Many famous foreign celebrities regularly donate their riches to charity. American website TheRichest selected several who are noted for their contributions.
Michael J. Fox
The first celebrity on the list was Michael J. Fox of “Back to the Future” fame. Fox, who retired from acting in 2000, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 but chose to keep it a secret for seven years. He has since set up The Michael J. Fox Foundation, today the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s drug development in the world. The charity has funded about $450 million to galvanize the search for a cure.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, popularly called Brangelina, are also well known for their charity work. Pitt had donated $5 million from his own pocket for victims of Hurricane Katrina, while Jolie has worked as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador since 2001.
The couple continues to use their fame for charitable causes; they recently sold exclusive rights to their wedding photo to People magazine for $2 million, which they handed to charity. They had previously sold photos of their three biological children for $4 million and $14 million, which they also donated.
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock, who recently starred in “Gravity,” had bequeathed $1 million to the American Red Cross following the 2011 Japan earthquakes, and donated $1 million to Doctors Without Borders after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan is widely known to have given half his fortune to charity. Chan is said to have received aid from the Red Cross during his youth, and has frequently donated to organizations such as UNICEF since becoming famous.
Jackie Chan
Fox News reported that Chan plans to give away his entire wealth after his death, and when he appeared on the Korean entertainment show “Happy Together 3” last year, he stated: “I promised to myself that my savings would be zero by the time I die.”
George Clooney (Bloomberg)
George Clooney is the cofounder of Not on Our Watch, a charity organization that focuses on international advocacy and humanitarian assistance. He has reportedly donated millions of dollars for the Darfur massacres in Sudan. Just like Brangelina, Clooney also sold exclusive rights to his wedding photos to People and Hello magazines, giving the proceeds to charity.
By The Korea Herald Superrich Team
(sangyj@heraldcorp.com)
Kwon Nam-keun, Hong Seung-wan, Sung Yeon-jin, Bae Ji-sook, Yoon Hyun-jong, Min Sang-seek, Kim Hyun-il, Sang Youn-joo
