QandAs: Buzz

Who are the most generous celebrities?

Answer:
We consider the most generous celebrities to

be those who consistently do the most for charities.

Oprah Winfrey tops the list as the most generous celebrity. When Hurricane Katrina devastated the south, Oprah swooped in on her magic carpet, writing a $10 million check to help the survivors rebuild their shattered lives. In 2005 alone Oprah Winfrey donated $52 million to charities. In 2007 the talk show host opened the $40 million, 50-acre Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, which provides its 450 girl students with textbooks, uniforms and meals, as well as an opportunity to learn, lead and dream.

Her charitable work continues to grow in 2008 Oprah Winfrey debuts a new reality show called Oprah's Big Give, which challenge its contestants to find dramatic and emotional ways to spend show-supplied money on others. Each one-hour Oprah's Big Give episode takes place in a different U.S. city where the contestants are met by a "mystery challenge" that will test how well they can use their cash, time and imagination to help others.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt also top the list of most generous celebrities. Aside from serving as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, Angelina Jolie has given more than $3 million to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees or UNHCR. According to their 2006 tax returns, the couple gave more than $8 million to charities that year.

Other generous celebrities include:
- U2's Bono, who supports AIDS charity DATA among his many charitable donations
- Actress Sandra Bullock, who gave $1 to the American Red Cross in the wake of September 11 and donated to tsunami relief as well
- Musician Paul McCartney, who supports the Adopt-A-Minefield organization and donated $1.9 million to tsunami relief.
- Actor Nicolas Cage gave $1 million to Hurricane Katrina relief and supports an LA charity for the homeless
- Actor and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger supports his mother-in-law's Special Olympics organization and donated $4.1 million to the Twin Towers fund among other worthy causes.
- Director/Producer Steven Spielberg founded the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation and donated $1.5 million to the Hurricane Katrina relief fund.