He’s now recognized as one of the best actors in the world, but there was a time when Javier Bardem was also hailed as one of the sexiest men in the world and these pics demonstrate the why and the wherefore. Descending from a family of actors, he first came to fame in his native Spain in the 1992 sex comedy Jamon Jamon and, by carefully choosing roles of increasing complexity and freshness, he has gone from one critical and popular success after another. These shots from another Spanish comedy early in his career showcase the more physical aspects of his talent: