- 2 days ago
Hollywood in the late 70s and 80s delivered an unforgettable lineup of charismatic leading men who redefined what it meant to be a heartthrob. From tough guys with hidden depths to suave dancers and action heroes, these stars took center stage and quickly became icons. Which of these swoon-worthy actors stole your heart? Don’t forget to tell us your favorites in the comments!
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00:00I admire your luck, Mr.
00:03Bond.
00:05James Bond.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:08And today, we're counting down our picks
00:11for the most swoon-worthy male stars of the American new wave.
00:15You're on, kid.
00:18I can tell you this is a hard act to follow.
00:22Number 10, Richard Roundtree.
00:25You say this kid has a bad mother.
00:27Shut your mouth.
00:28I'm talking about Sharon.
00:30Then we can dig it.
00:31When this actor graced the silver screen
00:33as the smooth-talking detective John Shaft in Shaft,
00:37it marked a turning point in the representation
00:39of black men in cinema.
00:42Richard Roundtree, who was widely recognized
00:44as the first black action hero in Hollywood,
00:48was dripping with charisma.
00:49His effortless style, leather coats, turtlenecks, and all,
00:53made him a fashion icon, too.
00:55Got to see if you're clean before you can see the man.
00:58You better get yourself six more helpers in, will you?
01:04That's how it's done.
01:06Who searches you?
01:08Nobody.
01:09You get the same cat to search us.
01:11Roundtree's success with Shaft spawned a series of sequels,
01:16as well as an eponymous TV series,
01:19establishing him as a prominent star in the 70s.
01:21He went on to gain much acclaim for his roles in shows like Roots and Generations, as well,
01:27proving his versatility.
01:29Needless to say, fans either wanted to be him or be with him.
01:33I love you.
01:37Yeah, I know.
01:38Take it easy.
01:40Number 9.
01:41Patrick Swayze.
01:42Hollywood in the 80s was head over heels for action and dance films.
01:47That's when Patrick Swayze glided onto the big screen
01:49and swept the ladies off their feet.
01:52He first gained prominence for being a part of the star-studded cast of The Outsiders
02:12and leading the action flick Red Dawn.
02:15However, it was dirty dancing that made him a household name.
02:18It's a feeling, a heartbeat.
02:23Google.
02:25Google.
02:27Google.
02:29Don't try so hard.
02:31His portrayal of the tough but tender Johnny Castle made him the man of everyone's dreams.
02:37His moves alone were enough to steal hearts,
02:40but with his otherworldly good looks, he became unstoppable.
02:43If that wasn't enough, he could sing too.
02:46Just a soul of a limb.
02:48Just a soul of a limb.
02:51She's like the wind.
02:53From then on, Swayze remained highly sought after, well into the 90s,
02:58when his career soared with hits like Ghost and Point Break.
03:02I know it's hard for you, Johnny.
03:04I know you want me so bad it's like acid in your mouth.
03:07But not this time.
03:09Number 8.
03:10Richard Gere.
03:11In his heyday, this actor was seduction incarnate.
03:15Richard Gere started his acting career in theater and entered Hollywood in the mid-1970s.
03:21After a few years in the business,
03:23his career took off with the 1980 erotic thriller American Gigolo.
03:27How many languages do you speak?
03:33Five or six.
03:37Plus the international language.
03:45That's right.
03:46With his suave sensuality on full display as Julian Kaye,
03:51Gere established himself as a prominent leading man capable of drawing huge crowds of swooning fans.
03:57His follow-up project, An Officer and a Gentleman,
04:00in which he played Zach Mayo,
04:02made him even more of a matinee idol.
04:05These characters,
04:19which embodied irresistible allure with a streak of melancholia,
04:23resonated strongly with viewers looking for emotional complexity.
04:27You couldn't help but think,
04:28I can fix him.
04:29And this appeal served him very well for years.
04:32So what happened after?
04:35He climbed up the tower and rescued her.
04:38She rescues him right back.
04:44Number 7.
04:45John Travolta.
04:46You know what I want to do?
04:47You know what I want to do?
04:49What?
04:51Strut.
04:53The Oscar-nominated star's heartthrob status transcended generations.
04:58It all started when he made disco a global phenomenon with Saturday Night Fever.
05:03Then he set hearts aflame as bad boy Danny Zuko in Grease,
05:07which went on to become one of the greatest musical movies of all time.
05:11Travolta's off-screen persona was just as endearing,
05:25which only added to his popularity.
05:27He was booked and busy throughout the 70s and 80s,
05:30with films like Urban Cowboy and Blowout earning high praise.
05:34He enjoyed another major boost to his career with Pulp Fiction in 1994.
05:39Decades have passed, but the actor continues to be the epitome of sexy cool.
05:44You're the one that I want.
05:46I still believe is the most successful duet in music history.
05:50And unfortunately, nothing will ever beat it,
05:53because record sales aren't the same as they used to be years ago,
05:58so nothing can beat it.
05:59So I think I have the permanent record of that being the ultimate duet.
06:05Number six, Harrison Ford.
06:07Hey, hey, hey, baby.
06:09What do you say?
06:12Don't say anything and we'll get along just fine.
06:16This icon went from mostly getting supporting roles in the first few years of his career
06:21to becoming one of the most profitable actors in Hollywood history.
06:25Harrison Ford rose to stardom after he was cast as Han Solo in the Star Wars franchise.
06:30His portrayal of the roguish space smuggler enchanted audiences who couldn't get enough of him.
06:44I love you.
06:46I know.
06:47Hot on the heels of Star Wars, Ford joined the Indiana Jones franchise as the titular character,
06:54impressing fans with his rugged appeal.
06:57He achieved further critical and commercial success in the 80s as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner.
07:03The earthy charm, swagger, and wit of these characters established Harrison Ford as a dashing leading man
07:09who made bank and won hearts everywhere he went.
07:13Leave me alone.
07:14I don't like fast women.
07:17And I hate arrogant men.
07:31Oh, Venice.
07:34Number five, Sean Connery.
07:36Darling, why are we suddenly staying in the bridal suite of the White House?
07:42In order to form a more perfect union, sweetheart.
07:45Who can rival the fatal charm of 007?
07:48Sean Connery made his screen debut in the 50s, but his first decade in the industry wasn't smooth sailing.
07:54Then, in the 60s, he originated the role of James Bond on the big screen with Dr. No.
07:59What afternoon, then?
08:01Tomorrow?
08:02See you now.
08:03And, uh, you could have dinner afterwards, perhaps?
08:07Sounds tempting.
08:09May I, um, let you know in the morning?
08:13Splendid.
08:14My number's on the card.
08:17Over the next two decades, he released six Bond movies, establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with, an intense, unshakable, smoldering force.
08:28He was the very definition of debonair sophistication, immensely desirable, yet unattainable, boasting a commanding presence both on and off screen.
08:38He closed out the 80s with an Oscar for The Untouchables and the title of Sexiest Man Alive, conferred by People Magazine, set to reign over Hollywood for years to come.
08:49Who would claim to be that?
08:50Who was not?
08:52Hmm?
08:52Number four, Burt Reynolds.
08:56This mustachioed megastar rose to fame in the 60s with TV shows like Gunsmoke and Hawk.
09:02However, his popularity skyrocketed in the 70s with classics like Deliverance and Smokey and the Bandit.
09:08You've got a great profile.
09:10Yeah, I do, don't I?
09:12Especially from the side.
09:14Well, at least we finally agree on something.
09:16Yeah.
09:18You both like half my face.
09:19By that time, he was already a sex symbol, thanks in part to his legendary nude photo shoot for Cosmopolitan, which graced the magazine's centerfold in April 1972.
09:31However, besides his physicality, he was also known for his easy charm and sense of humor, which made him relatable.
09:38After all, his brand of masculinity, though rugged, was not the brooding kind.
09:42And I said, what's the matter with me?
09:45And he said, you can't act.
09:47So, uh, they've been telling me and telling me, and I'm still here.
09:55Yeah, yeah.
09:58You can think of him as the new Hollywood version of the internet's boyfriends of today.
10:02No wonder he was both highly bankable and incredibly beloved.
10:06It'd never be boring, I can tell you that.
10:08It would never be boring.
10:10Take your hat off.
10:17Number 3.
10:19Warren Beatty.
10:20This legend entered Hollywood in the 60s and got a Golden Globe for his very first film, Splendor in the Grass.
10:27Soon after, he played the titular hero of one of New Hollywood's most defining films, Bonnie and Clyde, which he also produced.
10:35You're good.
10:36I ain't good, I'm the best.
10:38And modest.
10:40This film, along with Shampoo, made Beatty an icon of romance on screen, which mirrored his Playboy image in real life.
10:48In the 70s and 80s, Beatty came to be known as an auteur.
10:52When you make truthful things in films, you have to be willing to embarrass yourself, you have to be willing to tell something that you wouldn't ordinarily perceive as that which would please the majority of the body politic, and you just do what you think is right.
11:09He helmed the direction, scripting, and production of the Oscar-winning films Heaven Can Wait and Reds, in which he also starred.
11:17The latter even earned him an Academy Award for Best Director.
11:21Being poster boy pretty and a creative genius secured him a permanent place in fans' hearts.
11:28Well, you certainly have come a long way fast.
11:35Do you want to take it a step further?
11:37Number 2. Paul Newman
11:39He had the face of an angel, a Greek god's physique, and ocean eyes we could drown in.
11:45These factors definitely contributed to Paul Newman's heartthrob status.
11:50But it was his exceptional acting range and commendable philanthropic efforts that made him a luminary.
11:56By the time the 60s ended, the actor was already well-established with multiple Oscar nominations to his name.
12:03In the 70s, Newman continued to captivate audiences.
12:07His intoxicating charm in The Sting and heroic gravitas in The Towering Inferno made fans admire his versatility.
12:14Skyscrapers like this all over the country.
12:18You design them, I'll build them.
12:21You might think you suffer from an edifice complex.
12:24You'll never leave.
12:26Right after the party, come on downstairs and watch me burn my black tie.
12:29Newman's ever-growing popularity was augmented by his auto-racing career, which added to his inherent coolness.
12:36Finally, his first Oscar win came in 1986 for The Color of Money, solidifying his position as a master of his craft.
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13:11Number 1. Robert Redford
13:15He was Hollywood's favorite golden boy, but not just for his striking good looks, adventurous but grounded personality, and undeniable charisma.
13:25He was a true visionary.
13:26As I grew up and got into the world, I realized that there was an America there that was not quite what had been so propagandized.
13:39And I wanted to tell a story about what I would consider the gray area, where things are more complicated.
13:44After Barefoot in the Park launched him into the spotlight, he didn't want to be typecast or objectified.
13:51So in the 70s, through films like Jeremiah Johnson, The Sting, and All the President's Men, he presented a new type of leading man, mesmerizing but complex.
14:01If you're going to do it, do it right. You're my nurse. If you're going to hype it, hype it with the facts. I don't mind what you did. I don't mind the way you did.
14:08His transition from dreamboat to socially conscious, serious artist was further supported by his Oscar-winning directorial debut with Ordinary People.
14:17He was also dedicated to human rights activism and environmentalism, and promoted independent filmmaking through the Sundance Institute, which he founded in 1981.
14:27As today's kids would say, Robert Redford was the blueprint.
14:32Your vision of a process, you know, sort of existed nowhere, and it's become a model.
14:38It's nice to hear people say, oh, you had a vision. You create...
14:42Well, I think it was... I don't know that I saw that as much as it was just a personal thing. It's something that I wanted.
14:49Which new Hollywood leading man was the most underrated? Share your picks in the comments below.
14:57I don't know what they need because the fantasy m options.
15:00Wait a minute.
15:01See you next time.
15:02Don't miss you.
15:03Bye.
15:04Bye.
15:04Bye.
15:10Bye.
15:13Bye.
15:15Bye.
15:17Bye.
15:19Bye.
15:21Bye.
15:25Bye.
15:26Bye.
15:26Bye.
15:26Bye.
15:26Bye.
15:27Bye.
15:27Bye.
15:27Bye.
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