In history, only men have been glorified for their sexual exploits.
They are deemed heroes to emulate and embody all those healthy male attributes we should all be proud of.
The ladies, on the other hand, get the short end of the stick. While males walk off with qualifiers like lady-killer, lothario, stud and such, females get the less savoury labels.
Sexual politics are certainly unfair, especially when you find out who these guys are and how they did it (and the amount of women who fell for them!).
Who are they?
Here are 10 of the most egregiously successful womanizers in history.
Giacomo Casanova
The 18th century Venetian adventurer and writer, Giacomo Casanova, literally bedded himself into history, having his name adopted to define a “promiscuous and unscrupulous womanizer” after his death.
Throughout his life, he travelled extensively around Europe and met the most notable figures of the era, including Mozart, Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin and a long list of royals, popes and artists.
While he was busy discussing politics and philosophy with these figures, he also found time to seduce countless women, gamble and put his palate to the test with the finest wines and cuisine in whatever land he found himself in.
Here's a man who attended the most refined soirées and still found time to write the playbook for promiscuity. Multitasking at its finest.
Sometimes, his affairs caused him many enemies and he found himself jailed.
Nearing the end of his life, he settled down and wrote his memoirs where he describes in detail his scandalous life and affairs, all 122 of them.
Lord Byron
“Woman! experience might have told me, That all must love thee who behold thee.”
Lord Byron
No doubt poets, artists and bon vivants are better at the science of seduction than most others.
Lord Byron, for instance, was the poet of his age and one of the most famous men in Europe, another factor that greatly contributes to sexual success.
Swashbuckling, flamboyant, daring and bisexual, by the end of his life he had amassed at least 250 lovers, some of which had begat him children.
Forget about simple, clichéd love poetry; this man lived the stuff of legends. He was the original bad boy of the Romantic era.
One of his lovers, Lady Caroline Lamb, who was married, famously said of Byron: “He’s mad, bad and dangerous to know,” which pretty much sums him up.
Not content with life in England, he moved on to the continent where adventure and desire awaited.
He even fought the Ottoman alongside the Greeks in their war of independence, where he fell ill and eventually died.
He was 36 years old at the time of his death.
Gene Simmons
“I love money, I love women, I like to work hard and I don’t use drugs.”
Gene Simmons
Noted rock legend and Kiss bassist Gene Simmons claims to have slept with 4,600 women and has photographic evidence to prove it.
The Kiss frontman, who was once romantically linked to the likes of Cher and Diana Ross, had this to say about his insatiable sexual appetite: “The male species manufactures billions of sperm. It’s our duty to do what the Old Testament says, which is Spread Thy Seed”.
His claims about the number of his sexual partners, supported by supposed photographic evidence, make him an outlier, even in the world of rock 'n' roll.
Simmons is married to former playboy playmate Shannon Tweed who doesn’t seem to mind his infidelities.
He was certainly made for loving!
Scott Baio
Eighties teenage heartthrob and star of TV shows like “Happy Days” and “Charles in Charge,” Scott Baio confessed that he had slept with over a thousand women.
Baio, one of Hollywood’s eternal bacherlors and a one-time regular at the Playboy mansion, has dated other Hollywood celebs including Pamela Anderson, Heather Locklear, and Denise Richards, and even tied the knot in 2007.
Scott Baio: from teen heartthrob to Playboy Mansion's most wanted. Not everyone gets banned for being too successful at a place designed for hedonism.
Before marrying though, he was a hunter, and a successful one.
He was banned from the playboy mansion for sleeping with too many playmates.
Russel Brand
“To this day, I feel a fierce warmth for women that have the same disregard for the social conventions of sexual protocol as I do.”
Russel Brand
English comedian Russel Brand is no stranger to addictions: Cannabis, booze, acid, speed, coke, crack, heroin and sex.
Yes, sex.
Although Brand has since recovered from his addictions, during his crazy days he slept with over 2,000 women, claiming he was bringing home three to four women a day.
Sleeping with over 2,000 women is a feat, but needing a team of handlers to make it happen? That's a logistical nightmare worthy of a military operation.
He was aided in his never-ending quest for sex by his handlers, who would find him women at his shows and nonchalantly direct them to the backstage area.
He was briefly married to one of the most famous women on the planet, Katy Perry, but that wasn’t enough to calm his ravenous desire for sex.
Hugh Hefner
“Sex is the driving force on the planet. We should embrace it, not see it as the enemy.”
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner, a name entwined with the tapestry of adult leisure, was the visionary behind Playboy’s inception in 1953.
Beyond the pages of his iconic magazine, he curated the illustrious Playboy Mansion, a venue that over time, witnessed a parade of elegance in the form of countless models.
Hefner’s life, characterized by an intertwining dance with these enchantresses, spanned a rich 91 years.
The man didn't just create a magazine; he orchestrated an entire lifestyle, all from the comfort of his robe and slippers.
When musing about the number of women who graced his life, he replied with a touch of mystery, suggesting figures just over a thousand.
Yet, whispers in society corridors estimate that number to oscillate between a staggering 2,500 to 5,000.
John F. Kennedy
The 35th President of the United States has gone done in history as the man who presided over the country during a turbulent era: Vietnam, The Bay of Pigs fiasco, The Soviets and the Cuban missile crisis, etc.
He’s also the most womanizing President we know of and presided over a bevy of beautiful women.
From early on in his political career, JFK was described as a “compulsive womanizer,” chasing after all sorts of women, from secretaries and stewardesses to high-class ladies of society.
Kennedy managed to juggle international crises and romantic rendezvous simultaneously. It's not every day a man can say he averted nuclear disaster and still had time for extramarital activities.
He had affairs with Danish journalist Inga Arvad, actress Gene Tierney, Gunilla von Post, Judith Campbell, Mary Pinchot Meyer, Marlene Dietrich, Mimi Alford, and his wife Jackie’s press secretary Pamela Turnure.
However, his most famous conquest was Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe.
The infamous incident where Marilyn Monroe seductively sang an intriguing version of “Happy Birthday,” made the President nervous, and he cut it off shortly thereafter.
Warren Beatty
“Women are a problem, but if you haven’t already guessed, they are the kind of problem I enjoy wrestling with.”
Warren Beatty
Beatty’s biographer estimated that the Hollywood star had slept with an incredible 12,775 women throughout his life.
And it’s no surprise; the list of his known relationships and affairs is an impressive one: Madonna, Cher, Janice Dickenson Michelle Phillips, Natalie Wood, Lana Wood, Diane Keaton, Julie Christie, Joan Collins, Leslie Caron, Isabelle Adjani, Mary Tyler Moore and so many more in a list of who’s who.
The list of his romantic partners reads like a Hollywood elite directory.
The star of “Heaven Can Wait” and “Bonnie and Clyde” used to roam the hills of Hollywood and successfully woo whoever happened to cross his path.
Unfortunately for those who never got a chance to have a one-night stand with the Hollywood legend, there won’t be another opportunity.
Apart from being 77 years old and way past his prime, both physically and charm-wise, married actress Annette Bening in 1992 and have four children.
Wilt Chamberlain
Chamberlain’s story is truly one of the most incredible ever.
The former NBA star and top scorer for his team dominated the court inside and out.
Chamberlain claimed to have slept with over 20,000 women during his 63 years of bachelor life on this earth.
Chamberlain—dominating rebounds on the court and in the bedroom. Let's just say, his game was never off, in more ways than one.
“Wilt the Stilt” as he was referred to, did everything well.
He was a successful NBA player, a professional volleyball player, a movie actor (he starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian), and a successful businessman.
Add to this list, a complete lady’s man.
Love wisely, not just widely
The illustrious parade of men who’ve turned the art of seduction into their personal Olympic sport, complete with gold medals in “Synchronized Heartbreaking” and “Freestyle Womanizing.”
From Casanova’s continental escapades to JFK’s presidential affairs, these men have set a standard so high, it’s practically orbiting Venus.
But let’s not forget, while they’ve been busy collecting notches on their bedposts, they’ve also been racking up karma points that even a lifetime of good deeds couldn’t balance.
So, gentlemen, before you aspire to join this Hall of Fame, remember: Love is a game best played with respect, not just a scorecard.