This series is about being unashamedly superficial, long enough to notice handsomeness or beauty but not long enough to confuse it with worth. I love “rinsing my eye” as the French would say on the creme of the creme of visual delights and African actors whether from the Carribean, the Americas, Europe, their original continent or wherever in the world, give us something to enoy with shades of handsomeness, traits of strength and variety in personality and renditions, a feast for the eye originating from a noble continent. It is not always the most known that top our list, because the handsome do not always have to be the most prominent but it is genuinely beyond the cinematographic popularity, the man that maketh the actor. A few of the countries of origin covered include Benin, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Egypt. The adopted lands are United Kingdom, United States and a number of others around the world.

Idris Elba

Whether he is a Looser or a winner, a hero or a baddy, an Asgardian or a mere mortal, the man is exactly that. The man. Idris Elba has nothing to envy any of his fellow actors. Multi-talented (and I am not just talking ecclectic acting and radio show), the man just bonifies with time. They greyer his mane gets, the more apparant another aspect of his charm. The man does not cower before challenges. He embraces them, unveiling each time another facet of his infinite charisma. Add to that a British accent and you have the archetypical bad boy you will want a taste of under (and I mean under) all circumstances.

Djimon Hounsou

The charismatic Djimon Hounsou is always a pleasure to watch from every angles, my parents forgive me. Built like a god, with the most attractive lips, even his typecasting as a villain could not let the safest of us insensitive to or away from him very long.

Never the leading actor, and I suspect on purpose, the Beninese American (whichever order is correct) never passes unnoticed in any of his interpretations as the thousand and one representations of a villain, a villain’s help and just a menacing protagonist, full of purpose. But his smile betrays a completely different human being away from the cameras.

Denzel!

Mr Washington is a great actor and has enough physical and emotional rewards to showcase this. But even he cannot deny that his good looks have played a part, no matter how small, in gaining and sustaining our attention. From his beginnings to now, the man has tirelessly worked, never leaning on such feeble aspects yet we cannot pretend they are not there. Maybe good looks are sustained by hard work, but it is not that of a cosmetic enhancer, but that of doing the job you like, tirelessly and devotedly, that of not falling into the trap of stardom, the boring typecast, ever quenching the opportunity that acting gives to explore aspects you did not know of yourself, of others, in a way that is never meant to glorify you but to testify on people’s behalf, and to declare facts through emotional renditions. We’ll have us a bit of that type of beauty potion!

Big Will

Signature ears come out of either side of his face as if to slow down his move forward. Signature smile that will warm up a sad heart. Signature face that seems to be oblivious to the ravages of time. These are as many features, that for better and for worse are associated, as much as the words Prince of Bel Air to Will Smith. The actor of many facets have made us laugh most of his life and so when it came to crying he could only do it more. He has succeeded in making us laugh with him for so long and goodness knows a good sense of humour is an asset of tremendous value for an audience looking for fun in life and for anyone seeking every silver lining in a potential mate 😉

Michael Ealy

Puppy blue eyes give and no less charming face make it hard not to notice Michael Ealy. And since he excels in his main and recurring television seriess roles as part of our daily screenwatches since 2000, there is no escaping the enchantment. Certainly two of the biggest international divas in this world agree as he has featured as the love interest for both Mariah Carey (for the 2005 music video “Get Your Number”) and Beyoncé (for the 2009 music video “Halo”).

Mike Colter

He came to our screens more notably in The Good Wife and Ringer, and more recently, as the Harlem hero and Marvel Defender saving his world in his own series, Luke Cage. It is quite interesting, to see his transformation though, when you remember him from earlier appearances in such films as Million Dollar Baby or better yet, as the father of Will Smith’s character in Men In Black Three. Since then, he has enchanted our eyes and reassured our minds with his looks, his muscles and his kindness and helpfulness, courtesy of his unbreakable justice-oriented character.

The Rock

Dwayne  Johnson probably better known as The Rock has been gracing our screens with his good looks, his good sense of humour, his impressive physique, and a lot more of little things that mean that we never get tired to see or hear him and better yet, if I may say so candidly, see him move and be him. His own transformation from a frail then plump boy to the striking man we cannot wait to show up or save us is an example of what is possible if one just believes in themselves, and he is definitely giving one or two humble lessons to learn to the average man. As for us, the lesson is really just to look in the right place, and thankfully for us, the cinema seems to have at least one film a year in which he stars!

But do you recognise any of the following actors?

Can you see who is the living sculpture, the quiet, the romantic lead, the comic cutie, the brightening smile, the tall and dark icon, the charming, the hunk? Take your pick of three more African actors to make up our 10 human art made in Africa at the least a few decades ago.