World's sexiest man: Chris Hemsworth beats Bradley Cooper

Australian actor and 'Thor' avenger Chris Hemsworth is the world's sexiest man, the US magazine People said Thursday.

Hemsworth also starred as Formula One racer James Hunt in the Ron Howard-directed 'Rush' and the 'Star Trek' reboots.

The honor was announced on the late night US TV show hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on ABC and the magazine itself.

Actor Chris Hemsworth and his wife, actress Elsa Pataky, at the premiere of the film 'Captain America: The First Avenger,' in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 19, 2011. (AP)

With his face at first masked and his voice digitally modified, Hemsworth, 31, speaking from Australia, toyed with playful yes-or-no questions from the American TV audience.

Kimmel's instructions and teasers to his crowd: "If you guess correctly, the sexiest man alive will make **** to you, so this is big. I will give you three clues. He is sexy, he is a man, he is alive."
Is he in a band? No. Over age 35? Wrong, again.

Chris Pratt. (AFP)

"Are you hairy?" a bearded, balding man in the audience asked, smiling.

"Just up here," the still unknown masked person asked, gesturing to his head.

Fast forward: the audience zeroed in on the guy as a non-American, buffed dude who is an actor that has played a superhero in the movies, wielding a hammer: Thor in the Marvel Studios superhero movies? Bingo!

Hemsworth's award was a small facial mirror.

Jamie Dornan. (Screen grab)

"Anything you would like to say to the men who lost, specifically Matt Damon?," Kimmel asked, referring to the popular American actor.

"I like everything there is about being sexy, to persing the lips the right way to squinting at the essential time. Thank you, Matt, and all the other previous intelligent men. This is based on an IQ test, not just the physical appearance," the actor said.

Ki Hong Lee. (Screen grab)

Asked if there was anyone he wanted to thank, Hemsworth said, "my parents, I guess, for putting this together."

He joins a list of hunks with the honor, including Bradley Cooper, Ryan Reynolds, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Patrick Swayze, Sean Connery, Ben Affleck, Channing Tatum and Adam Levine. Mel Gibson, another Australian, was the first in 1985.

Shelton. (Reuters)

The 31-year-old star of 'Thor: The Dark World' and his 38-year-old wife, Elsa Pataky of 'Fast and Furious 6,' have three children.

The actor's younger brother, Liam, stars in the 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.'

Bradley Cooper (pictured) and Sam Keeley will take on the Parisian culinary scene in 'Chef.' (AFP)

American actor Christopher Michael 'Chris' Pratt takes the second spot leaving behind 'Fifty Shades of Grey' British actor Jamie Dornan in the third position.

28-year-old 'Maze Runner' actor Ki Hong Lee comes fouth in the list followed by 'The Voice' judge Shelton.

Matt Bomer. (AFP)

Hard to agree but Bradley Cooper has been placed sixth and 'Magic Mike' star Matt Bomer finds himself in the seventh spot.

Joining Bomer on the big screen – and on our big list – is his Magic Mike XXL costar Michael Strahan.

Eddie Redmayne and Scott Foley take the ninth and tenth spot in People's World's Sexiest Man 2014 list.

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