Is he really the Sexiest Man Alive?

Bradley Cooper has been voted the 'Sexiest Man Alive' by People magazine this year.
 
The 36-year-old actor topped the list of 123 'super hot guys' that included George Clooney and Brad Pitt alongside comedy stars like Modern Family's 'Ty Burrell and Family Guy creator, Seth MacFarlane. 
 
'I think it's really cool that a guy who doesn't look like a model can have this,' the Daily Mail quoted Cooper as telling People magazine.
 
'I think I'm a decent-looking guy. Sometimes I can look great, and other times I look horrifying,' he said.
 
As Ryan Gosling fans cry foul play in front of People's office, we look at this year's droolworthy hunk's back story and work.

It's his time under the limelight and many people feel Cooper has earned it. Termed the 'Most Bankable Star' by Hello! magazine, the actor has gradually risen to the leading man status.

One of his first roles was a cameo in an episode of Sex And The City where he makes a brief appearance as one of Carrie Bradshaw's potential flings.

More character roles in movies followed -- Cooper was seen in the Owen Wilson-Vince Vaughn-starrer Wedding Crashers in 2005 and worked with Sarah Jessica Parker again in Failure To Launch in 2006.

His breakout role came in 2009 with The Hangover, the biggest sleeper hit of the year.

More prominent roles followed in The A-Team and critically acclaimed thriller Limitless that released earlier this year.

He returned as school teacher Phil Wenneck in The Hangover sequel and the film did farely well at the box office. The actor was nominated for Teen Choice awards for both The Hangover 2 and Limitless.

He will be next seen in The Words alongside Olivia Wilde and Zoe Saldana, set to release next year.

The actor has dated several high profile Hollywood actresses that also helped him catapult to the star status.

His well-publicised two-year relationship with Rene Zelleweger was followed by reports of him cosying up to his He's Just Not That Into You costar Jennifer Aniston. He was briefly married to Italian-American actress Jennifer Espesito in 2006-2007.

The latest reports claim that none other than Jennifer Lopez was spotted dining with the blue-eyed hunk while the pair was out on a date.