20 Famous '80s Heartthrobs Then and Now

Everyone remembers their first crush — and if you grew up in the '80s, chances are it was one of these guys. From Tony Danza to John Cusack, here's what your fave fellows look like today.

It might be easy to say that Harrison Ford's career peaked in the '80s, considering he starred in two Star Wars movies and three Indiana Jones films in less than 10 years. But that's not all he's accomplished in his lifetime.

Since those two iconic franchises, Harrison hasn't slowed down. This year he lent his voice to The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019) and in 2017 he starred in The Blade Runner 2049. He's also made cameos in the new Star Wars films, because everyone loves a fan favorite.

Although you may recognize Richard Gere from Pretty Woman fame, this actor starred in many other classic films, like American Gigolo, The Cotton Club, and An Officer and a Gentleman. In fact, Richard won two Academy Awards for his role in An Officer and a Gentleman.

Although his last movie was Three Christs in 2017, Richard has made is first major television appearance on the BBC show MotherFatherSon for eight episodes in 2019. And following his performance in Arbitrage in 2012, he received a ton of praise and even earned a forth Golden Globe nomination.

Tom Cruise's breakout role was a minor role in the romantic drama Endless Love in 1981. From there, things only skyrocketed for him. He made waves in Risky Business in 1983 and again as Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in Top Gun in 1986.

Now, Tom is known for his action-packed Mission Impossible franchise, which he first started filming back in 1996. There are a whopping eight (!) of them, and the last one to come out was in 2018.

Matt Dillon starred in a few films in the '80s, which launched his career as a teen idol. Lest you forget, he was a lead in My Bodyguard, Little Darlings, Tex, and, of course, The Outsiders.

As of late, Matt stared in the TV show Wayward Pines in 2015 and most recently played the lead in The House That Jack Built in 2018. He was nominated for the Robert Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Bodil Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role in the thriller.

Johnny Depp rose to fame after landing a leading role on the TV series 21 Jumpstreet in 1987. But his first film ever was a classic: Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984.

Starting in 2003, Johnny's name became synonymous with Captain Jack Sparrow thanks to his role in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The actor also recently appeared in the Harry Potter film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2016.

Heartthrob Robert Downey Jr. was once considered a part of the "Brat Pack" after appearing in Weird Science (1985), Back to School (1986), Less Than Zero (1987), and Johnny Be Hall (1988). He was also a semi-regular cast member of Saturday Night Live in 1985, which helped jumpstart his career.

In 2008, Robert was cast as the lead in Iron Man, which has led to many Marvel movies over the last decade. The following year, the actor appeared as the fast-talking Sherlock Holmes, for which he won a Golden Globe.

Emilio Estevez is best known as being an original member of the "Brat Pack," after appearing in some of the most iconic movies from the '80s, including The Breakfast Club (1985), St. Elmo's Fire (1985), and The Outsiders (1983).

Throughout the '90s, Emilio starred in The Might Ducks series as the coach. In the 2000s, he's tried his hand at directing, including working on popular television shows Cold Case, CSI: NY, and Numb3rs.

Even though you probably best recognize young Charlie Sheen from Red Dawn with Patrick Swayze, he also had a small part in Ferris Bueller's Day Off in 1986. He proceeded to appear in many popular films throughout the late '80s, such as Wall Street (1987), Young Guns (1988), and Major League (1989).

The son of Martin Sheen eventually found his footing on television. In 2003, he was cast as Charlie Harper in Two and a Half Men, which was based on his "bad boy" image. The show lasted for eight seasons, and earned Charlie two Golden Globe award nominations and three Emmy Award nominations. He was once the highest paid actor on TV, but was forced to leave the show due to drug problems, outspoken and derogatory moments, and claiming he was underpaid.

After his first television role as James Cooper Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, Jason went on to play Derek in the NBC sitcom Silver Spoons and — for a whopping six seasons — David Hogan in The Hogan Family.

You may already know what Jason looks like these days — after all, Arrested Development has one of the most devoted fanbases ever. On top of playing Michael Bluth, Jason's appeared in several films, including Horrible Bosses (2011) and The Gift (2015).

Of all the iconic '80s shows, there's no doubt that Miami Vice had one of the hottest male duos on the small screen. Philip Michael Thomas, alongside his costar Don Johnson (more on him in a minute), led the sharply-dressed team as Detective Ricardo Tubbs.

Since fighting crime in Miami, Philip went on to appear in several made-for-TV movies, as well as voicing the character of Lance Vance in two Grand Theft Auto games. He even briefly reunited with Johnson on Nash Bridges in 1997 — and grew a seriously impressive beard.

Not only did Don Johnson make great eye candy while playing James "Sonny" Crockett on Miami Vice, he was also nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal.

During the '90s, Don again fought crime as the lead in Nash Bridges from 1996 until 2001. While he's traded in his pastel blazers for chic scarves, we still think he's a silver fox.

This handsome fellow's career kicked off with appearances on The Cosby Show and a recurring role on One Life to Live, but he really shot to stardom with his role as Jonathan Rollins on L.A. Law from 1987 to 1994.

Seemingly immune to aging, Blair is just as good-looking as ever — and rocks some fantastic suits. His career is still strong as well, as he was a part of ABC's hit show Quantico as Owen Hall and Ava DuVernay's Netflix miniseries When They See Us.

Sixteen Candles (1984), Better Off Dead (1985), Stand By Me (1986), and Say Anything... (1989) — these are just four of the 14 (!) films that John Cusack appeared in during the '80s. And could you blame casting directors for loving him? Just look at that face!

One of the most successful stars of the decade, John went on to star in countless big films ranging from the eerie 1408 (2007) to the action-packed 2012 (2009) to the romantic and hilarious High Fidelity (2000). And he's still got that same great smirk.

The '80s turned little Matthew Broderick into a fresh-faced star with WarGames (1983) and, of course, John Hughes' beloved 1986 classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe.

Since his days as Bueller, Matthew has voiced characters for several successful movies, including The Lion King (1994) as Simba, a role he repeated in two more Disney films. He's also married to one of our fave actresses, Sarah Jessica Parker!

In addition to helping make Jason Bateman (mentioned earlier in this gallery) into a big name, sitcom Silver Spoons was a break for another young actor: Ricky Schroeder, who starred as Ricky Stratton.

While his hair has changed from blonde to brown, he's still got the same baby face. Throughout the last few decades, Ricky has continued his successful career, starring as Detective Danny Sorenson on NYPD Blue from 1998 to 2001.

Was there any teen heartthrob as hot as Rob Lowe in the '80s? His roles ranged from Sodapop Curtis in 1983's The Outsiders to his Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of Rory in Square Dance (1987), solidifying his spot as a Hollywood staple.

Is it even fair that Rob Lowe still looks this good? He's been rocking roles nonstop since the '80s, everything from the political (The West Wing) to the hilarious (Parks and Recreation) to the animated (Moonbeam City).

Though his career started in the '70s with Taxi, Tony Danza's biggest decade by far was the '80s. He continued costarring in Taxi until 1983, appeared in several movies and began starring on Who's The Boss?, the beloved sitcom which ran from 1984 all the way until 1992.

He may not have the long, flowing head of hair he once had, but Tony's still just as sharp of a dresser now as he was in the '80s. Once the boss, always the boss.

I think we can all agree that there has never been a doctor we'd sit in a waiting room for longer than Denzel Washington's St. Elsewhere character, Dr. Philip Chandler.

On top of looking as fantastic now as he did in the '80s (and '90s, and 2000s ...), Denzel is one of the most accoladed actors of his generation, having received three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, and a Tony.

This brooding guy launched his career in the classic '80s hit The Breakfast Club as John Bender, a.k.a. the bad boy of the bunch. Soon after, he costarred in St. Elmo's Fire (1985) alongside fellow Brat Pack members Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, and Andrew McCarthy.

In addition to starring in several made-for-TV films since his days in the Brat Pack, Judd has appeared on shows including Psych, Two and a Half Men, and, most recently, Fox's hit show Empire.

This handsome guy got his start as hunky Mark "Ace" Kolmar on ER from 1984 to 1985. And on top of all the other wonderful stars The Facts of Life gave us, it also featured George for a couple seasons.

Okay, so you almost certainly already know what Mr. Clooney has been up to for the past few decades, but there's no harm in ogling at this silver fox a little longer, right? On top of his numerous big roles in blockbusters like Batman & Robin (1997) and Ocean's Eleven (2001), as well as the much-accoladed The Descendants (2011), he married successful lawyer and activist Amal Alamuddin in 2014.