Who is the World's Coolest Man?

[anonymous-user]

At any given time, there is one bloke who is the World's Coolest Man. No, I don't mean the beardy dude in the meme. Previous holders of the title include the following (this list is not exhaustive) -

Humphrey Bogart
Cary Grant
Marlon Brando
Elvis Presley
Frank Sinatra
John F Kennedy
Mick Jagger
Sean Connery
Steve McQueen
Alain Delon
Mohammed Ali
Michael Caine
George Best
Bryan Ferry
Pele
Clint Eastwood
Bjorn Borg
Harrison Ford
Ayrton Senna
Barack Obama
Will Smith
Batman

... and so on.

A question: who is currently the World's Coolest Man?

[anonymous-user]

PS:

(1) You can't nominate yourself.

(2) It's Archer, I suppose.

[anonymous-user]

The opening list of past coolsters also includes politicians and sportsmen. I do not agree that musicians and actors are all meaningless people of no import, and in any event the test is about being cool.

Some additions from the past: -

Carl Sagan
Jim Lovell
Placido Domingo
Jack Nicholson
Nelson Mandela
Paul Newman
Ossie Clark
Toshiro Mifune
Lee Marvin
Yves Saint Laurent
Prince (already mentioned above)
Jimi Hendrix
Stephen Hawking
Stan Lee

Of the current contenders, I suggest that Robert Downey Junior tries too hard to be the World's Coolest man. Tony Stark IS the World's coolest man, but he doesn't exist. Idris Elba has a good shout.

Harry Windsor certainly has his hat in the ring, but he has arguably ruined his bid by saying that his difficulties (speaking about which is admirable) have affected his work, as he ain't actually got a job.

It is possible to hold the title more than once. For example, Clint Eastwood has been World's Coolest Man on at least two and possibly three occasions.

It is possible to have been uber cool and become deeply uncool. John Travolta may qualify here.

[anonymous-user]

Harrison Ford was World's Coolest Man in the late 70s and early 80s. He is arguably a contender for World's Coolest Man of 2015, but I think that the earring possibly lets him down.

World's Coolest Woman is a different thread and has different rules. The position may have been vacant since the death of Carrie Fisher, although Amy Schumer, Emma Watson, and Michelle Obama may all be contenders at present.

[anonymous-user]

I think that Beckham was in his day close but no cigar.

[anonymous-user]

julian64 said:

okay, I nominate Sterling Archer.

...

... is the right answer.

( Beatcha to it, though: see post number 2 in thread.)

Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 18th April 10:21

[anonymous-user]

I still treasure the Glasto moment when Kanye asserted that he is the Greatest Living Rock Star, not long before giving up the stage to The Who. Bless!

Heck, Kanye isn't even the World's Coolest Hip Hop artist.

More politicians needed, maybe - Konrad Adenauer (above) is a good shout. Vaclav Havel? Francois Mitterrand?

[anonymous-user]

Bruce Dickinson, a middle aged commercial pilot whos hobby is singing in a band

[anonymous-user]

sc0tt said:

48k said:

Guy Martin

So wrong it is unreal.

+1. Spent most of his career crashing motorbikes and talking rubbish.

[anonymous-user]

I'd say
Giacomo Agostini
Mike Hailwood
John Surtees

[anonymous-user]

kowalski655 said:

Sterling Archer has to be up there.
And Sam L is one cool mother fker
I would go for Brian Blessed...Great actor, climbed Everest, and even plays Grandpa Rabbit in Peppa Pig ( mostly by shouting, so really playing himself)

Daddy Pig, how could we forget Daddy Pig? Grandpa Pig is pretty awesome too, I grant you.

[anonymous-user]

grumbledoak said:

Johnny Depp too. He seems to just do what he wants, no big ego.

Smacks up his wife. Uncool.

Keanu Reeves, yep, not a bad one. Much cooler than many suppose.

I am ashamed that I missed David Bowie out in the opening post.,

[anonymous-user]

Roger Moore was uber cool and actually still is. He appears to be a warm, funny and kind person. In the sixties, he used to go out drinking with Terence Stamp, Peter O'Toole, Richard Burton and all that lot. One of the others would get all gobby in some East End pub full of genuine hard guys, and things would kick off. Roger, who would not be off his face on pints and vodka like all the others, would have to step in and save their butts. He was apparently a bit tasty, and would never start a fight but knew how to finish one. This was relayed to me over a very agreeable lunch by the (sadly now late) Bob Baker, Moore's long time friend and business partner and himself a very cool dude (combat cameraman, decorated at El Alamein, made The Saint and The Persuaders, wrote for classic Dr Who, and so on).

[anonymous-user]

Idris Elba
Benedict Cumberbatch (strange yet cool)
Steve McQueen
Roger Bushell (Big X / cool guy before WW2)
Roger Moore
Sean Connery
Prince Harry
Samuel L Jackson
Will Smith
David Beckham
Elon Musk, although he seems the type to enjoy smelling his own wind.

Edited by Trexthedinosaur on Tuesday 18th April 21:45

[anonymous-user]

The French pretty much invented being cool. King Henry IV of France was uber cool. Napoleon Bonaparte was cool for a bit, but later uncool. Other French coolsters include Hector Berlioz, Alfred Camus, Antoine de St Exupery, and Michel Platini before he started doing bungs.

German coolsters? Frederick the Great of Prussia, Eric Von Stroheim, and (Austrian) Wolfgang Mozart (European Billiards Champion, amongst other things).

[anonymous-user]

Neither was Napoleon, strictly speaking.

[anonymous-user]

A cannibal serial killer is cool? Er, right.

Rutger Hauer, a bit.

[anonymous-user]

citizensm1th said:

Breadvan72 said:

Neither was Napoleon, strictly speaking.

causican ?

Of course he can! Boney was from Corsica, which is pretty much sui generis, but more Italian than French.

[anonymous-user]

If we are doing fictional cool guys we have already declared it a tie between Sterling Archer, Daddy Pig, Grandpa Rabbit, and Batman.

Back in the real World, I suggest that the current holder of the title might be Michael Fassbender. Or Chuck Yeager. Or maybe it's still Barack Obama.

I omitted to add Peter O'Toole to the list in the opening post.

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 19th April 07:22

[anonymous-user]

bearman68 said:

Hosenbugler said:

Ranulph Feinnes,

Damn, he was my contender.

Don't worry, Ranulph Fiennes is still available. Who is Ranulph Feinnes?

Patrick Leigh Fermor is probably a former title holder.