Famous Philanthropists - List of Famous Philanthropists - page 4

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
Don Imus

Don Imus

Don Imus is an American radio talk show host and philanthropist

AmericanJuly 23, 1940106 views

Hosea Williams

Hosea Williams was an American civil rights leader, politician and philanthropist who played a major role in the struggle against segregation

AmericanJanuary 5, 1926148 views

Eli Broad

Eli Broad is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist who built KB Home and SunAmerica

AmericanJune 6, 1933110 views

Eric Schmidt

Eric Schmidt is an American software engineer who is currently serving as the executive chairman of Alphabet Inc

AmericanApril 27, 1955170 views

Azim Premji

Azim Premji is an Indian business tycoon and philanthropist who is the chairman of Wipro Limited

IndianJuly 24, 1945192 views

James Harris Simons

James Simons is an American mathematician and hedge fund manager who founded the famous Renaissance Technologies

American1938362 views

John Wilkinson

John Wilkinson was a British entrepreneur who pioneered the manufacture of cast iron’

British1728158 views

Michael S. Dell

Michael Dell is an American business magnate who founded Dell Inc

AmericanFebruary 23, 1965148 views

Reed Hastings

Reed Hastings is an American entrepreneur who co-founded Netflix

AmericanOctober 8, 1960146 views

Steve Wynn

Steve Wynn is an American business magnate famous for building high end casinos like The Mirage and The Bellagio

AmericanJanuary 27, 1942190 views