Famous Philanthropists - List of Famous Philanthropists - page 8

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
Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud

Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is the current president of Somalia

SomalianNovember 29, 1955128 views

Ibn Saud

King Abdulaziz al-Saud was the first monarch of Saudi Arabia

Mario Testino

Mario Testino is a fashion photographer, who has worked with some renowned magazines

BritishOctober 30, 1954165 views

Debendranath Tagore

Debendranath Tagore was an Indian religious reformer and Hindu philosopher

IndianMay 15, 1817136 views

Kumar Bhattacharyya, Baron Bhattacharyya

Kumar Bhattacharyya is an Indian British engineer who founded the Warwick Manufacturing Group

BritishJune 6, 1940135 views

Harry Warner

Harry Warner is a name reckoned with in the film industry around the globe

AmericanDecember 12, 1881126 views

Magdi Yacoub

Magdi Yacoub is one of the world's most respected cardiac surgeons

EgyptianNovember 16, 1935360 views

Aga Khan IV

Aga Khan IV is a Swiss-born British business tycoon, as well as the 49th and current Imam of ‘Nizari Ismailism’

BritishDecember 13, 1936198 views

George Cadbury

George Cadbury was the son of John Cadbury, the founder of Cadbury's cocoa and chocolate company

BritishSeptember 19, 1839135 views