Australia's Hugh Jackman has been named the Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine.

"You can't go wrong with Jackman," People correspondent Michelle Beadle told CBS after revealing the selection.

"He's Australian, first of all. He's adorable. He's got one of the best bodies ever.

"And he's a family man. We all love that.

"He's not on the party scene. He loves his kids, he loves his wife. He likes to stay home and make pancakes. He's almost too perfect!"

Jackman and his wife of 12-plus years Deborra-Lee Furness, are "a very romantic couple", Beadle said.

They have two children - Oscar, eight and Ava, six.

When asked what his wife's response was to him being named sexiest man alive, Jackman told the magazine: "God bless her, she said, 'I could've told them that years ago!' And then she said, 'Obviously, Brad (Pitt) wasn't available this year'. And I said, 'That was a joke, right?'."

The magazine described Jackman as "a hard body with a soft centre".

Jackman, 40, is currently starring in Baz Luhrmann's film, Australia, which premiered in Sydney on Tuesday.

Other big names in the list of 16 sexiest men were James Bond actor Daniel Craig, Hairspray actor Zac Efron, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, actor Javier Bardem, Chinese pianist Lang Lang and football star David Beckham.