While many actors are memorable for their movie roles, these five humanitarian actors are also recognized for their initiatives in promoting fair trade, human rights, global education, earth preservation and affordable health care.
Emma Watson
In 2014, the famous “Harry Potter” actress Emma Watson was given the title of Goodwil Ambassador for U.N. Women. Watson’s role focuses on empowering young women through the U.N.’s HeForShe campaign, which promotes gender equality.
HeForShe was only Watson’s latest advocacy efforts for girl’s empowerment. She was named a Camfed International Ambassador in 2012. Camfed International is an organization supporting girls’ education in rural Africa.
Watson also promotes the use of fair trade, organic clothing and sustainable fashion. At this year’s Met Gala, she wore a Calvin Klein dress made of recycled plastic bottles to the prestigious fashion event.
Charlize Theron
Widely known for her gripping films, such as “North Country,” and “Monster,” the South African actress Charlize Theron founded the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project in 2007 to aid in the reduction of AIDS among African youth.
The project’s most recent campaign #GenEndIT is meant to aid in educating youth about the disease. In 2008, she became a U.N. Messenger of Peace, with a special emphasis on eliminating violence against women and HIV prevention.
Theron has also been an advocate of LGBTQ equality. She was honored in 2012 for her advocacy work with the Ally Equality Award at the Human Rights Campaign Los Angeles gala. Theron had also refused to marry until same-sex marriage was allowed in every state. After Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, Theron married fellow humanitarian actor Sean Penn.
Leonardo DiCaprio
DiCaprio began his humanitarian career by launching the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1988. The foundation places particular emphasis on the issues of global warming, renewable and alternative energy sources and the preservation of the planet’s biodiversity.
He is unique among this list of humanitarian actors in that he also advocates through his film career. DiCaprio has made several films to educate the public about environmental issues, including “The 11th Hour.”
He currently serves as the Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Pacific Palisades-based Reef Check Foundation, according to Look to the Stars. In 2007, he joined Al Gore at the Oscars to announce that the awards show had incorporated environmentally intelligent practices throughout their planning and production processes.
Over the past several years, DiCaprio’s foundation has seen incredible growth, allocating $10 million to projects protecting delicate ecosystems, vital species and refining local communities. Recently, he led several fundraising events resulting in over $60 million in donations.
Moreover, when DiCaprio won his first Oscar, he used his speech to encourage fans to make a difference at any level of environmentalism they could.
Angelina Jolie
Shortly after filming her blockbuster “Tomb Raider,” Angelina Jolie began her humanitarian efforts. In 2001, Jolie became a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) Goodwill Ambassador.
Since then, she has been on many field missions, including meeting with refugees and legislators in Cambodia, Kosovo and Sierra Leone. Her numerous humanitarian efforts have been recognized with several awards, including the Global Humanitarian Award by the United Nations for her refugee work with UNHCR and the Citizen of the Year Award by the United Nations Correspondents Association.
In 2006, Jolie and her husband Brad Pitt founded the Maddox-Jolie-Pitt Foundation to assist with humanitarian crises worldwide. The foundation’s first act was to donate one million dollars to two charities: Doctors Without Borders and Global Action for Children.
In 2012, High Commissioner António Guterres recognized Jolie’s years of outstanding service with the refugee agency by appointing her as his Special Envoy. In her new and expanded role, Jolie focuses on large-scale crises resulting in mass population displacement. She visited Ecuador in April 2012 for her first mission.
Ian Somerhalder
Best known for his roles as Boone on “Lost” and Damon Salvatore on “The Vampire Diaries,” Ian Somerhalder is also an environmental and animal rights advocate. He founded the Ian Somerhalder Foundation to empower, educate, and collaborate with various global conservation, anti-animal cruelty and energy consumption projects around the globe.
The foundation focuses on energy initiatives, specific habitat preservation initiatives and programs to ensure the proper treatment and care of assistive and therapy animals. It currently stretches across the world from chapters in Lebanon, the Czech Republic and Argentina. Somerhalder’s environmental work has even led him to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources.
Humanitarian actors like Emma Watson, Charlize Theron, Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie and Ian Somerhalder continue to inspire us with their artistic and philanthropic endeavors.
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