Ursula Andress once said; “I hate the word sexy.” But when you are the epitome of a Bond girl, you can say meaningless crap like that to sound modest. Let’s be honest, there is something mesmerizing about a sexy performance. Whether man or woman, we can all appreciate the psychological appeal of a character who seems to embody some primordial essence of sensuality. I am not talking about inspiring the perverse leering of a randy pensioner, rather the otherworldly draw that an actor channels through their performance.

There is, of course, always an element of attraction involved in any sexy performance; and as this list shows, behind every skintight body suit and oily bicep is an attractive thespian.  But not all sexy performances come in the shape of Marylin Monroe and her wayward skirt or Richard Gere and his pressed white uniform. Sometimes a character oozes sexiness that is much more indescribable, yet wholly gripping. Performances such as Jack Sparrow and Agent Scully simultaneously peak an audience’s interest and turn the actors portraying them into instant sex symbols.

For the sake of universal appeal, I have divided this list to equal numbers of male and female performances. You might not agree with me on all these choices, so feel free to make your own suggestions. But remember, this isn’t about ‘snog, marry, avoid’. This is about those performances which have taken 2012 by storm, got inside the head of the public psyche and made calendar sales for that actor go through the roof.

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