2000s, he worked in productions that would take him to success, such as A. I. Artificial Intelligence (for which he learned to dance ballet), The Aviator, Sherlock Holmes, Alfie, and others.

Tom Welling

American actor, director, producer, and former-model (no surprise there!), is known worldwide for playing Clark Kent in the Smallville series, and for his role as Charlie Baker in the 2 productions of Cheaper by the Dozen movies (2003 and 2005).

The 2010s

Chris Hemsworth

This one’s a southern beauty, an Australian actor, dubber, and producer. He began his career in 2002, with sporadic appearances on small television shows in his country. A few years later, he moved to the United States and debuted on the big screen in Star Trek (2009). He definitely reached the top of his career with his role as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing the Nordic god in 8 movies between 2011 and 2019, each successful at the box office.

Liam Hemsworth

Someone has to thank God for the Hemsworth genes. Liam is Chris Hemsworth’s brother. He gained fame in 2010, with his role as Will Blakelee in The Last Song, a movie based on the book by Nicholas Sparks. Years later, he definitively established himself in Hollywood with his performance in The Hunger Games saga (2012-2015).

Ryan Gosling

This Canadian actor, film director, writer, and musician took his first steps as a child star in The Mickey Mouse Club (1993-1995), and many family-friendly television shows between 1995 and 1999. It was in 2001 when he obtained his first prominent role on the big screen, in the movie The Believer, and, after consecrating his talent in some independent films, he let every girl fall in love with him in The Notebook (2004), a classic romantic movie, if there ever was one.

Michael Fassbender

Fassbender is an actor and film producer with dual citizenship (German and Irish). He debuted in the film industry in 2007, in the movie 300, and got his first leading role in 2008, in Hunger, for which he was critically acclaimed. After working on Inglourious Basterds (2009) and Jonah Hex (2010), his most productive year came. In 2011 he starred in Jane Eyre, X-Men: First Class, A Dangerous Method, and Shame.

The new generation — 2020

Noah Centineo

This young American artist became famous after playing Jesus Foster in the series The Fosters (2015-2018), but then became well-known all over the world for his starring roles in the Netflix productions of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018), Sierra Burgess is a Loser (2018), and The Perfect Date (2019).

Finn Wolfhard

Canadian actor and musician, Wolfhard became noticed worldwide thanks to his interpretation of Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things, and also for his role as Richie Tozier in It (2017).

Tom Holland

This British actor and dancer, began his path to stardom in The Impossible (2012) and In the Heart of the Sea (2015). Later on, he established himself worldwide with his role as Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Jacob Elordi

This Australian actor rose to fame with his leading role in The Kissing Booth (2018). In 2019, he began playing Nate Jacobs in the renowned HBO series Euphoria. What’s more, this year, we can see him again in the second part of The Kissing Booth.

Arón Piper

Arón Piper is a Spanish and German actor and musician who had all eyes on him when he played Ander in the Netflix series Elite. In 2020, this good looking man released his first single, Sigo.

Which handsome men do you think would complete this list?