Who was the most swoon-worthy celebrity dude of the eighties? Like Totally
80s asked our Facebook friends and
Twitter followers. You guys totally
came up with a hot, handsome handful of 1980s stars. Some found fame
through the movies, some through television, and some made music that
melted our teenage hearts, but all of these boys were totally FINE.
Number Five: A FIVE-WAY
TIE!!
Andrew McCarthy
We loved him as Michael Dunn in 1985’s “Heaven Help Us” and as
awkward-yet-hot Kevin Dolenz in the same year’s “St. Elmo’s Fire.” We
ALSO loved him as responsible-yet-hot Clay Easton in 1987’s “Less Than
Zero.” He really won my heart, though, as the suave Blane to Molly
Ringwald’s Andie in the 1986 movie, “Pretty
in Pink”:
Kurt Russell
Russell had plenty of roles before the eighties, but many of us watched
him for the first time as wily, tough Snake Plissken in 1981’s “Escape
from New York.” “Silkwood” (1983) and “Big
Trouble in Little China” (1986) were also memorable 1980s movies for
Russell, but my fave would have to be “Overboard” in 1987. In it, he
played scheming single dad Dean Proffitt. The film also starred his
longtime love Goldie Hawn, which makes it that much more awwww-some:
Morten Harket
Uh... who? Oh, you mean the singer from A-ha! Well, duh! Who didn’t have a
crush on him when “Take on Me” hit the charts in 1985? The Norwegian
singer was (and is) boyishly handsome. That slightly mussed hair, those
cheekbones, those earnest blue eyes. (Side note: Wikipedia tells me that
he was torn between band names “A-ha” and “A-hem”. Morten, you totally
made the right call, dude.)
Patrick Swayze
Oh, Patrick. Rakish, all-American good looks PLUS mad dance skills. He
caught our eye as Darry in 1983’s “The Outsiders,” and we became
extremely interested in American history when he played Orry Main in the
TV miniseries “North and South”. But it was the role of Johnny, the
dancer with the miraculously nimble hips, in 1987’s “Dirty Dancing”,
that won him a place in our hearts forever:
River Phoenix
River Phoenix died tragically young in 1993, but he left behind a body of
work and gazillions of admiring fans. Prior to his film work, River
Phoenix acted in loads of television shows, including an acclaimed
after-school special. In 1986, at the tender age of sixteen, he starred
with Harrison Ford in “The Mosquito Coast” and with a star-studded cast
in “Stand by Me.” Here he is in 1989’s “Indiana Jones and the Last
Crusade,” playing the kid version of Harrison Ford’s famous character:
Number Four:
Kirk Cameron
Say what you will about
his current politics,
Kirk Cameron was undeniably crush-worthy in the 1980s. Boyish,
approachable, and funny, his role as Mike Seaver on TV’s “Growing Pains”
(1985-1992) earned his poster a prized place in many of our school
lockers. Here’s Mike Seaver from season two of the family sitcom:
Number Three:
John Stamos
Like Kirk Cameron, John Stamos found his fame on television. The
dark-haired actor really knew how to rock a mullet. He smiled with just
the right combination of naughtiness and little-boy innocence. His first
TV role was on “General Hospital.” Stamos’s big break, however, was his
role of rock musician Jesse Katsopolis on “Full House” (1987-1995).
“Full House”, incidentally, was our first introduction to then-toddlers
Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, and it also featured Candace Cameron, Kirk’s
sister.
Number Two: A TWO-WAY
TIE!!
John Taylor
Well, OBVIOUSLY. John Taylor was the smokin’-hot, chiseled-cheekboned,
long-n-lanky singer bass guitarist for Duran Duran. Perhaps you were
Team Simon, but of the DD crew, I totally thought John Taylor was the
cutest. JT also participated in The Power Station with Robert Palmer
(big hits included a cover of “Bang a Gong” and “Some Like it Hot”) but
we know and love him best as the bass-wielding hottie of Duran Duran.
I’ve got to grudgingly acknowledge John Taylor’s mullet, but, clearly,
his is another example of a mullet done right:
Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi was a big-haired hottie who was the object of adoration for
countless lovesick teens. And what’s not to like about the gorgeous,
maybe-kinda-dangerous-but-still-sweet lead singer of the band Bon Jovi?
When Bon Jovi’s third album, “Slippery When Wet”, was released, Jon and
his bandmates were catapulted into superstardom. Side note: in 1989, Jon
Bon Jovi made a secret trip to Las Vegas to marry his high school
sweetheart, Dorothea, and
they’re STILL MARRIED.
And our NUMBER ONE BEST
LOOKING MALE CELEBRITY OF THE EIGHTIES IS...
Rob Lowe
Nowadays kids might know him for comedic roles in “Austin Powers” movies
and on TV shows such as “Parks and Recreation,” but in the 1980s, Rob
Lowe played characters who were sexy through-and-through. He was Sodapop
Curtis in 1983’s “The Outsiders” and Nick De Angelo in 1985’s “Oxford
Blues”. We loved him as Danny in 1986’s “About Last Night...”,
costarring Demi Moore, but it was his portrayal of hard-partying Billy
Hixx in a certain 1985 movie that many of us remember best. Here’s the
still-handsome Rob Lowe (in the bat shirt! remember the yellow bat
shirt?!) tearing it up on the sax in “St. Elmo’s Fire”:
And here’s a bonus clip of Rob Lowe in “About Last Night...”, just because
he’s awfully, awfully cute in this movie. LT80s fans, I think you nailed
it. Thanks for your votes, and we’ll see you on
Facebook and
Twitter!
