16 Hottest Guys of the 80s

Today’s kids just don’t know what they’re missing. These men were a real piece of meat back in the day, and some of them still have it going for them! We wonder why we ever went gaga over them back then, but after checking out these pictures, it all comes back. Enjoy these Hollywood hunks that had us head over heels in our younger years. For 90s babies and beyond, here’s what you’ve been missing.

Hottest Guys of the 80s

1. Charlie Sheen

Sure he was a druggie in this movie, but he was a hot druggie! One little invitation from him and he’d turn you into a rebel immediately. One of the best things he had going for him was his hair.   That beautiful black hair that stuck straight up…simply breathtaking.

Although you’ll definitely want to think twice about going out with him now. He has quite the past with some reports of alcohol, drug abuse, marital issues and allegations of domestic violence.

2. Johnny Depp

Oh. My. God. How could we have resisted beautiful Johnny back in the day? How many posters of him did you have as a kid? Depp was best known for his roles in Pirates of the Caribbean series, Chocolat, Sweeney Todd, and Edward Scissorhands.

But his first major film was playing Glen Lantz in the 1984 film Nightmare on Elm Street. Described for being one of the most prolific actors of his generation, this man is a legend.

3. Tom Cruise

This handsome hunk is worth over $10.1 billion worldwide, one of the highest paid actors in the world. He’s received a number of awards throughout his acting career, including three Golden Globe Awards and three nomination for Academy Awards. His first film Risky Business was what led him to fame in 1983, then really took off with Top Gun in 1986.

While he did have three wives, he’s committed to Scientology as there’s currently a leaked video of his interview where he promotes it as a religion in Europe.

4. Will Smith

Will really looked like a kid back then, but those beautiful big ears and smile never changed over the years. We can never forget his dorky personality from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, but his career started in the late 80s as The Fresh Prince rapper.

A number of his films have also grossed over $100 million in the box office and has been ranked by Forbes as one of the most bankable stars worldwide. Today, this gorgeous man is worth $350 million, and his kids, Jaden and Willow, are not too far behind.

5. George Clooney

Georgie was certainly known for being one of the most gorgeous of his time, especially for his roles in the Oceans’ series. He also comes from the midwestern town of Lexington, KY, and both his parents’ faces were also easy on the eyes. His mom was a beauty queen and council woman and his dad was an anchorman and television host on the AMC network.

Interesting fact: George developed Bell’s palsy in middle school, a medical condition that partially paralyzes the face. Luckily for him, it went away in a year!

6. Liam Neeson

Even today, Liam Neeson still has his looks going for him. Empire magazine ranked Neeson in both their lists, “100 Sexiest Stars in Film History” and “The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time”. He’s also one of the highest grossing actors, worth about $85 million.

While he started acting in 1976, his big break was Schindler’s List in 1993. Some of his other popular movies were Les Misérables, Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, Batman Begin, Taken and The Chronicles of Narnia.

7. Denzel Washington

How could anyone say no to that dazzling face? And he still looks amazing today! But since the 1980s, he’s starred in a number of important roles that made a big impact on the worldwide audiences. These include:

• South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko in Cry Freedom
• Muslim minister and human rights activist Malcolm X in Malcolm X
• Boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter in The Hurricane
• Football coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans
• Poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson in The Great Debaters
• Drug kingpin in Frank Lucas in American Gangster

But his big career break started in 1982 when he starred as Dr. Phillip Chandler in NBC’s television hospital drama St. Elsewhere, running from 1982 – 1986.

8. Harrison Ford

All of us had a crush on Harrison, especially during the Indiana Jones movies and early Star Wars episode. His first role into fame was playing Solo in the Star Wars movies and has worked himself up to grossing a total of $5.1 billion today. Although there’s rumor around that he never signed any of the contracts during the whole Star Wars trilogy.

But he loved to play Indiana Jones more than any other character in his movies. He starred in a number of other movies of course, including Blade Runner, What Lies Beneath, The Age of Adaline and many more, they weren’t nearly as successful as the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series.

Interesting fact: Ford’s divorce with his ex-wife Melissa Mathison cost him $85 million, the fourth most expensive celebrity divorce.

9. Patrick Swayze

Admit it. We couldn’t get enough of him from Dirty Dancing. With a body and moves like that, nobody could resist him. No surprise, he became popular by playing his romantic, tough male leads, and was named by People magazine as the Sexiest Man Alive in 1991.

He’s also been loyal to one woman (lucky gal) his whole life, Lisa Niemi for 34 years before he died of cancer in 2009. They met when he was 18, she at 14 while taking dance lesson’s from Swayze’s mom. He said that she was his inspiration for writing the hit song “She’s Like the Wind” in 1987.

10. John Cusack

If you love cute, innocent faces, you’ll love this man. While his career took off in the 80s, he starred in over 85 movies! His biggest hits included Better Off Dead, Say Anything, High Infidelity, Serendipity, Sixteen Candles and Better Off Dead.

What makes him especially talented is his ability to vary his acting style throughout a number of different film genres, like thrillers, horror, rom-coms and family dramas. Despite his largely successful films, he’s never received an Academy Award nomination, making him one of the most underrated actors.

11. Jason Bateman

His name just flows ever so smoothly, Jason Bateman. He’s also got an incredibly young face and a truly authentic personality. His career began in the early 1980s with Little House on the Prairie, Silver Spoons and The Hogan Family. But his first time on TV was during a cereal commercial for Golden Grahams.

Not that he needed to, Jason also never finished high school due to filming Teen Wolf Too. He and his sister, Justine, also had to support their parents during their childhood with their paychecks from TV shows.

12. John Stamos

How could anyone not adore John Stamos, even to this day? He played the irresistible bachelor Jesse Katsopolis in Full House in the 80s. But his first major recognition came from his role as Black Parrish on ABC’s General Hospital, receiving a nomination for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

But of course his career really took off with Full House. Stamos also made a few appearances alongside The Beach Boys since 1985, usually playing the drums or other percussion instruments.

13. Brad Pitt

Was there ever a moment in time where Brad didn’t look good? From the start of his acting career with 21 Jump Street in 1987 to his latest film Blonde, his movies and TV shows have been a major success.

While Pitt did finish high school, he quit college and moved to Los Angeles, working low-income jobs while taking acting lessons from acting coach Roy London. It took numerous uncredited parts in No Way Out, No Man’s Land and Less Than Zero and several guest appearances before his career really took off in 1994, starring in major roles like Louis de Pointe du Lac in Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles and David Mills in Seven.

14. Dylan McDermott

This beautiful angel just looks confident in all of his pictures. Probably because he’s always aware of his gorgeousness. His first major screen debut was in 1987 with Hamburger Hill, but his first major break as an actor wasn’t until 1997 with The Practice, thanks to his connection with Clint Eastwood.

Interesting fact: he was uncomfortable with himself as a teenage, saying he had a “Dorothy Hamill hairdo”. If only he knew his future at the time, he wouldn’t have felt so self-conscious.

15. Rob Lowe

This gorgeous stud’s career started at just 15 years old, with ABC’s A New Kind of Family from 1979 to 1980. But he came famous with his films The Outsider, Class, The Hotel New Hampshire, Oxford Blues, St. Elmo’s Fire, About Last Night… and Square Dance, all released in the 80s. With all these movies, it was clear he was a Hollywood star.

While his fame was hit hard after being involved in a 1988 sex tape scandal, he recovered with his role as Sam Seaborn on NBC’s The West Wing from 1999 to 2003. Today, you can listen to him on his podcast, Literally! With Rob Lowe.

16. River Phoenix

This stud muffin started his career at just the age of 10 in TV commercial. Starring in the science fiction film Explorers (1985), he had his first major role in the movie Stand by Me, based on The Body by Stephen King.

In 1988, he played Danny Pope in Running on Empty, the son of fugitive parents that gave him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. At the age of 18, he became the sixth youngest nominee in this category.

Sadly, River Phoenix died at the young age of 23 from a heroine and cocaine overdose in West Hollywood on Halloween, just before his musical performance at the Viper Room. He was also filming Dark Blood, which was put on hold until 2012, 19 years later.