In celebration of Bastille Day 2014, we recognise the importance of France in bringing some rather handsome hommes into our lives from the worlds of rugby, football, film, television… and porn. You’re welcome!

OLIVIER MARTINEZ

The 48 year-old Paris native has been called a womanizer by the media. He dated gay icon and Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue for several years before moving on to the stunning model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and eventually marrying fellow actor Halle Berry in 2013. Professionally, he’s not exactly a loser either – he landed a recurring role in the most recent season of ABC’s primetime psychological drama, Revenge, which was recently picked up for a fourth season by the American network.

GEOFFREY MESSINA

The lovely Geoffrey Messina is familiar to the gay community due to his tendency to find himself sans clothes on the Dieux du Stade calendar series since 2005, but he’s also quite a prolific rugby player-playing centre for Francais Paris, having previously earned the title ‘Champion de France’ in 2007. Most importantly though, 32 year-old Messina is a 13 stone slab of lean French beef and he’s got no plans to put it away any time soon, apparently.

YOANN GOURCUFF

Gourcuff operates mainly as an attacking midfielder for France’s Lyon football club, which plays in the country’s highest division, Ligue 1. The 28 year-old, 6’1” stud comes from a particularly athletic family – his mother was a a pro basketball player whilst his father was also a footballer playing for teams in France, Switzerland and Canada. Not to be left out of the act, his brother decided it was essential to become a professional sportsman too, and is currently a competitive cyclist and swimmer. See him in his natural habitat above, wearing a rather snug black thing.

GILLES MARINI

He famously showed off his full-bodied French weapon to sex-crazed Samantha Jones in the second Sex and the City movie, but before that the 38 year-old was instilled with a great work ethic by his Italian father – he worked in his parents’ bakery in France from the age of eight, and later joined the army working as a fireman for the Paris Fire Brigade. Marini moved to the US to learn English, while working as a model after being spotted by a photographer. In 2009, he was hired to work for a five episode arc on ABC’s hit family drama Brothers & Sisters, but was promoted to series regular – possibly due to the fact that it never hurts to have some serious French man candy to look at during long, hard days on the set.

FRANCOIS SAGAT

Saving the naughtiest until last, Sagat is a Cognac-born actor, who until 2009 starred in a series of choice films of the adult variety, before going on to direct his own series, Francois Sagat’s Incubus Adult Films in 2011. He was ‘discovered’ by French porn studio, Citebeur at the age of 25 and became known for his scalp tattoo, which mimics a buzz cut (Sagat lost his hair as a result of anabolic steroid use). He retired from the porn world in 2013 and announced the launch of a fashion line, KICKSAGAT. The ruggedly handsome 35 year-old appeared in an advertisement that was broadcast on World AIDS Day, where the not-exactly-shy Sagat appeared totally nude, demonstrating how to use a condom and lubricant for those who didn’t already know – we’re sure you can find it if you look hard enough online.

So there you have it, French men – not exactly the ugliest specimens in the world. Have we missed your favourite French fellow? Let us know @TheOutmost