Despite all the celebrity scandals of recent years, plenty of stars are doing their best to help the word. Here are our front-runners in the world of famous do-gooders.
Whenever you’re waiting in line at the supermarket, it can be pretty tough to turn your eyes away from all the trashy tabloid headlines: Another missed court date or missing underwear incident from America’s most famous mess, Britney Spears; another drug bust for her cross-continental counterpart, Amy Winehouse; and of course, another six-page photo spread of all the stars unlucky enough to be caught looking not quite camera-ready, in all their wrinkled, acne-dotted, cellulite-ridden glory.
Judging by the magazine covers, we could very well be tempted to write off the entire population of Hollywood as a shallow, vapid, drug-fueled lot. But there are always exceptions to the rule, and plenty of stars have used their renown to call attention to important issues troubling our society today. So don’t be discouraged by the sight of another drug-addled star showing too much skin on the cover of The National Enquirer – we’ve found a few benevolent celebrities who might just redeem the rest of the bunch. Here are our front-runners in the world of famous do-gooders.
1. Bono
Since U2’s early days, Bono has been singing about social change – but for the last nine years, he’s also been using his voice to speak out about important political and social causes. Bono is a passionate advocate for debt relief and AIDS prevention in Africa, and he has met with numerous influential politicians to discuss his views. In May 2002, he even led the U.S. Treasury Secretary, Paul O’Neill, through four African nations, where they discussed ways to provide relief to the struggling countries. The same year, he co-founded a nonprofit organization called DATA, which is dedicated to abolishing poverty and AIDS in Africa. He has also helped launch a clothing line, EDUN, which uses ethical business practices to promote trade in third-world countries.
2. Angelina Jolie
While shooting scenes for the action film Lara Croft, Tomb Raider in Cambodia in 2000, Angelina Jolie was struck by the horrible conditions the residents faced. So she decided to take action: The following year, she embarked on missions to poverty-stricken and war-torn areas, visiting with refugees from around the world in her role as U.N. Goodwill Ambassador, and donating millions of dollars to relief efforts. Last year, she and Brad Pitt founded the Jolie/Pitt Foundation, which provides emergency relief funds to impoverished areas, and she now donates one-third of all her income to charity.
“We cannot close ourselves off to information and ignore the fact that millions of people are out there suffering,” she said in 2001. “I honestly want to help. I don’t believe I feel differently from other people. I think we all want justice and equality, a chance for a life with meaning.”
3. George Clooney
Over the years, former ER heartthrob George Clooney has proved he’s far more than just a pretty face – he’s shown deep concern for a variety of issues, including liberal politics, environmentalism, and, most notably, the conflict in Darfur. With several of his co-stars and a producer from Ocean’s 11, he’s founded a nonprofit organization, Not On Our Watch, which is dedicated to calling attention to the plight in Darfur, and ending the genocide there and in other troubled regions.
“You hope that somehow… if you just shine a really bright light on these things it’s harder to get away with it,” he told BBC News. Clooney’s noble work has even caught the attention of the United Nations, which appointed him as a peace envoy last month.
4. Oprah Winfrey
Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is known for giving free cars to her audience members from time to time, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg for this ultra-generous philanthropist. Nine years ago, she founded the Oprah’s Angel Network, which awards grant money to organizations that help underprivileged individuals, and has since raised more than $51 million. She’s personally given away over $303 million of her own fortune, and last year, she opened a much-publicized leadership academy for girls in South Africa.
Sounds like she wouldn’t be so bad to work for, either: In 2006, she took her entire crew and their families on a Hawaiian vacation to celebrate twenty years on the air. Can you imagine Martha doing that?