Jonathan Bailey attends The British Academy Television Craft Awards at The Brewery on May 8, 2011 in London, England.
You thought he looked young in that picture?? Look at this one! This picture from The British Academy Television Craft Awards is eleven years old - which means Bailey had only just turned 24 when it was taken. What a cutie!We're gonna put a similarly framed photo from this year in the next slide so you can clearly see the contrast. Get ready. Getty
Jonathan Bailey attends the SpiceUp London VIP launch at Business Design Centre on July 27, 2018 in London, England.
He's come a long way since being cast in "Bridgerton" - here's a fun flashback to what he looked like in 2018, only a short time before he filmed the first season of the Netflix hit. (He had! A Mustache?!) Getty
Jonathan Bailey attends the GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2021 at the Tate Modern on September 01, 2021 in London, England.
After seeing all that, it really should be no wonder to any of you that Bailey was honored at the GQ Men Of The Year awards last year. (Here he is at the event, looking dapper as always.) Getty
Jonathan Bailey attends the Dior Men's Fall 2022 show at Olympia Grand on December 9, 2021 in London, England.
He was even invited to the Dior Fall 2022 show, a very high-profile event indeed - we love the trenchcoat look on him. It's fun to see Bailey dressed up in something other than a tux or formal Regency costume. Getty
Jonathan Bailey wears  a yellow puffer jacket, matching yellow suit pants outside Loewe during Paris Fashion Week - Menswear F/W 2022-2023, on January 22, 2022 in Paris, France.
Even when he was roaming about in regular streetwear, Bailey was perfectly put together. That's a leisure suit, but it is a SUIT and it is a STATEMENT. Getty
Jonathan Bailey attends the Ami Fall/Winter 2022/2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 19, 2022 in Paris, France.
It does make sense that Jonathan is gay - not to throw stereotypes around, but the man is an amazing dresser - he's very into fashion, having been photographed multiple times at this year's Paris Fashion week dressed divinely. Getty
Jonathan Bailey attends the press night after party for "Cock" at The Londoner Hotel on March 15, 2022 in London, England.
Bailey is now rumored to be in a relationship with fellow actor James Ellis - though he's never named him as his boyfriend, the two have been photographed on apparent dates together.We also know he likely has a boyfriend right now, because he told GQ last month:“I reached a point where I thought, F**k this, I’d much prefer to hold my boyfriend’s hand in public or be able to put my own face picture on Tinder and not be so concerned about that than getting a part,”That's not a confirmation, but it's telling that he went to the boyfriend place and not the Tinder place first. Getty
Pippa Bennett-Warner and Jonathan Bailey attend a sparkling affair at Boodles in celebration of Pippa Bennett-Warner's 30th birthday, and the recent success of Harlots on Hulu, on July 25, 2018.
At least now we understand why he's so good at acting chemistry! Just look at this picture of him with ex-girlfriend Pippa Bennett-Warner at her 30th birthday celebration. Though they're obviously no longer together, the two are still good friends. Getty
Jonathan Bailey poses in the GAY TIMES Honours 500 studio at Magazine London on November 21, 2019 in London, England.
According to GQ, Bailey was once told:"There’s two things we don’t want to know: if you’re an alcoholic or if you’re gay.’ All it takes is for one of those people in that position of power to say that, and it ripples through. So, yeah, of course I thought that. Of course I thought that in order to be happy I needed to be straight.”But he shook that off and came out of the closet in 2018, and was photographed for GAY TIMES not long after, looking like a sexy Wolverine. Getty
Jonathan Bailey bows at the curtain call during the press night performance of "Cock" at The Ambassadors Theatre on March 15, 2022 in London, England.
Bailey is a great fit for that role, because it mirrors something he - and many, many other gay people - has gone through personally - because yes, sorry ladies, Jonathan Bailey is gay in real life. For a while, he had a long-term girlfriend, but he eventually realized that wasn't really him. Getty
Cast members Phil Daniels, Jonathan Bailey and Jade Anouka attend the press night after party for "Cock" at The Londoner Hotel on March 15, 2022 in London, England.
'Bridgerton' hasn't ended his days on the stage, either - here he is only a month ago at a photocall for "Cock," a play about a gay man who has a crisis when he meets a woman and develops romantic feelings for her. Here he is with his co-stars, Phil Daniels and Jade Anouka. Getty
 Cast members Jonathan Bailey (L) and Samantha Barks attend the press night performance of "The Last Five Years" at the St James Theatre on November 2, 2016 in London, England.
He's also well-known for starring in the 2016 West Side production of "The Last Five Years" - here he is with his co-star, Samantha Barks, who played Eponine in the film adaptation of Les Miserables in 2012. Getty
Jonathan Bailey, attends The Olivier Awards 2019 with Mastercard at The Royal Albert Hall on April 7, 2019 in London, England.
In fact, Bailey was so good in "Company" that he won The Olivier Award (British Tonys) for Best Actor In A Supporting Role In A Musical in 2019. Getty
 Jonathan Bailey and Alex Gaumond of "Company" perform at The 64th Evening Standard Theatre Awards at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, on November 18, 2018 in London, England.
But before his 'Bridgeron' days, Jonathan Bailey as a major star on stage as well - he can sing, on top of everything else! Here he is mid-belt (falling to his knees, just like he told Kate) in the 2018 production of "Company" in London. Getty
Chris Van Dusen, Ted Sarandos, Simone Ashley, Jonathan Bailey, Betsy Beers, Charithra Chandran and Shonda Rhimes attend the "Bridgerton" Series 2 World Premiere in London, England.
In fact, it's clear from this selfie that the whole cast and crew had an excellent time together - Jonathan Bailey's selfie face is the best, though. Getty
 Charithra Chandran, Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley attend the "Bridgerton" Series 2 World Premiere at Tate Modern on March 22, 2022 in London, England.
Of course, before he could fall for Kate and become the sweetie we all know and love, first he had to get past the slight stumble of asking her sister to marry him first. There may have been a sordid tale unfolding between these three on-screen, but off-screen he and his costars clearly had an amazing time together. Getty
Jonathan Bailey attends the 22nd British Independent Film Awards at Old Billingsgate on December 01, 2019 in London, England.
But last season, Bailey was anything but our heartthrob - if anything, he was an obstacle, constantly getting in the way of his sister Daphne's happiness. A hot obstacle, true, but an obstacle nonetheless. (Remember those sideburns?) Getty
Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey pose in the winners room during the EE British Academy Film Awards 2022 at Royal Albert Hall on March 13, 2022 in London, England.
In season 2, we got to fall in love with Anthony, along with his love interest Kathani Sharma, otherwise known as Kate - but Simone Ashley has confirmed that she, too, will be returning in the upcoming seasons (which is amazing, because that means we get to see more of them being adorable.) Getty
Jonathan Bailey attends the World Premiere of "Bridgerton" Season 2 at The Tate Modern on March 22, 2022 in London, England.
Most people probably know the heartthrob actor Jonathan Bailey for his leading role in Netflix's Bridgerton - as head of the household, Anthony Bridgerton is a staple of his family, and not going anywhere anytime soon - especially given the show has already been renewed for another two seasons. Getty
Jonathan Bailey attends the "Bridgerton" Series 2 World Premiere at Tate Modern on March 22, 2022 in London, England.
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Jonathan Bailey stole all of our hearts on this season of Bridgerton as the ever-serious eldest brother Anthony Bridgerton, who finally found his match in the spirited and stubborn Kathani Sharma - played by actress Simone Ashley.

We first met Bailey on the first season of the show, in which Phoebe Dynevor's Daphne found her match in the smoldering Duke of Hastings, but the actor more or less played the villain the whole time, always allowing his preconcieved notions of how the world should work to get in the way of the natural course of true love. But this second season softened him, and created a second heartbreakingly perfect leading man for us all to fawn over.

And today, April 25th, is Jonathan Bailey's birthday! The actor is now 34, and he had quite a career leading up to his initial appearance on Bridgerton two years ago. He's come a long way - which is awesome, because it means there are plenty of old photos of him doing his thing for us to enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Jonathan Bailey - here's an appreciation post, just for you!

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Jonathan Bailey, Simone Ashley, Phoebe Dynevor, Rege-Jean Page