I think early 70s would be David Cassidy. The hair and the clothes.

Later would be John Travolta.

Tom Selleck, Robert Redford, Tom Skerrit. Still rockin it, IMO.

Charles Bronson

When I think of "hunk" and 70s, I think Eric Estrada, David Cassidy and maybe John Travolta. These were the guys all the young girls swooned over.. and that's the audience that I associate "hunk" with.

I had a life-size poster of Mark Spitz in my bedroom through much of the 70s.

Doesn't matter what era or how old they get...I'll go with Travolta and Selleck too.

During that time? Clint Eastwood. 60's and 70's I guess, back when he was making those good spaghetti westerns.

I'm much younger than Clint, but he was the George Clooney of the 70's. Hot hot hot. lol

I associate 70's hunk with Burt Reynolds. After all, he WAS in that Cosmo spread...

I think of Tom Selleck as being more representative of the TV hunk in the 1980's. I agree with others on Grant Goodeve, Erik Estrada and David Cassidy as the TV hunks with Burt Reynolds and John Travolta as the movie hunks of the 1970's. However, when you move to the late 1970's and into the 1980's, I think you have to add Harrison Ford. Between Star Wars and Indiana Jones, the guy was pretty popular.

I'm sorry, but I've never found James Spader appealing as eye candy...good actor, yes...hunk, no...LOL!

For me, it was Paul Newman, hands down.

I don't know about 70's handsome as that was my lost decade when I gave up my career to be barefoot and pregnant and lived out of the country for 3 years with no TV available.

Tom Selleck and Sean Connery were 2 very memorable hunks from that decade for me. Sean was born in 1930 but still attractive as an older man in the 80's for me.

My sis and I were gaga over Sam Elliott.

Tom Selleck was and still is drop-dead gorgeous and, in my opinion, the #1 Hunk of the Eighties, Nineties and now still. Lynn

This post was edited by lynninnewmexico on Sun, Jan 12, 14 at 14:13

red lover, my mom loved Sam Elliott.

I guess sis and I were thinking more of guys who would be on the posters in our rooms, rather than 'mature' stars like Burt Reynolds and Charles Bronson--although when I was a little older I could definitely see the appeal!

Fun2BeHere--I think you're right that James Spader was less "hunky", but he was definitely high in poster- appeal for me and many of my generation who spanned the years from Grant Goodeve to Molly Ringwald movies.--I thought he had the face of an angel.

I was a teenager in the seventies, so mine were Bobby Sherman, Donny Osmond, David Cassidy.

Paul Newman and Richard Gere....to this day!

The hottest guy ever in my book because he has continued to be so handsome for so many decades is Sean Connery.
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Of course Clint Eastwood was uber macho. Paul Newman simply a knockout. But I had a pitapat for James Caan...there was something about his butt when he walked!

I lovvvvvved Burt Reynolds and remember running out to buy that issue of Cosmo! Richard Gere was also a favorite. The latter has aged quite well, working with what God gave him, the former, not so much!!

Tom Selleck, first, last and always. So gorgeous that, if I met him, I would not know what to say. Next is Sean Connery. Both of them have incredible eyes that are filled with humor, such an important quality in a man, and devastating in a handsome man. And Selleck knows how to mock himself.

I also love James Spader, but for his acting, not his looks. He was so good with William Shatner on Boston Legal, especially their sleepovers. Witty and droll!

No one mention Patrick Swayse or was he later?

The Glimmer Twins, though they're more like anti-hunk:

Like texanjana I would have to go with Donny O, first last and always!! Tom Selleck was "older", John Travolta, Eric E were silly, and yes Swayse was later.

To me, Tom Selleck is an 80's hunk. I'm not sure that I'd call David Cassidy or any "Teen Idol" a "hunk". Does anyone remember Jan Michael Vincent? I remember him as being pretty hunky. And Sean Connery transcends the decades.

I have to edit this to add Clint Eastwood!

This post was edited by terriks on Sun, Jan 12, 14 at 22:06

Joanie, my BFF's DH is Richard Gere's double. He is a Ballet Dancer too!

I would also go with David Cassidy, although I was first introduced to Rick Springfield in the 70's teen magazines. He is still quite hunky today at age 64. :)

He was once behind me in line at the airport maybe 10 years ago. I thought I was going to faint!

Here he is with Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rick and Dave

Ok, teen idol hunks of the 70's-definitely in my book was David Cassidy, Bobby Sherman was my first crush, but David Cassidy-oh, he was my first LOVE. I never cared for Donny.

Shawn Cassidy was also a teen idol in those days, as well as Lief Erickson-but I never liked either of them.

You'd also have had Starsky and Hutch-can't remember their names. Most of the 'hunks' back then were on TV-they were young guys. Movie stars were older than they are today, i think...more in their 30's and 40's rather than their 20's.

Later 70's would definitely have been John Travolta-Vinnie Barbarino for sure, then in Grease and Saturday Night Fever. By then, however, I had a real boyfriend who was IMHO MUCH hunkier.

Tom Selleck was 80's-and I agree-oh, such a good looking guy. I also thought James Spader was cute in the 80's...I was really into that surfer blonde guy look.

I'm sorry, but in my book, in order to make hunk status, he must be able to grow facial hair....Teen idols don't count, IMHO.

Lee Majors and Tom Selleck. I even had Tom's poster on my wall after I was married :)

A digression but I think Ashton Kutcher was incredibly well cast in That '70s Show as a hunky type; the hair, the build etc all were very much in keeping with what we swooned over back in the day.

And FWIW, my first thought was also David Cassidy.

Michael Landon, Robert Urich, Dirk Benedict.

As leafy clarified, the term "hunk" is a teen word-- the reason you can define them by decade is that they change with the times. They are the guys you see on teen magazines and (in my day) on the posters. The guys young girls cry over.

Not many would argue that paul newman, etc were gorgeous men-- but they werent the -hunks- of the 70s.

And yes.. I remember Jan Michael Vincent (swoon)!

I named a kitten Nanu, after Jan-Michael Vincent's character in The World's Greatest Athlete (1973).

Yes, Sean Connery does have staying power, no doubt. How about Harrison Ford? Yummy.

I loved Michael Douglas in the Streets of San Francisco.

LOL funkyart, I'm sure many teens think they invented all sorts of things but âÂÂit just ain't soâÂÂ. At least not according to any online dictionary I can find.

Even ancient people like me who, in the 70's were in our late 20's/early 30's used the term to mean âÂÂn. Slang A sexually attractive man with a well-developed physiqueâ as most online dictionaries state. By this definition some of the boy toys some people mentioned wouldn't come close to qualifying.

IMO it takes a man, not a boy, to qualify as a hunk.

What! No other Monkees fans out there? I had such a crush on Davy Jones.

Also on the ultimate hunk, Robert Redford.

It's not surprising I married a blonde who can sing.

Agree with Annie and Luckygal---David Cassidy, Donny, Davy Jones, etc are teen heart-throbs, not hunks. Even Beatles (then), Elvis, fit the teen heart-throb category.

And some men may not be considered "hunks" but ooze sex appeal....Cary Grant comes to mind. Who else fits this category?

LOL.. well, I am not a teen and don't believe I -- or my generation-- coined the phrase! I've just never heard the term used by adults.. only teens.

Regardless.. it's a fun discussion! Lots of good looking men in the bunch!

In the seventies I was wildly in love with David then Shaun Cassidy, neither whom I consider hunky! Pathetic, perhaps...
who knows what goes on in the mind of eight year olds....
I moved on later, in my preteens/teenage years to popular movie stars of the day: Al Pacino, Yes Charles B.!, Robert Redford, Omar Sharif (I was catching up), Martin Sheen...

Oh, you guys are right, I should have used the word "heart-throb". That is what we were talking about. Saying "hunk" does bring more of the hairy-chested lads to mind, a la that Burt Reynolds spread!

blfenton, I love that you mentioned Robert Urich. I can well remember when I used to stay home to watch him!

Perhaps we need a visual to differentiate between what is a hunk and what is a heart-throb.

I must have been on a completely different wave length. The ultimate 70s men IMO were Steve Winwood for looks and Tim Curry for .... I don't know what.... strangely compelling.

Tom Selleck! He could crank my tractor any time! Then again, so could Robert Redford or Paul Newman. Sam Elliott is right up there too.

Parker Stevenson was one of my favorites from the 70's. Late 70's would have been Harrison Ford.
Though Tom Selleck did quite a bit of guest staring during the 80's Magnum PI didn't come out until 1980.

i used to think chad everett was very cool and a hunk- from medical center...
i also thought telly savalas was very cool from kojak...even tho he was alot older and bald!
mark spitz was pretty awesome too, and i thought bruce springstein was very cool and sexy...

i think sean connery got even better looking as he matured- that 2nd pic of him above is very sexy...
and tho i've always loved the stones, mic jagger also is better with age, imo!!

To me, a hunk represents a man, not a young teenaged boy, but that's just an individual definition.

I associate Tom Selleck with the 80s since that is when Magnum PI aired, but Selleck was in several movies and television shows during the 0s.

I would say for the 70s the quintessential 70's hunk would be Burt Reynolds, perhaps Lee Majors.