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Nov. 6, 2018 / 10:16 AM GMT / Updated 10:21 AM GMT
By Rachel Elbaum
British actor Idris Elba has been named as People’s Sexiest Man Alive 2018, the magazine revealed Tuesday.
Elba starred HBO’s “The Wire” as well as films including “Molly’s Game,” “The Jungle Book” and “Avengers: Infinity War.”
He is only the third non-white man to be named by the magazine, along with Denzel Washington and Dwayne Johnson.
The honor came as a surprise for Elba, who called it an “ego boost.”
“I was like, ‘Come on, no way. Really?’” the 46-year-old London native told People. “Looked in the mirror, I checked myself out. I was like, ‘Yeah, you are kind of sexy today.’”
Last year’s honoree was singer Blake Shelton.
While announcing the news, Elba encouraged Americans to vote on Tuesday.
Elba, who recently directed the film “Yardie,” also told the magazine that as a kid he “got picked on a little bit,” but when he got older and grew a mustache he was the “coolest kid on the block.”
He described himself as a “super doting” dad to his 16-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son.