The heartthrobs of our favourite '80s and '90s rom-coms: Where are they now?
There's a good chance that you had a poster of at least one of these Hollywood hunks stuck to your bedroom wall growing up.
In the golden era of rom-coms – the '80s and '90s – we were spoiled for choice, with leading men everywhere we looked.
So what are these guys all up to now? Scroll through to find out.
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Ryan Phillippe
Ryan Phillippe's breakout role was in the TV series One Life To Live, in which he played the first-ever gay teenager on a daytime soap opera.
He later claimed that his conservative parents "shunned" him after taking the role.
A few years later he appeared in the horror flick I Know What You Did Last Summer alongside Freddie Prince Jr.
However, it was his appearance in Cruel Intentions that was a massive hit with teens and truly cemented his spot on the heartthrob list.
"I thought my parents were going to disown me," said Phillippe, who was 23 when the film was released.
Phillippe never stepped away from acting, though he stopped playing the typical heartthrob character.
He's tackled a variety of projects over the last two decades, from starring in the beloved TV series Damages to directing, writing, and acting in the indie thriller Catch Hell.
Most recently, he starred in Miranda's Victim with Abigail Breslin and Luke Wilson.
Patrick Dempsey
Patrick Dempsey started his career in rom-coms in the early '80s, and was still starring in them 40 years later.
His first major movies were Can't Buy Me Love in 1987 and Loverboy, two years later.
After solid roles through the 1990s, he returned to rom-coms with Sweet Home Alabama, Made of Honor, and Valentine's Day
Of course, he also played Dr Derek Shepard for 11 seasons of Grey's Anatomy.
Patrick Dempsey
While Dempsey may not be acting in rom-coms as much any more, he's still very much a heartthrob. The star was named People's Sexiest Man Alive for 2023.
His recent roles included the 2022 Enchanted sequel, and 2023's car-racing flick Ferrari.
Freddie Prinze Jr.
Though he got his acting start in I Know What You Did Last Summer, the romantics among us will remember the actor best for his swoon-worthy role in the 1999 rom-com She's All That alongside Rachael Leigh Cook.
In the following years, he kept our attention in films like Scooby Doo and Summer Catch.
He even guest starred in an episode of Friends, taking on the role of male nanny Sandy, after Tom Hanks had to drop out.
Taye Diggs
Taye Diggs started his career on the stage but transitioned to starring in TV shows and movies in the late '90s. Rom-com fans will probably remember his iconic role in How Stella Got Her Groove Back - which was actually his first-ever movie.
From there, he received a lot of attention and critical acclaim, and starred in a handful of movies over the coming years.
By the 2000s, Diggs left the big screen and appeared mostly in TV shows and stage productions.
If you watched the Grey's Anatomy spin-off, Private Practice, you'll no doubt remember him for his role as Addison's colleague and long-time friend, Sam.
He also had guest roles on The West Wing, The Good Wife, and Empire.
In 2018, he made his return to rom-coms in the Netflix movie Set It Up.
Matthew Broderick
Younger generations may immediately associate him with Inspector Gadget, but rom-com fans who were around in the '80s know that's where Broderick got his start.
Of course, his career-defining role came in 1986, with Ferris Bueller's Day Off. He then went on to star in films like The Night We Never Met, and lend his voice to adult Simba in the beloved Disney cartoon The Lion King.
As his career progressed, Broderick continued to star in big films, like The Stepford Wives, Election, and Addicted to Love.
In 2023, he starred in the rom-com No Hard Feelings, and had a leading role in the series Painkiller.
Broderick married Sarah Jessica Parker in 1997. They have three kids.
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