The Top 10 Fictional Silver Foxes

October 16, 2018

Welcome to the fourth post on the SilverFox Blog. We are building the SilverFox brand to represent a new vanguard in men’s apparel.

What is a silver fox?

Per Dictionary.com: "A silver fox is an older man, generally with gray or graying hair, who is considered attractive, charming, and classy."

SilverFox men have a touch of gray on their head, adventure in their hearts, and years of wisdom in their souls.

Today, we are spotlighting the top 10 fictional silver foxes from tv, film, and books. These men have the style and confidence of a SilverFox man - each one is worthy of recognition as a true Silver Fox.

Roger Sterling | Mad Men

The immortal Roger Sterling, played by John Slattery, is the lynchpin of Mad Men. As the cofounding Senior Partner of Sterling Draper Cooper Price, Sterling plays mentor to Don Draper and - despite his own shortcomings - never fails to bring wit and wisdom to the office.

Always impeccably dressed. Always sporting perfect hair. Often toting a cigarette and an adult beverage in tow. Roger Sterling is one of television's all-time silver foxes, a decorated World War I veteran, and a relic of a bygone era.

Vincent | Collateral

Tom Cruise's unforgettable turn as engaging hitman Vincent (no last name given) in Michael Mann's Collateral is a case study in silver fox manliness.

A cold-blooded killer who takes a hero turn later in the movie, the character of Vincent was a departure for Cruise - the silver hair acting as a metaphor for this new type of character he is playing.

Paul Newman | Cool Hand Luke

One of the original silver fox characters in cinema, Paul Newman's titular Cool Hand Luke became a silver screen legend.

His famous scenes with villain The Captain ("What we've got here is failure to communicate") made this one of Newman's most enduring characters.

Ulysses Everett McGill | O Brother Where Are Thou?

We could have gone with any number of characters played by George Clooney, but we thought it apt to choose the one most obsessed with his hair.

The Dapper Dan man "Ulysses" absolutely belongs on this list - even if he was practicing law without a license.

Dr. McSteamy | Grey's Anatomy

Dr. Mark Everett Sloan aka McSteamy was the silver fox sex symbol of smash hit Grey's Anatomy. A highly-respected plastic surgeon with a healthy ego, McSteamy was the childhood best friend of fellow Grey's silver fox Derek Shepherd, M.D., aka McDreamy.

Played by Eric Dane, the character won the hearts of countless female viewers all over the country and helped make Grey's the legendary piece of 2000s pop culture that it was.

James Bond | Never Say Never Again

The world's favorite British secret service agent has sported a number of looks - young, old, brunette, blonde, and yes - silver foxed. We like to think that Sean Connery's turn as a silver-haired Bond in Never Say Never Again was one of the character's finest hours.

In one of the greatest Bond performances of all-time, Connery fights a Russian henchmen, survives a shark attack, and spars with femme fatale Fatima Blush in the Bahamas. Who says gray-haired men can't be dashing and adventurous?

John "Scottie" Ferguson | Vertigo

The main character in Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece is played by silver screen legend James Stewart. Set in San Francisco, Stewart is an ex-detective with a bad case of vertigo and a jones for a beautiful woman who may or may not be the wife of his friend, Gavin Elster.

In 2012, Sight & Sound voted Vertigo the greatest film of all-time, unseating Citizen Kane, which had held the top spot since 1962. We like to think it's because Stewart's Scottie Ferguson qualifies as a full-blown silver fox, whereas Orson Welles's Charles Foster Kane falls well short.

Dr. Robert Neville | I Am Legend

Newly gray-haired Will Smith gives a scintillating performance in I Am Legend, essentially playing the only character who appears onscreen the entire movie. The heroic Dr. Neville spends the film performing manly deeds like hunting (literally) for food and, you know, trying to find a cure that will save the human race from its current zombie apocalypse situation.

The hair speaks for itself. Here's hoping we all age as well as Will Smith has in our later years.

Jason Bourne | Jason Bourne

Wherein Matt Damon returns to play Jason Bourne a full decade after The Bourne Ultimatum - this time with a healthy dose of gray around the temples. Does this make the Force Reconnaissance officer any less deadly to his adversaries?

(Spoiler Alert) No.

Sonny Crockett | Miami Vice

Our 10th and final silver fox comes from Michael Mann's film adaptation of Miami Vice. Colin Farrell plays Sonny Crockett (a role played by fellow silver fox Don Johnson in the television series) with a grim, stylish flair.

Crockett's doomed love affair with Isabella is one of the high-points of the film, which is shot to cinematic perfection and contains some of the most quintessential silver fox-worthy lines in the film. Example: "I'm a fiend for mojitos."

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