Man Candy Mondays: Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling

Born: November 12, 1980

Hometown: Ontario, Canada

Height: 6'1"

Why we love Ryan Gosling: He's super-sweet but famous for his meaty roles. "The Gos" is like a treat from a (sexy) candy shop -- and we're definitely going back for seconds!

He's unfailingly adorable

Is there anything Gosling does that's not cute? When Rolling Stone movie critic Peter Travers asked him to sing the song that was in his head, he sang the My Little Pony theme song. He inspires headlines like "Ryan Gosling Carries His Pup At LAX, Looks Sexy Doing So." (And he did, we might add.) He wore a onesie on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

That's not all: He takes gorgeous, famous women on dates to places like the zoo and the aquarium. This past month, when the paparazzi interrupted his lunch in New York City last week, instead of punching a cameraman (ahem, Chris Martin), he made funny faces at them while they snapped away. There's something infinitely childlike about Ryan that makes us smile.

Ryan Gosling: Gorgeous, sweet... and a bit of a bad boy >>

He takes unconventional roles

Not content to pursue traditional blockbuster or rom-com roles, he's taken risky parts and excelled. He played a drug-addicted middle school teacher in Half Nelson, a man who takes a doll as a girlfriend in Lars and the Real Girl, and half of a couple whose relationship is crumbling in Blue Valentine. (We still think he deserved an Oscar nom for Blue Valentine.) "I just have my own taste and I just try and stick with that," Gosling once told MTV. "I'm just trying to play as many characters as I can for as long as I have an opportunity to."

But before he scored his indie cred, he got his big break on The Mickey Mouse Club at age 12 — yep, right alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake. Again, adorable!

He's the perfect romantic hero

His role as Noah Calhoun in The Notebook is arguably his most-recognized, but isn't Gosling himself a pretty good example of the perfect romantic hero, worthy of the cover of a steamy novel? He's totally ripped — incredibly so, from what we've seen in the Crazy, Stupid, Love promos. In fact, his co-star Emma Stone recently said this to The Advocate: "Well, I got to touch [his abs] too, so I can confirm that he isn't photoshopped at all," referencing her line in the movie trailer. "He put in all the hard work, and it will not disappoint you." Jealous does not begin to describe how we feel about Emma Stone right now.

He has a lovely face — pretty yet scruffy. And he's smart (see the film choices we mentioned above). See? Perfect!

Ryan Gosling's relationship status:

Gosling famously dated his Notebook co-star Rachel McAdams from 2004 to 2007. Now, he's single and on the loose — and not to mention tough to pin down. In the past year, he took newly single Olivia Wilde to an aquarium and newly (publicly) bisexual Evan Rachel Wood to the zoo.

At a recent press event for Crazy, Stupid, Love, he was hounded by the press about who he's dating. The answer? No one knows. Which means we could be next! Hey, a girl can dream, right?

Vintage Gosling

Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake &  JC Chasez on the Mickey Mouse Club

Check out this video of Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake, and JC Chasez singing "Cry for You" on the Mickey Mouse Club.

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Photo credits: Lia Toby /WENN.com, Ian Wilson/WENN.com