Yes, the second-ever "Sexiest Man Alive" was a St. Elsewhere
cast member.
Here's the article from the January 27, 1986 issue of
People magazine, "
Charmin' Harmon", declaring
St. Elsewhere's
Mark Harmon, who had just wrapped his run as plastic surgeon and resident eye candy, Dr. Bobby Caldwell, the year's Sexiest Man Alive. The title of "
Sexiest Man Alive" had been initiated the year before, as the tag line of a
Mel Gibson cover, and since then, the feature has become an annual tradition (with a brief hiatus in the early 90s).
Harry Hamlin from
L.A. Law would "win" the following year, and after selecting
John F. Kennedy, Jr. in 1988, the honour has strictly been bestowed on Hollywood film stars.
St. Elsewhere actually holds the distinction of being the only television series to have
two main cast members be declared
People's SMA, with
Denzel Washington, Dr. Philip Chandler himself, earning the distinction ten years later. Not only was Denzel the first black doctor on a TV medical drama, but he was the first black SMA as well.
The thing I found interesting about the timing of the article was that it coincided with the
demise of his character, who had turned heel during season 4. I guess they admired his dramatic chops, which, as he states in the article, weren't really put to much use in his first two seasons on the show. Mark Harmon's last appearance on
St. Elsewhere was in the February 12, 1986 episode, "Family Affair", two weeks after his
People cover story, an article which reveals upcoming plot developments in a way that would be considered spoiling these days.
I never knew that Harmon requested that the writers do something interesting and "get excited" about his character. The article echoes my reaction to that revelation:
You can just hear the show's writers now: "Is this what you had in mind, Harmon, heh-heh-heh?" Well, it was, precisely, even though it meant a hasty exit from the show recently nominated for an Emmy as TV's Outstanding Drama Series.
