Now that we’ve shown you the ladies we think were fantastic this year, it’s time for us to check out which men we think had the best year in 2013. From Doctor Who to Breaking Bad our selection varies from fandom to fandom – hey, we even have a musical artist picked out this year – and we’re excited to present to you our picks!
Like the previous women, the men we picked are more than just famous and successful this year – they’re men who we believe to be great role models and fantastic human beings.
And after our pick of men be sure to check out the last page to see which celebrities we think will have a great year in 2014!
Best Men of 2013
J.J. Abrams had quite the year in 2013. In January one of his biggest successes, Fringe, ended its series with 3.2 million people tuning in, and that was just the beginning of Abrams’ year.
Later on that month it was announced that Abrams will be directing the widely controversial reboot of the Star Wars franchise, and we later learned he would take over script writing duties.
Over the summer the sequel to his highly successful 2012 Star Trek film Star Trek: Into Darkness made a splash at the box office with $70 million during its opening weekend. Abrams is still committed to produce the third film due for release in 2016.
All of that, in addition to the release of Abrams’ book earlier this year, adds up to be a wildly successful year! Okay, so maybe the book wasn’t the best thing in the world, but we won’t count that against the man’s success. We’ve no doubt that Abrams will bring great things to the franchises he’s involved in and look forward to seeing what he puts out in 2014. – Tariq Kyle
If 2013 was the year of anyone, it was of Benedict Cumberbatch. Fandom darling, Tumblr obsession, talented actor and hilarious interviewee – is there nothing that this man can’t do?
In 2013 Cumberbatch was involved in two major fandoms through his star turn as the villain in Star Trek Into Darkness and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (we could listen to that dragon talk all night). But that wasn’t all, as he also managed to fit in stellar performances in 12 Years A Slave and August: Osage County. And that’s not to mention the blonde hair he wore to portray Julian Assange in the biopic The Fifth Estate.
And Cumberbatch is still going strong, even as 2013 approaches its end. New Years Day will see the return of the beloved consulting detective in Sherlock season 3 in the United Kingdom, with a premiere in the United States on January 19.
If success could be measured in Tumblr GIFs, then Cumberbatch is well ahead of anyone in, well, the world. But we can also measure his success in the wonderful interviews he gives, the hilarious anecdotes he tells (‘Neutron cream’ on the Star Trek set, anyone?), and the unbeatable performances he delivers every time. – Marama Whyte
Doctor Who has really taken off the past couple of years. It’s reached thousands more people than it ever used to and now it’s the record holder for the most watched simulcast in television history – all while Matt Smith played the Doctor.
Smith helped bring the cool factor to Doctor Who; because he was the youngest actor to ever play the Doctor, naturally, the audience for the show grew. He’s also made bow ties and fezzes a hotter commodity, and you’ll be hard pressed to not spot at least ten of those at Comic-Con during any given moment. This year we say goodbye to Smith in just a matter of days on the Doctor Who Christmas Special, which helps finish off a year of epic proportions.
There’s the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, the departure of Smith in the Christmas special and then there’s also the non-Who stuff Smith has done this year.
He’s signed on to and filmed a movie with directer Ryan Gosling in How to Catch a Monster, and he made his musical debut in American Psycho, currently playing at the Almeida Theatre in London. This was absolutely one of Smith’s most successful years in his career. –Tariq Kyle
To say Justin Timberlake had a great year would be an understatement. The man who brought SexyBack in 2006 showed up in 2013 with a “Suit and Tie” and became one of the most beloved celebrities around.
He debuted The 20/20 Experience Part 1 in the spring and then Part 2 in the fall – both successful albums that led to an equally successful tour with Jay-Z and redefined his brand as the cool guy with a jazz band and sleek suits. But while he was acting all suave, we can’t forget about his past musical endeavors: the NSYNC reunion at the MTV VMA’s was almost as talked about as that whole Miley Cyrus thing and made nearly everyone who grew up singing “Bye, Bye, Bye,” cry out with joy.
Timberlake will be ending the year not with a fizzle, but with a bang by being the musical guest on SNL this Saturday night with SNL alum, and aforementioned late night host, Jimmy Fallon. His second appearance on the show this year, don’t be surprised to see him pop up in a few sketches.
It’ll be hard for JT to top this year in 2014, but we don’t doubt he’ll try. –Kristina Lintz
Bryan Cranston is a fantastic actor. Over the past five years he convinced us that you could start a show supporting a character and absolutely despise him by the end. His dialogue delivery was some of the most stunning acting of the year and reminded us that television is just as good – if not better than – what you see at the movies.
It makes you wonder: Would the show even be as successful if Cranston weren’t in it? We have to think no. The actor is that perfect for Bad because we still don’t know whether we love or hate Walter White.
Then there’s the fact that Cranston is just a cool guy. Evidence: The alternate Bad ending (video no longer available, but hit the link for the story).
Interestingly, Cranston hasn’t had many roles this year outside of Bad. It was just his performance in the meth drama that grabbed all of Hollywood’s attention. He did have a role in a recent, smaller film Cold Comes the Night. Look for him next year in Godzilla. – Andrew Sims
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