Chris Hemsworth Has Been Declared The Sexiest Man Alive

Taking his place alongside such other luminaries as Nick Nolte, Harry Hamlin, and last year's winner Adam Levine, People Magazine has deemed Chris Hemsworth to be the Sexiest Man Alive. The battle was hard fought, but in the end, the prize went to the man with the biggest hammer... because he's Thor, get it? Nevermind, I'll be over in the corner. 

The actor, 31, thought it was "pretty funny" when he first heard the news – as did his wife, Spanish model Elsa Pataky, 38, whom he wed in 2010. 

"I think you've bought me a couple of weeks of bragging rights around the house," he tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story. "I can just say to her, 'Now remember, this is what the people think, so I don't need to do the dishes anymore, I don't need to change nappies. I'm above that. I've made it now.' " 

Perhaps the most surprising revelation about Hemsworth was when we actually discovered he could act. The road to success is littered with the corpses of various muscly hunks who couldn't act worth a damn: Peter Hinwood, Lorenzo Lamas, and at least 50% of the Baldwins. Hemsworth, on the other hand, can do it all. Action comedy (Thor, The Avengers), Horror comedy (The Cabin in the Woods), and even drama (Rush). We'll soon get to see what he's really made of when he stars in Michael Mann's new thriller Blackhat.

And just to prove I'm not above it, here's a collection of shirtless GIFs of everyone's favorite Norse god. 

For photos of more hunky celebs make sure to go to Mr.Man!