Timeless looks
There’s no question that Hollywood has high beauty standards for both men and women. But while many of the greatest actors of Hollywood’s Golden Age were conventionally handsome—tall with imposing physiques, chiseled features, and stunning smiles—some were not. Some achieved fame through character roles, some augmented their appearance with things like lifts in their shoes, and others rebelled against expectations by refusing to do things like shave their chests—or even going as far as developing a potbelly on purpose.
Errol Flynn
Tall, dark, and handsome, with a cleft chin and an incredible smile, Errol Flynn was Hollywood’s top action hero in the 1930s. He is perhaps best remembered for his role in The Adventures of Robin Hood. As the title character, Flynn set the standard for all the celluloid Robin Hoods that have followed.
Cary Grant
Cary Grant starred in some of the biggest hits of the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s including The Philadelphia Story, An Affair To Remember, North by Northwest, and To Catch a Thief. Handsome, dignified, and charming, he performed in comedic and dramatic roles—and he always got the girl in the end.
Gene Kelly
One of the greatest dancers on the silver screen, Gene Kelly was known for his good looks and athletic body. Although he performed in dozens of movies, he is best remembered for his role in Singin’ in the Rain.
Dennis Morgan
While not as conventionally handsome as some Hollywood stars, Dennis Morgan was known for his twinkly eyes and shy smile. His breakout role was as leading man Wyn Strafford, playing opposite Ginger Rogers in Kitty Foyle. He became so beloved by audiences in the 1940s that he received more fan mail than any other film star at Warner Brothers for much of that decade.
Clark Gable
The legendary Clark Gable made more than 60 movies during his career but his portrayal of Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind remains iconic. Known as the “King of Hollywood,” Gable was one of the most popular romantic stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. His distinctive looks often included a small tapered mustache.
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart exuded manliness and confidence, which added authenticity to the tough-guy roles he often played. He starred in several massive hits during the 1940s and ‘50s in addition to his defining role in Casablanca. Bogart disparaged his appearance, saying: “I'm not good-looking … I have character in my face. It's taken an awful lot of late nights and drinking to put it there. When I go to work in a picture, I say, ‘Don't take the lines out of my face. Leave them there'”.
Rudolph Valentino
The term “Latin lover” was created for Rudolph Valentino, an Italian immigrant who exuded smoldering good looks and charisma on screen. Valentino’s iconic starring role in The Sheik set a new standard for leading men. He died in 1931, when he was just 31 years old, due to complications following emergency surgery.
Orange County Archives, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Anthony Quinn
Born in Mexico, of both Mexican and Irish descent, Anthony Quinn was unconventionally handsome. He performed in more than 200 films, often cast in supporting roles as ethnic characters. His signature role was the lead in Zorba the Greek.
Brian Aherne
British actor Brian Aherne had an established stage career in his home country before his first Broadway performance in 1931. He moved to Hollywood in the mid-1930s, where his acting chops and tall blue-eyed good looks landed him movie roles with Hollywood’s most beautiful actresses. He earned one Academy Award nomination, for Best Supporting Actor, for his role in Juarez.
James Stewart
Known for the twinkle in his eyes and his wholesome everyman qualities, James Stewart starred in several classic films, most memorably, It’s a Wonderful Life. A full-fledged movie star by the late 1930s, Stewart was drafted into the United States Army to serve in World War II. He remained active in the military until 1968, achieving the rank of brigadier general.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Wikimedia Commons
Ronald Colman
Wounded while serving in World War I, British actor Ronald Colman walked with a limp for the rest of his life. His disability didn’t hinder his success in Hollywood. With his dark, handsome looks, Colman became one of Hollywood’s greatest romantic leads. He was nominated three times for an Academy Award for Best Actor and took the coveted statue home for A Double Life.
General Photographic Agency, Getty Images
Robert Redford
Jaw-droppingly handsome, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and chiselled features, Robert Redford was well aware of his good looks. He understood his allure even as he aged, saying, “I am perhaps the best-looking grandfather around, apart from Marlon Brando, of course”! His storied career spanned six decades and included roles in box office smashes such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Way We Were.
World Travel & Tourism Council, Flickr
Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen is revered more for his ultra-cool persona than his looks but he famously said, “I'm a little screwed up but I'm beautiful”. He was often typecast as a rugged character in war films and westerns. Many consider his performance as a police detective in Bullitt his signature role.
Gary Cooper
Despite being one of Hollywood’s best-looking leading men, Gary Cooper was self-deprecating about his appearance. Cooper once said: “Until I came along all the leading men were handsome, but luckily they wrote a lot of stories about the fellow next door”. The star of dozens of films, his signature role was as Marshal Will Kane in High Noon.
Peter Lawford
A childhood injury prevented Peter Lawford from being drafted during World War II—which turned out to be a boon for his career. Born in London, Lawford picked up several roles playing British military personnel during the war years. Known for his dashing good looks and wide smile, Lawford’s breakout role was in A Yank at Eton.
Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum wasn’t conventionally handsome by Hollywood standards but he was imposing—tall and wide-chested. He starred in about 100 films, beginning in the 1940s, and quickly became an icon of film noir. Interestingly, Mitchum was the first male star to refuse to shave his chest for shirtless scenes and ultimately developed a potbelly specifically to avoid taking his shirt off on screen. 
National Archives of Norway, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
John Mitchum
While John Mitchum didn’t achieve the same level of stardom as his older brother Robert, the younger Mitchum performed in several dozen movies. Many of his roles were uncredited but he did have some supporting character roles, most notably in the first three Dirty Harry films. He was often cast as a “heavy” because of his large, imposing physique.
Laurence Olivier
Laurene Olivier may have not been tall or buff, but his face exuded handsomeness with its chiselled jawline and cleft chin. Well known as a British stage actor, Olivier appeared in about 50 films. He received his first Best Actor Academy Award nomination for his role in Wuthering Heights.
Omar Sharif
The Egyptian actor Omar Sharif is best known for his roles in Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago. After donning a false mustache at the casting call for Lawrence of Arabia, he decided to grow one and kept it for most of his life.
Muhammad Mansour, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Peter O’Toole
Peter O’Toole was a renowned British stage actor before making his Hollywood film debut in Kidnapped. He had bit parts in just three movies before being tapped to play T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Actor category. His looks were notable for his amazing bone structure and stunning blue eyes.
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was only on screen for two minutes in 1949’s Criss Cross, but those two minutes were enough to launch him into stardom. During the early years of his career, his hairstyle—thick and curly, with slicked back sides and a longer pompadour style on top—became a fad that may have inspired Elvis Presley’s hairstyle.
Lew Ayres
The boyishly handsome Lew Ayres got his big break in All Quiet on the Western Front. His popularity in Hollywood wanned when he became a conscientious objector during World War II. However, he served under active fire as a medic in the Medical Corps for three and a half years. After the war, he continued to work in film, most notably in Johnny Belinda.
Montgomery Clift
An established stage actor since the age of 13, Montgomery Clift made his Hollywood debut in Red River opposite John Wayne. The stunningly handsome Clift survived a near-fatal car crash in 1956 when Elizabeth Taylor saved him by pulling two smashed teeth out of his throat.
James Dean
With his pompadour hairstyle and classic casual look revolving around denim, white tees, and leather jackets, James Dean remains an icon of cool rebelliousness 70 years after his death. Dean had major roles in only three films—most notably East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause—before dying in a car crash in 1955.
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Tall and roguishly handsome, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. followed in the footsteps of his famous father, performing in over 60 films. He was one of the first movie stars to enlist during World War II and became a highly decorated naval officer. In 1946, he became the first American movie star knighted by a British monarch.
Fred MacMurray
Fred MacMurray is fondly remembered for his Disney films The Shaggy Dog and The Absent-Minded Professor as well as his starring role for 12 seasons in My Three Sons. Because he was in his 50s and 60s during these projects, MacMurray’s image is often that of an older dad. However, as a film star in the 1930s and ‘40s, MacMurray was stunningly handsome with dark curly hair, a strong jaw, and a cleft chin.
George Peppard
Classically handsome, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and full lips, George Peppard achieved stardom when he was cast as Audrey Hepburn’s love interest in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Although his film career waned after the 1960s, Peppard had a major comeback with the television series, The A-Team, in the 1980s.
Jack de Nijs for Anefo / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
John Hodiak
The contrast between John Hodiak’s dark hair and blue eyes made his looks quite striking. He made his film debut in a walk-on part in 1943 and quickly rose to the rank of leading man, in large part due to the number of actors serving in World War II. Perhaps best known for Lifeboat, Hodiak passed away from natural causes at the young age of 41.
Tyrone Power
Called “illegally handsome,” Tyrone Power lamented the effect of his good looks on his acting career. Power is quoted as saying: “Some day I will show all the [people] who say I was a success just because of my pretty face. Sometimes I wish I had a really bad car accident so my face would get smashed up”. He acted in about 50 films and is best remembered for Witness for the Prosecution.
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas had a legendary career, making over 90 films across seven decades. With his broad shoulders and muscular physique, Douglas had a chance to show off his athletic form as the scantily-clad slave in Spartacus. It may come as a surprise that Douglas was only 5’9” and often wore lifts in his shoes while on screen.
Joseph Cotten
Joseph Cotten was his in his 30s when he made his Hollywood debut in Citizen Kane. He went on to become one of Hollywood’s top leading men in the 1940s. He once said, “Luckily I was tall, had curly hair and a good voice. I only had to stamp my foot and I'd play the lead—because I couldn't play character parts”.
Ray Milland
Born in Wales, Ray Milland spent four years with the Household Cavalry as a member of The Blues and Royals regiment, responsible in part for guarding Britain’s royal family. His friendship with the actress Estelle Brody led to his departure for Hollywood. While Milland was one of Hollywood’s top leading men of the 1940s, often starring in romantic comedies, he is best known for The Lost Weekend, in which he was cast against type.
William Holden
Nicknamed “Golden Holden”, William Holden starred in several of Hollywood's biggest hits during the 1950s including Sunset Boulevard, Sabrina, and The Bridge on the River Kwai. While he was certainly handsome, he is known for his smile and the affable sweetness of many of his characters.
Alan Curtis
Alan Curtis became a model in his 20s, mainly appearing in newspaper and magazine ads. His good looks brought him to the attention of Hollywood, where he appeared in numerous walk-on roles before becoming a leading man in the 1940s. His most memorable role was in High Sierra. He died at the young age of 43 from complications following routine kidney surgery.
Clarence Sinclair Bull, Getty Images
Franchot Tone
Born into a wealthy family, Franchot Tone was known for his good looks and gentlemanly sophisticated manner. In her autobiography, Bette Davis says: “I fell in love with Franchot, professionally and privately, everything about him reflected his elegance, from his name to his manners”. Although he starred in a few dozen films, he is best known for his role in Mutiny on the Bounty, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
Robert Young
Quiet, shy, and introverted in real life, Robert Young’s personality was reflected in his screen image. In movies, Young often played characters who were charming and good looking but lacking in physical appeal. Although he made more than 100 movies, he is best remembered for the television series Father Knows Best and Marcus Welby, M.D.
Lee Bowman
Known for his dark good looks, pencil-thin mustache, and innate elegance, Lee Bowman was often cast as the second lead. He is best remembered for his performances in two musicals with Rita Hayworth: Cover Girl and Tonight and Every Night.
Universal History Archive, Getty Images
Gilbert Roland
Another of Hollywood’s Latin lovers, Gilbert Roland was born in Mexico. Strikingly handsome with a brilliant smile and blue eyes that contrasted with his dark hair, Roland enjoyed a long and varied career in film and television. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his work in The Bad and the Beautiful.
RKO Pictures, Wikimedia Commons
Gregory Peck
Beloved as Atticus Finch in the screen adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird, Gregory Peck was one of the most popular actors of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Tall, dark, and ruggedly handsome with a chiseled jaw, Peck was a swoon-worthy leading man. He was also morally upright and progressive, participating in anti-war protests and the civil rights movement. He was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 for his humanitarian work.
Robert Donat
British actor Robert Donat was dedicated to stage work—and his home country—but Hollywood was persistent in its attempts to lure him to the screen. In the end, he starred in 19 films including The Count of Monte Cristo. In a later recollection of working on that movie, Donat recalled: “The chief thing in my mind was that I must appear dashing. I distinctly remember … pulling my shoulders back and trying to look handsome”.
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