List of famous philanthropists, with photos, bios, and other information when available. Who are the top philanthropists in the world? This includes the most prominent philanthropists, living and dead, both in America and abroad. This list of notable philanthropists is ordered by their level of prominence, and can be sorted for various bits of information, such as where these historic philanthropists were born and what their nationality is. The people on this list are from different countries, but what they all have in common is that they're all renowned philanthropists.
The list you're viewing is made up of different people like Columba Bush and Huntington Hartford.
From reputable, prominent, and well known philanthropists to the lesser known philanthropists of today, these are some of the best professionals in the philanthropist field. If you want to answer the questions, "Who are the most famous philanthropists ever?" and "What are the names of famous philanthropists?" then you're in the right place.
Mark Zuckerberg Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur. He is best known as one of five co-founders of the social networking website Facebook. Zuckerberg was made ...more
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, better known by her stage name Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter and occasional actress. She had limited exposure to secular music during her childhood and ...more
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known as J. Lo, is an American actress, author, fashion designer, dancer, producer, and singer. She became interested in pursuing a career in the ...more
Eva Longoria Eva Jacqueline Longoria is an American actress, producer, director, activist and businesswoman. Longoria's career began in 1998, when she won the title of Miss Corpus Christi, and later began ...more
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. She achieved popularity by pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery ...more
Kanye West Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, director, painter, entrepreneur, and fashion designer. West first gained prominence as a producer for Roc-A-Fella ...more
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. She initially performed in theater, appearing in high school plays, and ...more
Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, is a Colombian singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, choreographer, and model. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she began performing in school, ...more
Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her multi-award-winning talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, ...more
Bill Gates William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, philanthropist, investor, computer programmer, and inventor. Gates originally established his reputation as the ...more
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE, often known simply as Kylie, is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. She achieved recognition by starring in the Australia TV soap opera Neighbours, where she ...more
John Mayer John Clayton Mayer is an American singer-songwriter and producer. He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and raised in nearby Fairfield. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, ...more
Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, professional racing driver, auto racing team owner, environmentalist, social activist and philanthropist. He won numerous ...more
Kelly Rowland Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. Rowland rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the ...more
Warren Buffett Warren Edward Buffett is an American business magnate, investor and philanthropist. He was the most successful investor of the 20th century. Buffett is the chairman, CEO and largest shareholder ...more
Usher Usher Terry Raymond IV is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. He rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first U.S. Billboard ...more
Ian Somerhalder Ian Joseph Somerhalder is an American actor, model and director. He is known for playing Boone Carlyle in the TV drama Lost and Damon Salvatore in The CW's supernatural drama The Vampire
Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr., better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and a founder of the Sundance Film ...more
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, generally considered among the greatest heavyweights in the sport's history. A controversial and polarizing figure during his early career, ...more
Bono Paul David Hewson, known by his stage name Bono, is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician, venture capitalist, businessman, and philanthropist. He is best recognized as the frontman of the ...more
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore, Jr., is an American environmental activist, author, businessperson, former politician and former journalist. He served as the forty-fifth Vice President of the United States ...more
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was South Africa's first ...more
Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American singer and songwriter. In 2002, she rose to fame after winning the first season of American Idol, and has since been established as "The Original ...more
Jared Leto Jared Leto is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and director. After starting his career with television appearances in the early 1990s, Leto achieved recognition for his role as Jordan ...more
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, actress, author, and philanthropist, known primarily for her work in country music. Her career began as a child performer ...more
Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg is an American business magnate, politician, and philanthropist. He served as the 108th Mayor of New York City, holding office for three consecutive terms beginning with ...more
George Soros George Soros is a Hungarian-born American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Soros Fund Management. He is known as "The Man Who Broke the Bank of ...more
Geri Halliwell Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, clothes designer, author and actress. Halliwell came to international prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a ...more
Ted Turner Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the Cable News Network more popularly known as CNN, the first ...more
Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi, Jr., known as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, philanthropist, and actor, best known as the founder and frontman of rock band Bon Jovi, ...more
Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business tycoon, investor, aviator, aerospace engineer, inventor, filmmaker and philanthropist. During his lifetime, he was one of the wealthiest people ...more
Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English businessman and investor. He is best known as the founder of Virgin Group, which comprises more than 400 companies. At the age of sixteen his ...more
Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury, DBE is an Anglo-Irish-American actress and singer who has appeared in theatre, television, and films. Her career has spanned seven decades, much of it based in the ...more
Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, model, record producer, and actress. Starting her career as a background singer on Uptown Records in 1989, Blige released her first album, ...more
David Rockefeller David Rockefeller is an American banker and philanthropist who served as chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Corporation. He is the oldest living member of the Rockefeller family and ...more
Paul Allen Paul Gardner Allen is an American philanthropist, investor and innovator, best known as the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation alongside Bill Gates. As of January 2015, he was estimated to be ...more
David Geffen David Lawrence Geffen is an American business magnate, producer, film studio executive, and philanthropist. Geffen created or co-created Asylum Records in 1970, Geffen Records in 1980, and DGC ...more
Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon is an American professional stock car racing driver and an actor.
Donald Rumsfeld Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of ...more
Billy Ray Cyrus William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Having released twelve studio albums and forty-four singles since 1992, he is best known for his number one ...more
Hannah Teter Hannah Teter is an American snowboarder. She is an Olympic champion, having won the gold medal in halfpipe at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy and silver at the 2010 Winter Olympic ...more
Sheldon Adelson Sheldon Gary Adelson is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, which owns the Marina Bay ...more
Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn, is a multiple gold album American country music singer-songwriter whose work spans more than 50 years. She has received numerous awards and other accolades for her groundbreaking ...more
Christy Walton Christy Ruth Walton is an American philanthropist. She is the widow of John T. Walton, one of the sons of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart. After John's death in June 2005, she inherited his ...more
John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He was a co-founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. ...more
Shriya Saran Shriya Saran, also known by the mononym Shriya, is an Indian film actress and model. She has acted in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi language films, as well as a few films in English and ...more
Cesar Millan Cesar Millan, is a Mexican American self-taught dog trainer. He is widely known for his television series Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, broadcast in more than eighty countries worldwide from ...more
Alice Walton Alice Louise Walton is an American heiress to the fortune of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. She is the daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton and Helen Walton, and sister of S. Robson Walton and Jim ...more
John Legend John Roger Stephens, better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He has won nine Grammy Awards, one Golden Globe and one Academy Award. In 2007, ...more
