Black Panther’s Michael B. Jordan Named Sexiest Man Alive

People has named Black Panther and Creed star Michael B. Jordan the Sexiest Man Alive in their annual magazine poll. The actor, who has become a household name since Creed exploded with Oscar buzz, first appeared on the People list of actors to watch in 2013, and since then has been a regular feature in that, and more or less every other, celebrity magazine on the racks. The actor now says that the title is one he’ll carry proudly — if only because the women in his family are going to love it.

In addition to his acting work, Jordan has been working as a producer to help amplify voices of color and other underrepresented groups in Hollywood. He was recently announced as a producer on DC’s planned Static Shock feature film adaptation.

“It’s a cool feeling,” the actor told People. “You know, everybody always made that joke, like, ‘Mike, this is the one thing you’re probably not going to get.’ But it’s a good club to be a part of.”

After making his name as a leading man with Creed, Jordan’s turn as Killmonger, the sympathetic and tragic villain of Black Panther, cemented him as an actor with tremendous range.

Jordan was born in 1987 and had early success on TV with roles on The Wire, All My Children, and Friday Night Lights. Once he transitioned into feature films, he made a splash, with roles in Red Tails, Chronicle, and Fruitvale Station coming all in the space of about a year. The latter, from director Ryan Coogler, would set Jordan up as the go-to candidate in movies like Creed and Black Panther, while Chronicle, from Josh Trank, positioned him to land the role of the Human Torch in 2015’s Fantastic Four. He has also appeared in Fahrenheit 451 for HBO; the animated series Gen:Lock, and the drama Just Mercy.

In addition to being People’s Sexiest Man Alive, Jordan landed a spot on Time‘s 100 most influential people of 2020. You can get People‘s Sexiest Man Alive issue, which features a lengthy interview with Jordan as well as a long list of 150 other actors to keep your eye on, on newsstands this week. Jordan can next be seen in Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, a revenge thriller in which he plays a Navy SEAL and will appear alongside his Fantastic Four castmate Jamie Bell. The film is not yet dated, due to the pandemic.