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The 1950s and '60s saw some of Hollywood's biggest stars rise to new levels of fame and celebrity. Though the gym selfie would not exist for another half-century, these leading men were as swoon-worthy as they were talented.

From the boundary-breaking Sidney Poitier to the gay icon Rock Hudson, learn about the figures that left their marks on both our history and our hearts.

Montgomery Clift

Four-time Oscar nominee and long-time BFF of Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift was one of Hollywood’s original method actors. While the later half of Clift’s career was marked by a car accident that left half of his face nearly paralyzed, he continued to make movies, including his critically acclaimed role as Rudolph Petersen in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). Throughout his life, Clift was discreet about his sexuality; it wasn’t until 2000—nearly 35 years after his death—that Taylor confirmed Clift was bisexual at the GLAAD media awards.

Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier made movie history, while maintaining effortlessly good looks and charm. In 1964, Poitier became the first black actor to win an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Lilies of the Field. He went on to star in countless films and author three autobiographies, gracing us with pieces of wisdom like, “You don't have to become something you're not to be better than you were,” from The Measure of a Man (2000).

Paul Newman

Paul Newman had eyes of steel and a heart of gold. After starring in Hollywood classics like Exodus (1960), Cool Hand Luke (1967), and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) he launched the nonprofit Newman’s Own Foundation in 1982. The organization has since donated nearly $500 million to charity and gifted us with the most delish balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing.

Tab Hunter

Clear blue eyes and sandy surfer hair helped Tab Hunter stand out as one of the hottest teen idols of the 1950s. Though speculation about Hunter’s sexuality pervaded much of his film career—including rumors of a relationship with Psycho’s Anthony Perkins and a 1950 arrest for “disorderly conduct”—the star came out publically in his 2005 autobiography, Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star, which was adapted into a documentary in 2015.

James Dean

You can thank James Dean for making tight white tees the sexiest male uniform. The young heartthrob, who died tragically in a car crash at age 24, earned icon status after starring in only three major Hollywood pictures: Rebel Without a Cause (1955), East of Eden (1955), and Giant (1956), for which he posthumously earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Though Dean was not openly gay, he was rumored to be bisexual. “[I’m] not going to go through life with one hand tied behind my back,” he once said about his sexuality.

Sal Mineo

In his first year in Hollywood, Sal Mineo earned an Oscar-nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Rebel Without a Cause, in which he played the sensitive John "Plato" Crawford alongside James Dean’s Jim Stark. Mineo continued to garner acclaim throughout the ‘50s, but after his Oscar-nominated performance in Exodus (1960), he started to see a decline in work. “One minute it seemed I had more movie offers than I could handle,” he said, “The next, no one wanted me.” Many thought Mineo’s bisexuality kept him from getting cast, and at the time of his death—a horrific stabbing outside his apartment—he was living with his male partner of six years, actor Courtney Burr.

Harry Belafonte

Affectionately coined the “King of Calypso," Harry Belafonte earned the title after he introduced a mass audience to the traditional Caribbean music genre with his debut album, Calypso (1956). The record became the first LP by a single artist to sell one million copies, launching Belafonte to fame and allowing him to experiment with other sounds, such as blues, folk, gospel, and showtunes. But Belafonte did not only share his voice musically: he was an early supporter of the Civil Rights Movement and a close advisor to Martin Luther King Jr. Now 90 years old, Belafonte continues to remain socially active—he even appeared as an honorary co-chair at the Women’s March on Washington back in January.

Rock Hudson

Rock Hudson was a leading man of the Golden Age, plucking heartstrings in romantic comedies like Pillow Talk (1959) and Lover Come Back (1961), even after Confidential magazine threatened to out the closeted actor in 1955. Hudson later launched his television career with the mystery series McMillan & Wife (1971-1977), followed by the soap opera Dynasty (1981), which he was filming when he received his HIV diagnosis. Though Hudson was close friends with President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan during the early years of the epidemic, he kept his status private up until his death in 1985. He became the first major celebrity to pass from AIDS-related complications.

Marlon Brando

Having studied under the esteemed Stella Adler in the 1940s, Marlon Brando popularized the Stanislavski method, bringing a visceral realism to his film roles. Brando starred in Hollywood’s most famous movies spanning five decades, earning Academy Awards for his parts in On the Waterfront (1954) and The Godfather (1972), as well nominations for a host of other films, including the controversial (and buttery) Last Tango in Paris (1972). While Brando was one of the most well-payed actors of his time—and was even quoted saying he "[didn't] have the moral courage to refuse [Hollywood] money"—he remained dedicated to social justice causes, including the Civil Rights Movement and the American Indian Movement.

George Takei

Think of George Takei and you immediately envision Hikaru Sulu on the cult 1966 series Star Trek. Takei went on to star in various iterations of the hit show, and while he was open about his dedication to LGBT nonprofits throughout his career, he publicly came out in an October 2005 issue of Frontiers magazine. Takei remains a vocal human rights advocate and fiery personality on social media.

Cary Grant

A transatlantic accent, well-fitted suits, and exceptional comedic timing qualified Cary Grant as the ideal leading man. The actor was especially well-known for his prolific partnership with director Alfred Hitchcock, starring in films like Notorious (1946) and North by Northwest (1959), as well as for his roles alongside fellow legends Katharine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, Doris Day, and Ingrid Bergman. Throughout his career, Grant remained an astute businessman and one of the wealthiest stars in Hollywood.

Richard Chamberlain

The NBC medical drama series Dr. Kildare (1961) launched Richard Chamberlain into the hearts of television viewers. With a wide grin and quaffed blond hair, Chamberlain continued to garner affection as he appeared on various popular shows and on stage in Broadway productions of My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music. Though he was outed by the French magazine Nous Deux in 1989, he had long been involved with actor-writer Martin Rabbett since 1977. The two men had a civil union in Hawaii, where they lived together for nearly 30 years. "I am not a romantic leading man anymore so I don't need to nurture that public image anymore,” Chamberlain told Dateline NBC in 2003, the same year he publically came out in his memoir, Shattered Love. “I can talk about it now because I'm not afraid anymore.”

Omar Sharif

Omar Sharif was one of the few Egyptian actors of his time to make it big on the Silver Screen. Best known for his roles in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), and Funny Girl (1968), Sharif spoke seven languages fluently and was often cast as a foreigner. We owe it to Sharif for proving that mustaches can, in fact, be sexy as hell, and for passing on his acting chops to his grandson, Omar Sharif Jr., who's both an out actor and LGBT advocate.

Bruce Lee

Martial arts master Bruce Lee is largely credited for shifting Asian representation in American film. Though Lee was born in San Francisco, he was raised in Hong Kong until he moved back to the U.S. at age 18. At that time, he became deeply entrenched in the world of Chinese martial arts, first instructing before bringing it to the screen. Lee garnered initial attention with his role in the ABC television series The Green Hornet (1966-1967), followed by international recognition for his memorable parts in The Big Boss (1971) and Fist of Fury (1972). Lee's career was cut short when he died in 1973 at the age of 32. The specific cause of death remains unclear: Producer Raymond Chow says Lee suffered from an allergic reaction to meprobamate, a main ingredient in painkillers, while others claim Lee was cursed and murdered.

Anthony Perkins

Anthony Perkins immortalized himself in film when he played the mother-obsessed Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's horror classic Psycho (1960). Afterward, he continued to conquer both screen and stage, but—like Bates—was never open about his sexuality, even after dating leading men Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter, and later composer Stephen Sondheim, among others. Perkins ultimately married a woman and had two children, but succumbed to AIDS-related complications in 1992.