Twenty People Who’ve Gotten Sexier With Age

1) George Clooney

1985 George Clooney was a handsome guy with a Stamos-esque hairstyle and a dopey persona to match. 2010 George Clooney, with his sparkling eyes and self-deprecating wit, pretty much defines “sexy older guy.” — P.S.

2) Mary-Louise Parker 

3) Robert Downey, Jr.

Robert Downey, Jr. has had a, uh… “varied” career, to put it kindly. And while he was always a good-looking guy, he was never as hot as he is now, on the other side of his well-publicized struggles. A few lines on his face, a hint of having seen it all, and a string of entertaining roles: all Downey, Jr. needed to go from attractive fuck-up to a rakish sex symbol. — J.R.

4) Marisa Tomei

5) Bill Paxton

6) Tina Fey

Yes, Tina Fey did lose weight before leaving the writers’ room and becoming a cast member on SNL. But even in those early SNL days, she wasn’t the bombshell she is now. Only once she broke out on her own — thanks to a hit show and a killer Sarah Palin impersonation — could we see this woman who revels in her own awkwardness turn up the glamour on the red carpet and the cover of Vanity Fair. — J.R.

7) Jon Stewart

8) Catherine Keener

9) Viggo Mortensen

10) Lucy Lawless

11) Will Smith

12) Lauren Graham

As Shelly on Caroline in the City, Lauren Graham sported bad hair and mom jeans. Luckily, she ditched that ‘do, moved to Stars Hollow, and became Lorelai Gilmore. In later seasons of Gilmore Girls, as her daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel) was changing from a teenager into an adult herself, Graham, fifteen years older, still looked more attractive. — J.K.

13) Justin Timberlake

By far the youngest person on this list, Timberlake might write off his early unsexiness as an awkward phase, yet he was lusted after by legions of fans even in those most awkward of years. Time has not treated his *NSYNC look well. (A perm? Really?) But improbably, Timberlake’s solo career revealed him to be an actual talent, and his presumed new stylist revealed him to be an actual hottie. — J.R.

14) Kim Cattrall

15) Matthew Fox

16) Jeanne Tripplehorn

17) Ben Stiller

Lots of men were awkward-looking earlier in their careers, but only one starred in a film whose central joke was how little he looks like a male model. And Zoolander was a full decade after he and his towering forehead and protruding ears lost out to Ethan Hawke in Reality Bites. Fortunately, with a dash of salt-and-pepper in his hair and a little leftover bulk from Tropic Thunder, he’s actually started to look pretty good. — Ben Reininga

18) Naomi Watts

19) David Byrne

20) Laura Dern

taken from Nerve.