Hollywood has no shortage of gorgeous men. It's no secret show business favors beautiful people. Although, that isn't a trademark of just Hollywood — it's a trademark of the film and television world as a whole. That means there's an abundance of hot actors around the globe and they come in many shapes, sizes and ethnicities, and from many different countries and backgrounds.
For example, there are a number of attractive African actors. Some have made names for themselves in the U.S., others have made their marks in show business within the African entertainment market, which includes a continent-wide version of Hollywood and smaller country-based cinema industries, such as Nigeria's Nollywood.
To turn a spotlight on a somewhat underrated demographic of actors, below is a list of the hottest African actors — people who were born and raised (at least for a significant amount of time) in an African country. Many of these actors are award-winning stars; all of them are easy on the eyes:
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Joseph Benjamin
Benjamin is a born and bred Nigerian actor, model and voice-over artist who is most known in Nollywood as the co-host of the network MTN's reality show Project Fame West Africa. Besides that, he's had one television role and several film roles, including Tango With Me (2010), Kiss and Tell (2011), Stripped (2013) and most recently, Iyore (2015).
The handsome actor's most physically appealing traits are his full face, big features, narrow eyes and sly smile. The eyes and smile in particular give him a confident swagger capable of drawing people to him in an instant. After all, swagger is always sexy.
— Joseph Benjamin (@iamjbenjamin) June 23, 2014
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Cliff Simon
At 52, this silver fox still maintains a George Clooney-esque handsomeness to him that can't be denied. His rugged, sharp features, deep-set, piercing eyes and husky goatee make him a fine specimen.
The South African-born actor of Polish and Lithuanian descent, who is also a former Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer, is best known for his role as Ba'al on the show Stargate SG-1 and as Count Wilheim in Days of Our Lives. He's also had roles on a number of other shows, most recently one episode each in Castle and NCIS: New Orleans and two episodes in The Americans, all in 2014.
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John Dumelo
This 31-year-old actor, raised in Ghana, has found much success in the African film and television industries. He has appeared in TV shows, including Sun City and About to Wed, and films including The King is Mine and Heart of Men. He was recently involved in three movie projects currently in various stages: Blackmoney, Of Sentimental Value and Hero.
What makes Dumelo a hunk worthy of this list is his burly physique combined with a face that is simultaneously serious — in perhaps a slightly intimidating way — and charming, boosted by a winning smile. He's not a typical kind of handsome, but he's certainly handsome.
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Dayo Okeniyi
Okeniyi shares some physical similarities to Dumelo. He's got the same kind of burly stature that gives him a commanding presence, which is often quite sexy in a manly-man way. He's also got a seriousness to him with his deep-set eyes, big features and sharp gaze. But Okeniyi is younger and his youthfulness shows in face and reluctant smile, which adds a boyish, silliness to him that makes him even more attractive.
After landing three small gigs, Okeniyi was thrust into the U.S. spotlight with his role as Thresh, Katniss' fellow tribute and competitor in The Hunger Games. He rode that wave of attention into several roles in films — most notably The Spectacular Now (2013), Runner Runner (2013) and Endless Love (2014) — as well as TV guest spots on Revolution and Bones. He's got two projects in the works currently, including a show called Shades of Blue and the high profile Terminator update, Terminator Genisys.
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Karl Thaning
Karl Thaning first came into the public eye as a star athlete — a South African swimmer who represented his country in several tournaments and international competitions, most notably the 2004 Olympics in Athens. After retiring from swimming, he began acting in shows and movies in South Africa, including appearances in the shows Cavegirl and Madam & Eve (both in 2002). In 2009 he had a recurring role in the South African soap show Binnelanders. He broke into the U.S. market with a role in the 2008 film Doomsday, followed by roles in Endgame (2009) and Dredd (2012). He now has a recurring role in the hit show Black Sails.
Thaning's broad shoulders and stocky build gives him some degree of hunk status, but he's even more attractive thanks to piercing, bright blue eyes, brown locks, and an adorable, full face. Additionally, his stoic gaze and smile make him a bit of puzzle, as if he's got a hard exterior hiding a softer soul, and who doesn't like solving a puzzle every now and then?
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Adetokumboh M'Cormack
M'Cormack isn't a standard kind of good-looking. In fact, there's something a little awkward about him, but he has a sort of swagger that makes him attractive nonetheless. His soft features and big, friendly smile give him a warm handsomeness. It doesn't hurt that he's got strong arms and a well-built torso, either.
Although he was born in Sierra Leone and raised there, Nigeria and Kenya — before going to England and the U.S. — this stud's acting career has all been in the U.S. market. Thus, he's probably the most recognizable in the U.S. of anyone on this list, with one exception. He got his start in a 1995 television movie, The Great Elephant Escape, alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt. In 2006 he landed a recurring role in the iconic show Lost. Since then, he's appeared in numerous other shows, including Gilmore Girls, Heroes and 24, as well as in some movies, including Battle Los Angeles (2011). He'll next appear in a new summer show The Whispers.
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Majid Michel
Michel is a 34-year-old Ghanaian actor best known for his first ever — and first starring — role in a popular television show Things We Do For Love, in which he played a Lebanese boy. The role led to his next job, the male lead in a movie called Divine Love, which also became a big success. He has since had a busy career and most recently appeared in three 2014 films: Knocking on Heaven's Door, Being Mrs. Elliot and 30 Days in Atlanta.
Thanks to his mixed heritage of Ghanaian (his mother's side) and Lebanese (his father's side), Michel has an exotic look to him that makes him undeniably sexy. The man works a goatee better than most and his big brown eyes are an added charm. There is a mature playfulness to his look that makes him one to remember.
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Carl Beukes
Beukes is an actor from South Africa. He's also a male model and it's not hard to see why. With deep-set piercing eyes, defined features and a sharp jaw line, Beukes has a timeless bad boy look about him that you can't help but be captivated by. Even though he looks a little more youthful and innocent when he has a clean-shaven face instead of his oft-worn goatee — he rocks both looks equally well — there's still something mischievous in his appearance and it makes him all the more attractive.
Beukes' early career was mostly limited to South African projects, including the television series Isidingo: The Need and The Res, but he has since broken into the U.S. market. In 2013 he appeared as a character in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, in 2014 he had a one-episode guest spot in the hit show Homeland, starring Claire Danes, and he currently has a key role in the SyFy show Dominion which aired its first season in 2014 and is now in its second. He also has a role in an upcoming U.S. thriller Eye in the Sky, which was filmed in South Africa and will star three big Hollywood names: Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman and Aaron Paul.
— Carl Beukes (@CarlBeukes) May 11, 2014
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Van Vicker
Like Michel, Vicker is a Ghanian actor with mixed ethnicity; his mother is Ghanian Liberian and his father is Dutch. Like Michel, Vicker has also made big waves in the African film industry, with one of his earliest big roles being in a series called Beyonce: The President's Daughter. Other key roles on Vicker's resume include a 2008 film called Friday, the 2013 films One Night in Vegas and When One Door Closes, and the 2012 film Amina. He has three upcoming films as well: Up Creek Without a Paddle, Blackmoney and Skinned.
A strong resume isn't all Vicker has going for him. He also happens to be quite the stud. His stocky build combined with soft facial features, often complimented by a thin mustache and chin stubble, as well as an adorable smile, make him alluringly sexy. It's a look that makes him believable as either a hunky tough guy or a charming romantic-lead man, which is all the more reason to love him.
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Djimon Hounsou
Hounsou was born in Benin and raised there until the age of 13, when he went to Lyons, France. There, he stumbled into a modeling career and eventually became an actor. His acting career started and later flourished in the U.S. market, with his first roles coming in 1990; one in a movie and one in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. Since then, he's had a substantial number of roles in television, including the shows ER (1999), Alias (2003-04) and Black Panther (2010), and in films (to a larger extent), including the Angelina Jolie-starring Lara Craft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2005); Beauty Shop (2003), alongside Queen Latifah; and Never Back Down (2008). However, his most notable films to date are Gladiator (2000), Blood Diamond (2006) — which he co-starred in alongside Leonardo DiCaprio — and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). His most recent appearance was as a bad guy in Furious 7 (2015) and he has five projects in the works, including Tarzan and Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur.
In the man's busy career he's done it all: action, rom-coms, thrillers, superhero, etc; he's been the tough bad guy, the hero struggling to rise above his situation and a kind-hearted love interest. He's got the looks — along with the talent — to pull off these different kinds of men. After all, there's a reason he was a model.
Hounsou is the literal embodiment of tall, dark and handsome. At more than 6 feet tall, he towers over most people, which automatically gives him a commanding presence, and his toned, fit body makes his physique even better. When it comes to his face, his full features and sharp jaw line are appealing, but what really stands out is his dazzling smile. Although his looks convey a seriousness, it melts away with a smile that is nothing but warm and happy. His deep voice and endearing accent also contribute to putting him above everyone else; those may not be physical traits but they're part of who Hounsou is — and his image as a whole begs one adjective: sexy.