The Most Interesting Pitch Men in the World

Jonathan Goldsmith as "The Most Interesting Man in the World"

Who is "The Most Interesting Man in the World"? According to Dos Equis, which introduced the hugely popular character in 2007, "his reputation is expanding faster than the universe." So how could we not be intrigued? Personally, we need to know more.

But Dos Equis isn't giving up the ghost. Jonathan Goldsmith, who plays the suave older gentleman with the trademark line, "Stay thirsty, my friends," has been unavailable for comment, no doubt at the behest of the company that hoped to preserve the mystique of their pitchman by casting an unknown actor.

We were hoping we could seek Goldsmith out during the Dos Equis-sponsored 14-city multi-cultural circus road show called "The Most Interesting Show in the World." But according to a company spokesperson, "Unfortunately, he has been detained, counseling tribal mystics in Swaziland, and cannot attend the tour." Clearly, this will not be our opportunity to find out more about the sophisticated man who doesn't always drink beer, but when he does prefers Dos Equis.

Inspired by the king of carpe diem himself, we chose to push forward on our own to get the facts. We weren't surprised to find out that Goldsmith is an actor, but we were giddy to uncover the treasure trove of bit parts he played in the cheesiest TV shows from the '70s, '80s, and '90s. Goldsmith made guest appearances on over 45 series throughout the last 30 years, including "Hawaii Five-O," "Eight Is Enough," "The Rockford Files," "Barnaby Jones," "Charlie's Angels," "CHiPs," "The Fall Guy," "Dynasty," "T.J. Hooker," "Knots Landing," "Hardcastle and McCormick," "Knight Rider," "Magnum, P.I.," "MacGyver," and "Murder, She Wrote." No wonder "even lucha libres remove their masks in his presence." Yet his longest run on prime time was a 13-episode stint on "Dallas" in 1989.

Want to see what he looked like as a sniveling thug and much less interesting character actor back in '85? Check him out in this classic "A-Team" episode.

And yet, that's all we could find. No date of birth. No tales of a childhood in some exotic land. No accounts of a swinging singles apartment building in the '70s or a string of bad marriages and paternity suits. So we've decided to let it ride, just as he would want us to, and enjoy the fact that "his beard alone has experienced more than a lesser man's entire body." If you're still yearning to find out what makes T.M.I.M. tick, you can ask him yourself, if you dare. Naturally, he has his own Facebook page because, of course, he's interesting.

The Most Interesting Man is just the latest fictional character we've grown to love over the years. Wonder what happened to your favorite pitchmen, -women, and -children from the '60s, '70s, and '80s? Keep reading and stay thirsty, my friends...