Famous Philanthropists - List of Famous Philanthropists - page 18

Philanthropists are the individuals who strive to contribute to the well-being of humankind through their efforts, time and money. They are actively involved in promoting human welfare, and usually strive to achieve this by making generous donation of money to worthy causes. Philanthropy is often associated with the wealthy as they have more resources to donate, but not everyone who is wealthy is engaged in philanthropy! One of the best known philanthropists of our time is Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates who along with his wife Melinda is a co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Equally well known for his philanthropy is American industrialist and investor Warren Buffet who has pledged to give away 99 percent of his fortune to philanthropic causes. Li Ka-shing and George Soros are also noted philanthropists. Several of the modern day philanthropists cite the Scottish-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie as their inspiration—Carnegie gave away almost 90 percent of his fortune to charities, foundations, and universities. He is also credited to have urged the other wealthy people to use their fortunes to help improve society. Read on to discover about the life and works of various famous philanthropists from all over the world.

List of famous philanthropists with their biographies that include trivia, interesting facts, timeline and life history.

The Most Famous Philanthropists

NameBirthdayNationalityBio
Kevin CostnerJanuary 18, 1955AmericanKevin Costner is an American actor, director and singer who is best known for his portrayal of rugged individuals with complex emotions
Princess Ameerah Al-TaweelNovember 6, 1983Saudi ArabianPrincess Ameerah Al-Taweel is a Saudi Arabian princess widely recognized for her philanthropy and activism
Jimmy PageJanuary 9, 1944BritishJimmy Page is an English musician who rose to fame as the guitarist and leader of the rock band Led Zeppelin
ShakiraFebruary 2, 1977ColombianShakira is a highly popular award winning Columbian pop singer and dancer
Max PolyakovJune 30, 1977UkrainianMax Polyakov is an international businessman, scientist and philanthropist
Mel GibsonJanuary 3, 1956AmericanMel Gibson is an American actor and filmmaker
Phil KnightFebruary 24, 1938AmericanPhil Knight is the co-founder of Nike, Inc., one of the world's largest suppliers of athletic shoes and apparel
T. B. JoshuaJune 12, 1963NigerianT
Chris GardnerFebruary 9, 1954AmericanChris Gardner is the founder of the famous brokerage enterprise, ‘Gardner Rich & Co.’
Sathya Sai BabaNovember 23, 1926IndianSathya Sai Baba was an Indian guru who claimed to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi
Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren is a famous American fashion designer and businessman

AmericanOctober 14, 1939321 views

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney is an English musician and a former member of the legendary music band ‘The Beatles’

BritishJune 18, 1942199 views

Patti Smith

Patti Smith is a legendary lyricist and punk rock musician

AmericanDecember 30, 1946246 views

Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage is a famous American actor, producer and director, best-known for his role in action and sci-fi films

AmericanJanuary 7, 1964366 views

Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson is an American actor and filmmaker

AmericanJanuary 3, 1956862 views

Mariska Hargitay

Mariska Hargitay is a famous American actress

AmericanJanuary 23, 1964338 views

Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson is a retired American professional basketball player, counted among the greatest basketball players of all time

AmericanAugust 14, 1959136 views

Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie was a famous businessman and philanthropist and one of the richest men in the history of the world

AmericanNovember 25, 1835197 views

Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner is an American actor, director and singer who is best known for his portrayal of rugged individuals with complex emotions

AmericanJanuary 18, 19552,509 views

Kate Moss

Kate Moss is an English supermodel and fashion designer

BritishJanuary 16, 1974574 views