In praise of the pulling-power of seniors (or at least senior actors).

Every now and then Muddy K and I love to play the which-famous-actor/actress-would-you-leave-me-for game. Muddy knows he has a serious rival in Gary Oldman whilst I bow to the superior pulling-power of Kristin Scott-Thomas. This is a pretty tame exercise, as anyone who knows us also knows that I like my men pale of complexion and contrary of temperament and Muddy is drawn to raven-haired women who speak with cut-glass vowels.

But here's an interesting variation on a theme: who are the senior citizen actors you might fancy if you were in your dotage? Or even now in your youth, if you felt the urge to indulge a spot of ‘elder love’?

Note: Helen Mirren is excluded from this exercise. She might be in her sixties but the words 'senior citizen' and 'dotage' do not apply. Trust me. For Muddy, at least, she will always be Morgana in Excalibur.

So here's my list of Top 5 Geriatric Thespians Who Might Just Get Your Motor Running:

• Olympia Dukakis (83)
• Gerald Mcraney (Age 66)
• F Murray Abraham (Age 74)
• Diana Rigg (Age 76)
• Donald Sutherland (79)

Olympia Dukakis - An apt choice because a) she's Greek (proving that Mediterranean women DO have great skin), and because b) she was beautifully cast as Belinda, the object of Ray Hueston's (played by Zach Galifianakis) 'Elder Love' obsession in Season 3 of HBO's brilliant low-energy comedy Bored to Death. The scenes between the then-80 year old Dukakis and 40 year old Galifianakis, as lonely widow and comic-book artist man-child respectively, are both poignant and hysterically funny. Nothing weird there. Ms Dukakis’ career took off when she was nominated for an Oscar as Cher's mother in Moonstruck (1987) - which is why she has always been a senior in our minds and why she will forever be cast as someone's mother. But when you are that lively, that pretty and that funny at 83 you can be confident of my vote for Serious GILF Material.

Gerald Mcraney - Major Dad to some, Delta Burke's ex-husband to those who recall the daft Designing Women, Gerald Mcraney made me sit up and take notice of him as the evil mining prospector and media-baron George Hearst in HBO's Deadwood and then again as the conniving, bird-strangling Raymond Tusk in Netflix's House of Cards. A gruff demeanour, perpetually scowling resting face, pot-belly spread and baldness does not diminish this man's attractiveness one iota. He has testosterone and presence to spare and looks like the kind of guy who would clean your rifles, service your truck, recoat your deck and sing your baby a raspy lullaby. Let's hope he keeps playing charismatic baddies and never dons a toupee or shaves his face.

F Murray Abraham - I'm not gonna mince words, F Murray Abraham is ugly. F Murray Abraham has bad skin. F Murray Abraham is also extraordinarily charismatic with an exquisitely beautiful speaking voice. Deep, resonant, a little bit gravelly, this man could recite the phone book and you'd sit up and listen. Anyone over the age of 43 will recognise him as the tormented Salieri from the film adaptation of Amadeus, but most viewers will recognise a versatile and scene-stealing character actor who pops up in Woody Allen films, assorted network and cable TV shows (his Louie and Bored to Death cameos are priceless) and just about anything else that needs an authoritative voice, an expressive face and excellent timing. Also, he seriously rocks a beard.

Diana Rigg - The Avengers' Mrs Emma Peel was the ultimate sexual fantasy figure for the late 1960s. No-one was as fetching as Ms Rigg (now Dame Diana Rigg) in head-to-toe leather and high hair and she has the honour of being the Bond girl who would actually marry the super-spy. Given her sex symbol status, she might not have aged quite so gracefully and elected to become a bit of a plastic surgery joke. No chance. This old bird is too classy for that. Muddy and I had the pleasure of seeing Dame Diana on stage in The Hollow Crown the same year we got married and can say without hesitation she was amazing. She has a killer cameo in Ricky Gervais' Extras, displaying an excellent sense of humour and drollery when Daniel Radcliffe's ‘johnny’ lands on her head. She is also wonderful as the Tyrell matriarch in Game of Thrones. That dreadful wimple can't hide those eyes and cheekbones. Still got it.  

Donald Sutherland - This man might have worked for some as a young actor in M*A*S*H and Klute, but not me. Bland, blonde, sullen and dull in appearance, the only thing this guy had to offer was his Canadian accent and hypnotic voice. But then I saw Six Degrees of Separation and I noticed a handsome, white-haired, lushly-bearded and very distinguished man with piercing blue eyes – and a voice deeper than I remembered - and I was a goner. Yes, he may look more grandfatherly than ever, but he's also way sexier than ever.

Who else might we add to the list? Feel free to post your suggestions here.