The magazine has been criticized for nearly always choosing a white man for the cover of this issue. But in Mr. Johnson, the magazine chose its first actor of Samoan heritage. (In interviews, Mr. Johnson has described himself as half black and half Samoan.)



Denzel Washington was the first black actor to hold the title.

Mr. Johnson, who is 44 and the father of two girls — Simone, 15, and Jasmine, 11 months — became famous in the late 1990s and early 2000s as a performer with World Wrestling Entertainment. He turned toward Hollywood and found success with films like “The Mummy Returns” (2001) and a spinoff, “The Scorpion King” (2002). He joined the “Fast and the Furious” franchise in 2011 for its fifth film.

This year, according to Forbes magazine, he became the world’s highest-paid actor. (It may be noteworthy that four of the Top 5 earners — Mr. Johnson, Mr. Damon, Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp — have each been People’s Sexiest Man Alive. It may also be noteworthy that with one exception, Kate Upton in 2014, the magazine does not traditionally name a “Sexiest Woman Alive.”)

“Remember, sexy isn’t something you ‘try and be.’ Sexy happens naturally when you’re comfortable just being yourself,” Mr. Johnson wrote on Instagram Tuesday when sharing the news.