Abercrombie & Fitch model. Singer-songwriter. American Idol contestant. Four times a super-hero. Underwear model. Gym owner. Those are just some of the items found on the diverse resume of blond hunk Alan Ritchson.
He's been under the watchful eye of gay media for several years now but as you've seen he didn't make any of our Jack Manly Top Ten lists of 2007. Given that his name has popped up again lately in several ventures we thought it was time to catch you up on Alan Ritchson.

  You probably already know that he started off as a model in Florida back in 2002 and appeared in a sexy A + F  catalog (before their erotic imagery was toned down) among other gigs before turning up on the third season  of American Idol in 2004.  He didn't make the "Hollywood" cut but his audition sequence has gotten lots of play since. While Randy Jackson & Simon Cowell left the room Alan was allowed to serenade a giddy Paula Abdul. After that taste of the music business Alan Ritchson started his own company and produced his own music.
                      
                                                                                           Aquaman saves the day

 He moved to LA soon afterward to get into acting. His first job was something that only recently appeared on screen---his classic figure being animated for the title role in Beowulf. After that came a horror film Harvest and his second heroic role--this time live action. In the fall of 2005 he guest-starred on Smallville as Arthur Curry (aka Aquaman) and made a big splash (sorry about that). Frolicking in the water and being shirtless for most of the show (including a hot little bondage scene) was reason enough for Alan Ritchson to wind up on many gay watch lists after that.

   WB saw the potential for another super-hero franchise so they decided to film an Aquaman pilot called Mercy Reef.  However, Ritchson wasn't cast in the role he originated--instead it went to studly Justin Hartley (ironically Hartley is older than Ritchson and the series was supposed to take place early in the hero's career). The pilot wasn't picked up but Hartley wound up in a recurring role on Smallville---not as Aquaman, but as the Robin Hood-esque hero Green Arrow. Smallville had already featured other young super-heroes so the producers decided to feature Clark Kent teaming up with these heroes as a group--an early version of the Justice League.  This group included Aquaman and since Justin Hartley was already playing another role, Alan Ritchson again returned to the water-dwelling hero in 2007. 

             

  This wasn't to be the end of Alan Ritchson's careeer as a super-hero. Appropriately enought he later provided the voice to the animated version of Aquaman that appeared in the Justice League: New Frontier direct to DVD feature that came out a few weeks ago. By the way we recommend this and the original graphic novels DC: The New Frontier that the feature was based on. It's truly one of the most mature and beautifully stylized comic series that has been published in the last few years. Obviously Alan Ritchson also looks the part of a superhero thus he was cast in a foreign language Orbit Gum commericial:


                           


   While he continues to pursue acting, Alan Ritchson has kept his modeling career going too. Obviously aware of his physical assets he's appeared  as an underwear model for International Jock and most recently N2N Bodywear. Interesting to note that one of our Jack Manly favorites Aaron Savvy also models for this same provocative company alongside model and fellow Sean Cody alumnus Scott Andreasan (he appeared there as "Harry") 

 While we're on the subject of N2N Bodywear be sure and check out the other models, one of whom is also one of our favorite non-celebrities here in LA (we'll be discreet and not reveal his name lest stalkers start complicating his life). Like him and other models on this site Alan Ritchson is involved in the fitness industry--he's a trainer and partner at Extreme Boot Camp West Hollywood. Before you go and join up to get a clser look at Ritchson, keep in mind that this is a hardcore gym with an exhausting regimen. Oh yes, and Alan Ritchson is married too. 
                     
                    

  So what's next for heroic blond hunk Alan Ritchson? Well, you can check out his resume at IMDB or you can check back here. You can be sure we'll be keeping tabs on this sexy guy.