It's official! People's newest Sexiest Man Alive for 2026, the successor to Wicked heartthrob Jonathan Bailey, is Noah Wyle.
The actor, 55, is the latest star to be crowned the "man of the moment," so to speak, and takes over the honor a few years after his ER co-star George Clooney received it – twice.
© Jeff Lipsky/PEOPLE"I think he'll be amused and feel, hopefully, like a proud papa, that I've come of gray-haired age," he quipped to the publication of what he believes George's reaction will be to the news.
While he's currently taking charge as Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch on HBO's acclaimed The Pitt, he really shot to fame with another medical drama, aka NBC's ER as Dr. John Carter. In honor of Noah's new title, we're looking back on his TV breakthrough years in photos below…
© Getty ImagesNoah's first experiences in Hollywood
As a teenager, while working craft services on movie lots, Noah made his first screen appearance as an uncredited extra in the 1985 film Lust in the Dust.
His stepfather, James C. Katz, was a film preservationist and producer, who helped Noah get on film sets when he worked as an executive for Universal Studios. His step-maternal grandfather was filmmaker John Sturges, best known for creating movies like Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Great Escape (1963).
© Getty ImagesNoah's pre-ER career
After graduating from high school in 1989, the teen decided to jump fully into the world of acting, moving to Los Angeles, signing with an agent and starting acting classes. His first TV credit was in the miniseries Blind Faith in 1990.
He followed that up with minor film roles in Crooked Hearts (1991) and Swing Kids (1993), with his most prominent pre-ER credit being a minor role in 1993's Oscar-nominated A Few Good Men, opposite Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore.
© Getty ImagesAuditioning for ER
At the age of 22, Noah's agent persuaded him to audition for the role of Dr. John Carter for NBC's new medical drama ER. At the time, Noah was still doing bit parts and waiting tables in Hollywood to make ends meet. Noah also auditioned for the part of Ross Geller on another NBC pilot, Friends, which debuted the same year.
"He came in very late, and [we] just brought him back two or three times, and he was different every time and better every time, and had new ideas," the show's producer John Wells recently recalled on the A Lot More podcast. "And I said, 'Oh, there's somebody who's really an actor.' He ended up getting the job at the last minute."
© Getty ImagesBecoming a star
ER was a massive hit for the network and was one of the most watched programs on TV for several years, making its original season leads (Noah, George, Sherry Stringfield, Julianne Margulies, Anthony Edwards, Eriq La Salle) household names.
Noah played the young and affable Dr. Carter for 11 seasons, announcing his departure in 2004 to spend more time with his family, although he made multiple appearances in the following seasons.
© Getty ImagesAcclaim and growing profile
With his ER ensemble cast, Noah won four Actor Awards, and was nominated for three individual Golden Globes and four Primetime Emmy Awards. He continued acting in other projects sparingly, most notably the films The Myth of Fingerprints (1997) and Donnie Darko (2001), and the TV movie Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999).
He focused a majority of his efforts on supporting local theater, especially the LA-based Blank Theatre Company. After becoming a dad for the first time in 2002, Noah decided to pivot away from regular TV work to focus on family. He continued to work in less rigorous production settings, though, before returning to the medical landscape decades later in The Pitt.
