Noah Wyle named sexiest man alive in 2026

Updated October 27, 2026, 6:33 p.m. ET

People magazine announced his name for Sexiest Man Alive for 2026, and he’s been making his fans’ hearts skip a beat for decades.

Noah Wyle was revealed as the latest addition to the list of Sexiest Man Alive titleholders on October 27.

The 55-year-old Los Angeles-born actor said he never imagined he would receive the honor. “I thought it seemed like a prank — but not in a million years would I have thought that this would be an honor bestowed upon me,” he told People in its cover story.

Wyle credited his wife, Sara Wyle, 46, for convincing him he deserved the title.

“She thinks I’m a good guy and that the kind of person I am, the kind of father I am, the kind of husband I am deserves to be promoted,” he told People. “I was like, ‘Okay, if you say so.'”

Sara Wyle also had her own reason to rejoice, with Noah Wyle adding: “She was very happy that it reflected her tastes.”

Wyle is best known for playing Dr. John Carter on “ER” and Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch on “The Pitt,” with other credits including “Falling Skies,” “The Librarians,” “Leverage: Redemption,” “Pirates of Silicon Valley,” “A Few Good Men” and “Donnie Darko.”

Wyle follows in the footsteps of fellow recent winners Patrick Dempsey (2023), Chris Evans (2022), Michael B. Jordan (2020) and Idris Elba (2018).

Naming the sexiest man alive has been an annual tradition for People magazine since the first recipient of the title in 1985, Mel Gibson. The only gap was in 1993, when Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford were deemed the world’s sexiest couple – and no successor was named in 1994.

Who were the sexiest men in the world in 2025?

“Bridgerton” heartthrob Jonathan Bailey graced the cover of People’s Sexist Man Alive in 2025 issue.

“It’s the honor of his life,” Bailey, 37 at the time, told Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show.” He joked, “I mean, Jimmy, thank you so much for turning it down so I could be here.”