1999's Sexiest Man Alive!

12/11/1998 at 12:00 AM EST

And this year's sexiest man is . . . Richard Gere! He was a celluloid gigolo and an officer and a gentleman and, this year, at 50, the actor is honored with PEOPLE magazine's "Sexist Man Alive" title. This year was a good one for the actor: he paired again with his "Pretty Woman" co-star Julia Roberts for the hit "Runaway Bride" and his collaboration with girlfriend Carey Lowell ("Law & Order") is the baby-on-board they're expecting. Gere may spend more time with the Dalai Lama than working on his sexy image, but that's part of the charm. Jokes the friend who introduced Gere to Lowell, Sharon Simonaire: "I don't know how he'll be to live with. He may be strutting around the house like the Sexiest Man Alive." Want to weigh in your opinons and see the others on the list? Check out the PEOPLE Online site (AOL keyword: PEOPLE) for your chance to vote "hot" or "not" for Gere and the sexy 13.