16 Celebrities Whose Moral Compass Makes This World a Better Place

Keanu Reeves has had his ups and downs career-wise, but fans have always adored him—and for a good reason! Apparently, ever since he hit gold with The Matrix, Reeves has done plenty of commendable things. His philanthropic acts include a creation of a private cancer research foundation that helps children's hospitals. Additionally, ABC News reported back in 2001 that he handed over his valuable profit-sharing points to The Matrix's special-effects and costume-design team because he felt they were the ones who made the movie.

Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor who starred in the fan-favorite Sherlock and Marvel's blockbuster Doctor Strange, is not only a talented individual. He's also dedicated to helping his coworkers—women, to be precise. He advocated for equal pay between men and women, and took a stance of: "If she’s not paid the same as the men, I’m not doing it."

Ricky Gervais is well-known for his biting humor, but some might not be aware he is an animal rights supporter as well! Reportedly, he's even prepared to leave his fortune (or at least part of it) to animal charities. He has raised money for various worthy causes helping animals all over the world, and a few years ago even received awards for advocacy for animal rights.

Dolly Parton should be known not only for her music, but for her philanthropy too! The singer founded The Dollywood Foundation, a non-profit organization that includes programs like The Imagination Library, which sends out books to children all over the world to help promote literacy. Her foundation also offers scholarships and financial aid to those in need.

The well-known actor Ashton Kutcher dedicates time and resources to battle human trafficking. Back in 2012, he and his ex-wife Demi Moore co-founded Thorn, an organization helping to protect vulnerable children from trafficking. The non-profit aims to utilize the resources of technology companies including Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Facebook and Tumblr to assist government agencies in their work to stop online child pornography and human trafficking.

George Michael was the proof that quiet kindness speaks louder than words. He was a long-time supporter of Project Angel Food, a non-profit Los Angeles charity. His donations were kept on the down-low, but after his death, people came out to publicly applaud the singer for donating money and helping thousands of people over the years. Aside from money, Michael volunteered his time for the charity as well!

Actress Emma Watson is a UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador, with plenty of commendable activities under her belt, including the promotion of girls’ education, fair trade and organic clothing. She also traveled to Bangladesh, Zambia, and rural Africa with humanitarian efforts. Watson was also named ambassador of Camfed International. She also started a feminist book club Our Shared Shelf, meant to empower women and encourage reading (unfortunately, the club is currently dormant).

Sam Simon was one of the creators of The Simpsons. However, he should be equally known for his charitable causes. He created the Sam Simon Foundation, which aims to train hearing dogs capable of alerting their hearing-impaired owners of various sounds. The charity also helps veterans by providing canine companions to help with their PTSD. After Simon died, he left his fortune to several animal-oriented charities, mainly his own foundation.

Ian Somerhalder is an actor and environmentalist who invested pretty heavily in saving and protecting wildlife. He created the Ian Somerhalder Foundation with the purpose of advancing science, promoting the conservation of natural resources, and supporting the underprivileged. The foundation supports programs that are aimed towards protecting the environment, and they have special grants that are provided to help animals in need.

Pop singer Kesha is a firm supporter of the LGBTQ community (being bisexual herself), and it appears she's always prepared to stand up for people's right to create the families they want! The singer is an ordained minister and on two separate occasions officiated weddings for her friends, who happened to be same-sex couples.

Leonardo DiCaprio is well-known not only for his iconic roles; he's a very dedicated advocate in the fight against climate change. More than a decade ago, he established the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, an organization dedicated to the protection and wellbeing of Earth and its inhabitants. The foundation supports a variety of campaigns and initiatives, it funds six programs dedicated to conservation of the wildlife, and even gives out grants.