Most actors and actresses are used to depicting heroes and saving countless lives on the big screen, and some take that off-screen. With their fame, passion for philanthropy, and help from business continuity and management professionals from a consulting firm, several stars are helping millions in the world today.
Here are some of Hollywood’s biggest stars who are real-life heroes.
Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry is considered the ‘golden boy’ of the NBA, sporting a well-decorated basketball career. However, when he isn’t on the basketball court, he helps the United Nations Foundation help families from deadly malaria in different parts of the world. In 2016, Curry partnered with the organization, providing bed nets to various families in Africa. In fact, the basketball prodigy has been supporting the cause since he was still a student at Davidson College.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is one of the most influential figures in Hollywood, and when she’s off the spotlight, she likes to participate in humanitarian work. She has been working with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) since the early years of her acting career. In the first year of her work with the organization, they donated over $1 million to several refugee camps in Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania. Jolie has been working with the agency for over 15 years and has participated in several field missions. She continues to spread awareness and provide aid for numerous displaced people worldwide.
Shakira
Shakira has been helping people worldwide throughout her long and decorated career. The singer established the non-profit organization named the Pies Descalzos Foundation when she was just 18 years old, helping her home country, Colombia, build schools for children living in poverty. She was also the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador back in 2003.
Leonardo DiCaprio
The Titanic and Wolf of Wall Street actor and avid environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio likes to devote his time to working with the Wildlife Conservation Society, and his organization called the ‘Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation,’ when he’s off-screen. DiCaprio was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace with a focus on climate change in 2014. His foundation has donated more than $7 million to ocean conservation, and he hosted a gala that raised over $25 million in the same year.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is one of the biggest and influential personalities in television history. With her rise to fame and fortune, she took the opportunity to share her newfound wealth with the people. Throughout her career, Winfrey has donated over 40 million dollars through her non-profit organization named Oprah Winfrey Foundation, helping women and children access education and healthcare worldwide. Winfrey advocates education for young girls in Africa and other third-world countries.
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman is a renowned name in Hollywood, known for his soothing and iconic voice. Freeman is a benevolent benefactor, supporting several global charities and humanitarian causes. One of his many non-profits, the Rock River Foundation, has been helping people in his home state of Mississippi since 1994, with the organization’s million-dollar grant as its most significant contribution yet.
The most celebrated among us have the chance to have a considerable impact on society, and some stars choose to use that power for a good cause — making them real-life heroes the world needs.
