It’s a well-known saying. We’ve heard it thousands of times over the years: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

This quote is attributed to a novelist named Margert Wolfe Hungerford.

Never heard of her? Neither had I, so I did a little digging. According to a blurb on bing.com, she was an Irish woman who:

• Was born April 1855 in County Cork, Ireland;

• Her father was Canon Fitzjohn Stannus Hamilton, director and vicar-choral at St. Faughnan’s cathedral in Rosscarbery;

• As a child, she enjoyed creating stories, and she won prizes for her writing at school. She was educated at Portarlington College;

• In 1872, she married Edward Argles, a Dublin solicitor, who died less than six years later. They had three daughters. To support the fatherless family, she wrote her first novel, “Phyllis.” Soon after its favorable reception, she wrote “Molly Bawn,” which became her best-known book.

• She married Thomas Henry Hungerford of Cahirmore in 1882. They had two sons and a daughter. They resided at St. Brenda’s, Bandon, County Cork. By contemporary accounts, Margaret enjoyed country life and was an avid gardener;

• She rarely traveled far from home. She was one of the few women in Victorian times who was both a prolific author and mother of a sizable family;

• She died at Bandon of typhoid fever Jan. 24, 1897.

Hmm. A homebody who loved to write and didn’t travel much. Sounds a little like one of your favorite contemporary authors — that’d be your good buddy, ol’ PK.

And though I don’t believe in judging a person by their outward appearance (who is begging you not to be blatantly honest about her own, please and thanks!), I do think there are some popular folks with whom we are all familiar who are not exactly hard on the eyes, as it were.

I’m going to focus on Hollywood gents for this edition, with all of your permission. … Silence is taken as acceptance, so I’m guessing we’re all on the same page of this Sunday’s edition. Hee!

I found this ranking:

10 — Harrison Ford. (Personally, I’d have ranked him higher but whatevs.)

9 — Bob Peck (Another actor, but honestly, I have no clue who he is.)

8 — Rob Lowe (Again, he’d be higher on PK’s list. Swoon!)

7 — Steven Bauer (A cutie-pie Cuban-American actor.)

6 — James Marsden (There’s a reason he was cast as Prince Charming in Disney’s adorable movie “Enchanted.”)

5 — Mel Gibson (No explanation required.)

4 — BD Wong (of “Jurassic Park” fame.)

3 — Blair Underwood. (Yep.)

2 — Cary Grant. (Well, duh!)

1 — Hayden Christensen. (I think I might be too old to know this young whippersnapper, but I caught a glimpse and concur.)

Here’s the real deal, though — a truly beautiful man (yes, that’s what I said) is one who is kind, caring, thoughtful, respectful, giving and loving.

So there.

P.S. I am deeply offended that James Dean was omitted. Hmpf.

Kimerer is a columnist who thinks “Rebel Without a Cause” is iconic as per JD. Contact her with other great attributes of beautiful men at pkimerer@zoominternet.net.