The homme fatal is not as well known as his female counterpart among movie characters, the femme fatale, but the silver screen has certainly seen some memorable male sex symbols all the same. From the clueless but good-natured “himbo” to the sinister but smiling anti-hero and even villain, male eye candy can serve several roles in the story.
While the femme fatale is so well-worn, the role is often a hollow movie cliché. When it comes to the male version, there seems to be more creativity in how they are portrayed. The characters on this list were easy on the eyes, but they all had more than just looks going for them.
10 Magic Mike Offered A Plethora Of Oiled, Muscled Bodies On Stage
The Steven Soderbergh movie is essentially a story about hommes fatals. The script is focused on Alex Pettyfer as a 19-year-old college dropout just getting into the wild world of male exotic dancing, and his relationships with veterans in the biz, played by Channing Tatum as the titular lead dancer Michael “Magic Mike” Lane, and Matthew McConaughey as Dallas, former dancer and current greedy nightclub owner.
Although the world of partying and casual sex isn't given a glamorous treatment, there are plenty of scenes of the boys gyrating on stage.
9 Brad Pitt Gave Geena Davis The Night Of Her Life Before Robbing Her In Thelma & Louise
Thelma & Louise made history in 1991 as the first popular mainstream movie about female buddies on the run from the law. It connected with audiences and won an Oscar along with a string of nominations.
Susan Sarandon (Thelma) and Geena Davis (Louise) anchored the movie, but a young Brad Pitt played a memorable role both for the characters and the story arc as J.D., the handsome, charming drifter who gives Louise a night she’ll never forget... and then steals all their money.
8 Encino Man Gifted The World With A Young Brendan Fraser
When it comes to young Brendan Fraser, virtually any of his early films could have made this list. Certainly, The Mummy and its sequels are beloved in no small part because of the appeal of his Rick. But, it’s 1991’s Encino Man that first introduced audiences to Fraser’s version of the himbo.
It was Fraser’s second movie role, and he played the clueless hunk with a heart of gold who is completely unaware of his own attractiveness so perfectly he was asked to repeat it multiple times.
7 Fifty Shades Of Grey Offered Fans Of The Book A Fantasy Fulfillment In Christian Grey
No matter what the critics and haters said, together, the three Fifty Shades of Grey movies made more than $1.3 billion, not to mention the over 150 million books sold. Irish actor Jamie Dornan needed to be believable as Christian Grey, a troubled billionaire who captivates the story’s heroine, lit. student Ana.
Fans of the books loved his take on the character, who had to be every bit the billionaire playboy, an enigmatic kinkster, and reveal a soft side under all that too.
6 After Seeing Taye Diggs, No One Questions How Stella Got Her Groove Back
Angela Bassett stars in the classic rom-com How Stella Got Her Groove Back, in a cast that includes Whoopi Goldberg and Regina King. It also features Taye Diggs' movie debut performance as the man who helps her get her groove back.
Bassett's Stella is a broken-hearted stockbroker on vacation in Jamaica, about 15 years older than Diggs' Winston, but his undeniable charms soon overcome her reservations about the age difference. More than just physically attractive, he’s the one who puts the sparkle back in her eyes.
5 Ryan Gosling’s Shirtless Scene In Crazy Stupid Love Became Iconic
As his career has matured, actor Ryan Gosling has taken more and more chances with his movies, but many of his earlier movie roles would fall into the homme fatal category. In Crazy Stupid Love, Goslin plays Jacob Palmer, a player who befriends Carl (Steve Carrell) after his wife walks out.
Jacob's story arc goes from calculating womanizer to a man in love, and Gosling wears the role with ease. The scene where he goes shirtless in the rain became an iconic touchstone for a generation of Gosling fans.
4 Ryan Reynolds Played Sandra Bullock’s Eye Candy In The Proposal
The Proposal uses a classic rom-com ruse: the false proposal. Sandra Bullock (The Unforgivable) plays Margaret Tate, the tyrannical executive editor at a book publishing company in New York. She's also a Canadian who's outlasted her work visa and is about to get deported.
To solve her dilemma, she bullies her assistant, Ryan Reynolds as Andrew Paxton, into marrying her. What starts as an arrangement of convenience turns into a real romance, of course, as Bullock’s character succumbs to Reynold’s obvious appeal.
3 Richard Gere Was A Sympathetic Hunk In American Gigolo
With a smoldering young Richard Gere and a soundtrack that included the iconic Blondie hit Call Me, it's no mystery why American Gigolo was a sensation when it was released in 1980.
Gere plays Julian Kay, an upscale male escort who becomes embroiled in a murder investigation through one of his rich clients. Kay's clients are largely older women, including Lauren Hutton. Hutton plays a senator's wife who becomes obsessed with Kay. Gere’s career took off after the sexy role put him in the media spotlight.
2 Dickie Greenleaf Was A Suave, Charming Villain In The Talented Mr. Ripley
Jude Law's Dickie Greenleaf comes to a bad end in The Talented Mr. Ripley, but before he does, he leads a life of decadence, luxury, and privilege. A handsome, rich wastrel with an undeniable sense of style, Dickie is sought after by both women and men.
He can be cruel and is certainly thoughtless, but it doesn't seem to take away from his magnetism or drive anybody away. In the end, it's probably his charisma that leads to his untimely death.
1 Olivier Martinez Makes Diane Lane’s Infidelity Believable In Unfaithful
Diane Lane is already married to Richard Gere in the 2002 movie Unfaithful, but her Westchester, NY housewife and mother is a little bored with the same old, same old. That’s when she runs into Olivier Martinez’s Paul Martel, who very quickly overcomes any qualms she might have had over getting involved.
Even with a solid marriage and handsome hubby at home, it’s easy to believe her hot fling with Martel, who oozes a suave sex appeal. He’s the relationship that’s no good, but so hard to resist.