There has been a noticeable increase in celebrities involved in activism over the past several decades. Before the turn of the century, there were only a handful of celebrities, sports personalities and movie actors who publicly protested for political or social issues. Since then, and especially with the widespread use of social media, celebrities are now seen at the forefront of activism. Some even start their own foundation, while others become ambassadors at large non-profit organizations.
Actors and actresses have been known to support causes and use their celebrity status to highlight issues affecting everything from war and hunger, to Native American rights and global warming. Take this quiz to see how many of these celebrity backed causes you knew about.
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Question of
She protested against the Vietnam War, and was threatened with treason. Lately, she has been actively campaigning for politicians to take action against global warming.
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Jane Fonda -
Goldie Hawn -
Lily Tomlin -
Diane Keaton
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Question of
She was the spokeswoman for the “Save the Whales Again!” campaign that aims to stop the annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, Japan.
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Hayden Panettiere -
Natalie Portman -
Keira Knightley -
Emma Stone
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Question of
“Acting is what I do for a living but activism is what I do to stay alive,” this actor said, and he has been arrested 66 times for civil disobedience, and other charges related to his activism.
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Martin Sheen -
Morgan Freeman -
Sean Penn -
Robert de Niro
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Question of
He organized the first Farm Aid in 1985 and has continued to raise funds for family farms for more than 30 years.
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Willie Nelson -
Neil Young -
John Mellencamp -
Dolly Parton
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Question of
She’s is active on issues which include capital punishment, world hunger, HIV and AIDS awareness, and LGBTQ rights. She has also served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
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Susan Sarandon -
Glenn Close -
Sharon Stone -
Meryl Streep
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Question of
She has worked with the United Nations Refugee Agency after filming a movie in Cambodia. to get involved. During her first year with the organization, she visited refugee camps in Sierra Leone and Tanzania and was named a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.
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Angelina Jolie -
Charlize Theron -
Julia Roberts -
Rachel Weisz
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Question of
He co-founded the U.K.’s most prominent LGBTQ rights organization, Stonewall. He also introduced himself as “Gandalf the Gay” at the San Francisco Pride in 2002.
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Sir Ian McKellen -
Sir Patrick Stewart -
Michael Gambon -
Michael Caine
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Question of
This MCU actor founded Water Defense, which works to ban fracking in the state of New York. “Fracking is an extreme form of oil and gas extraction that leads to water contamination, air pollution, earthquakes, illness, exacerbates climate change, and turns communities upside down,” he wrote on the blog EcoWatch in 2016.
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Mark Ruffalo -
Robert Downey Jr -
Chris Evans -
Chris Hemsworth
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Question of
A recent graduate of Brown University, this actress and humanitarian dedicates her efforts towards the empowerment of young women and serves as an advocate for UN Women’s HeForShe campaign in promoting gender equality.
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Emma Watson -
Jennifer Lawrence -
Rose McGowan -
Emma Stone
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Question of
This versatile actor created the H20 Africa Foundation in 2009 and is also one of the founders of the Not On Our Watch Project that focuses on mass genocides in war-torn areas like Darfur. A spokesperson for Feeding America, he also supports the ONE campaign which helps in fighting AIDS and poverty.
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Matt Damon -
Mark Wahlberg -
Leonardo DiCaprio -
Ben Affleck
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