PEOPLE magazine has named Chris Hemsworth the “Sexiest Man Alive” of 2014, cheering the Australian actor’s rise as hammer-wielding, bona fide hunk in the “Thor” films.

    Hemsworth, who also starred as Formula One racer James Hunt in the Ron Howard-directed “Rush” and as George Kirk in the “Star Trek” reboots, was unveiled as the winner on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

    When asked who he wanted to thank, Hemsworth told Kimmel his parents, “for putting this together.” Still, Hemsworth couldn’t help but joke that, “This is based on an IQ test and not just physical appearance.”

    He joins a list of hunks with the honor, including Bradley Cooper, Ryan Reynolds, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Patrick Swayze, Sean Connery, Ben Affleck, Channing Tatum and Adam Levine. Mel Gibson, another Australian, was the first in 1985.

    The 31-year-old star of “Thor: The Dark World” and his 38-year-old wife, Elsa Pataky of “Fast and Furious 6,” have three children. The actor’s younger brother, Liam, stars in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.”

    Hemsworth told People that the award “bought me a couple of weeks of bragging rights” around the house and with his wife. “I can just say to her, ‘Now remember, this is what the people think, so I don’t need to do the dishes anymore, I don’t need to change nappies. I’m above that. I’ve made it now.’”

    As for his younger brother Liam’s reaction to the news, Hemsworth noted, “We’ve been throwing sexy looks back and forth all week. He’s been a real team player through this one.”(SD-Agencies)