Celebrities you admire

nightshade

nightshade

Your grandfather is a cat
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What celebrities do you admire for their charity work, ethical stance or other non acting/singing/whatever they're famous for work?
 
I always admired Eliza Dushku for having a charity thing around her birthday that fans could participate in. ThriveGulu, I think it usually was. Thought it was a great way to get donations and a nice thing to do around your birthday which is usually more "me, me, me". 🙂
 
The more I learn about our current crop of celebrities, especially those connected with the entertainment industry (I'm assuming that there must be some non-entertainment celebrities out there someplace) the less that I have for the entire crowd.

My heroes growing up were people like Roy Rogers, a loving, Christian family man who never had the least bit of scandal connected with his name, and historical characters like Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie (of course, that was before what Davy and Jim REALLY were like in real life)
 
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Roy Rogers just died right?
If we're talking historical "celebrities" then it's the likes of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Dietrich Bonhoeffer for me, a writer and a pastor. Actually, the list could be made very, very long. The world is filled with admirable people. But these two are remarkably staunch in standing up to totalitarian regimes (Soviet for Solzhenitsyn and Nazi Germany for Bonhoeffer) out of a fundamental love for their countries and its peoples. Bonhoeffer paid with his life for his work against the nazis.
 
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On another forum I post on, there is thread running about celebrities people have loved only to find out something dreadful about them that completely changed their view. Last time I looked it was 19 pages long! It seems like you can name pretty much any celebrity in the world and someone somewhere will be able to tell you a terrible story about them. Although the severity of crime does tend to vary - from Mark Whalberg's racial driven attacks in the 80s to Emma Watson looking annoyed when a little girl grabbed at her on the set of Harry Potter.

The celebrities I tend to have the most time for are the ones that you never seem to hear anything about - the ones that prove you can be famous and lead a normalish life. The ones that grab the headlines - for good or bad - are just a bit 'me me me'. Having said that - the quiet ones might be living quiet private lives because they are serial killers and it behoves them to keep their heads down. You just never really know what is going on with other people.

I don't actually admire many (any? I'm not sure off the top of my head) celebrities though. They get paid an awful lot to do something they love. And if they 'give back' in any way - magazines are there to capture the moment and pile the praise on them. Regular people are doing far more, for far less, and for none of the thanks. I think we'd all be a lot better off if celebrity culture died away a good bit (I'm not naive enough to believe it could die completely - fascination with fame and power is as old as time!).
 
Not that interested in celebrity culture. Half the time I have no idea who people are when they show up in the headlines.

I do appreciate the efforts of people like Ralf Little and Charlotte Church though. They've put themselves out there to support our public services and oppose austerity at various times when it would be easier to stay quiet and avoid the hassle.
 
Cory Monteith is the celebrity I admired the most. Always humble, grateful, did a lot for charity and to give back and he was very smart and hard working. He used his difficult childhood and background to shine light on addiction and help other kids who were going through the same thing, etc. He always took the time for his fans and I've never seen anyone badmouth him. That's very rare in the industry.

I don't really admire any celebrities anymore. I'll admire their talent but it rarely goes beyond that.
 
NeonSlayer
NeonSlayer
Finn was my favorite on Glee
Of famous people, probably the one in my lifetime I admire most is Nelson Mandela. He was an imperfect human being, but he wrought great change and rejected chances to stay president for life when he probably could have... and although I think he might have done a better job of those who came right after him, I think the example he set made it harder for S.A. to become the next Zimbabwe.

Not really that impressed by much in the celebrity culture, but Colin Kaepernick kneeling respectfully to express his concerns regarding the real dangers many face due to racism, put his money where his mouth was and I do respect that. I am not a football fan, but I think it is sad that people protest him, but do not protest when NFL players beat up their women, commit crimes of various degrees of ugliness, and generally behave like morons. But THAT is celebrity culture. Sad that people who've hurt both other humans and animals get a pass, but he loses his career.

I'm not of the opinion that celebrities should be apolitical (or should avoid controversial opinions of any kind) or that they should just 'shut up and play/dance/sing' -- they did NOT give up their human or citizen cards when they became famous. However, I don't believe their opinions count more than anyone else's unless they actually have genuine expertise in a particular subject area. In practical terms, it also is rare that their actions amount to much.
 
I've always admired Vincent Kartheiser's lifestyle. He eschews all the celebrity trappings and prefers to live a simple life. I remember how he used to talk about riding the bus in LA. Nobody bothered him, even though he was well-known from Angel at the time. He'd just ride like everyone else, no problem. I like his views on life and how he's just a normal guy. That's so rare in Hollywood.

Also, Jared and Jensen are so grounded and normal. Despite being in a popular show for years, they've never been in any scandals, and you never saw them at Hollywood parties; they got married and started families, like the well-raised Texas boys that they are. That's pretty awesome.
 
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nightshade
nightshade
Probably as Vincent as high a lot of the time!
I think two people who stand out for me are Joan Baez and Henry Rollins, after he mellowed out a bit, but truthfully, I admire all celebrities, especially the ones who never quite make it but keep at it.
 
I admire Neil Diamond the most. He seems like a kind, humble, down-to-earth person who is still in good spirits even after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s. His music is easy listening too.
 
Most of the SPN cast could show up on this list, but I'm gonna limit myself to Misha Collins. He's completely down to earth and never fails at just being himself; an example of that is that he doesn't censor himself. If he wants to cuss, he's not gonna check to see if there are 'impressionable youths' in the crowd. Beyond being himself, he also founded one of the biggest charitable organizations ever begun by a celebrity and he's never shy about speaking out about how little it takes to make a difference in someone's life. I definitely admire him, he's a beautiful human being.
 
I will shout out another SPN actor. I really admire Jared Padalecki. he has his own charity called Always Keep Fighting, which raises money and awareness about mental issues as he has suffered from depression. And me being someone who has suffered from depression among other things I appreciate that.
 
nightshade
nightshade
yes, I did buy some of the Jared AKF shirts
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Joan the Vampire Slayer
I didn't know that! That's cool of him to do.
@Puppet I much prefer Rachel Miner to Misha, yes Misha co founded Random Acts, but that was started by the fans, Rachel has taken it on now and it seems much humbler than when Misha was doing it, it's less in your face now.
 
nightshade said:
@Puppet I much prefer Rachel Miner to Misha, yes Misha co founded Random Acts, but that was started by the fans, Rachel has taken it on now and it seems much humbler than when Misha was doing it, it's less in your face now.
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That's one thing about Misha I find slightly annoying. He's just a bit...too showy for my tastes. 😬
 
Easy......... above all Sarah Michelle Gellar ,but also Amanda Mealing , Clint Eastward I enjoy all that they do
 
Everything I read/see on Kristen Bell she comes across as a really lovely down to earth human who genuinely cares about others, giving to charity, saving the planet and making sure her children aren't entitled a-holes. She seems normal and relateable, as well as funny and kind.

I mean that might be the Hollywood PR machine, but I think if the world were more Kristen Bell it'd be a nicer place. Maybe not the Good Place, but a better place.
 
I agree about Kristen Bell, she is involved in so many charities and seems so down to earth. I listen to Dax Shephard's podcast and I love how open they both are about mental and addiction issues, and also are honest about how much work you have to put into a marriage and that it isn't all love and fun all the time.
 
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