General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDo you know any entertainers-turned-progressive activists?
Working on a book/radio project about people who set out to be an entertainment star but evolved into a progressive leader in their community.
If you know anyone who fits that description, leave a message in the thread or over here, at the original post:
http://lesterandcharlie.com/2015/04/12/do-you-know-anyone-like-this/
Thank you!!!
Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)Although they might be more 'community organizers' than 'progressive activists'. Matt Damon maybe? (Taking your link, though, maybe he wouldn't count, since I don't know that he 'abandoned' his entertainment career.
What about Dylan Ratigan? He was an MSNBC host type who suddenly disappeared and got involved in some sort of sustainable farming with veterans thing, I think.
bondwooley
(1,198 posts)Dylan Ratigan. Thank you!
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)Katashi_itto
(10,175 posts)But I am not famous or anything.
It's also my first feature length film.
All I've done was commercials before.
bondwooley
(1,198 posts)make contact via info at bondwooley dot if you want!
bondwooley
(1,198 posts)Katashi_itto
(10,175 posts)Please send
bondwooley
(1,198 posts)to contact me at the DU mailbox or through info at bondwooley dot com
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)bondwooley
(1,198 posts)we had a mutual friend and I met him a few times. I'm not sure if he and the mutual friend still speak, so it could be tricky.
Tom Ripley
(4,945 posts)cascadiance
(19,537 posts)Darryl Hannah - for her participation in protests against Keystone Pipeline...
Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk) - for his activism against fracking.
Ashley Judd - for her activism against mountain top coal mining amongst other things. She SHOULD have run against the Turtle!
Emma Watson - for standing up to Turkish politicians who feel that Turkish women shouldn't laugh out loud.
Olivia Wilde - did a nice moveon ad in last election...
There are many more, but those come to mind at this moment.
bondwooley
(1,198 posts)Olivia Wilde. Thank you.
mathematic
(1,440 posts)Alexander Cockburn of Counterpunch was her uncle. Pretty safe to say she had her politics before she had her career.
canoeist52
(2,282 posts)bondwooley
(1,198 posts)then I must be.... oh, I'm not going to think about it.
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)Angelina Jolie is an internationally recognized activist for the UN on children's issues. She's just been named to an even bigger post within the UNCHR
http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c56.html
cascadiance
(19,537 posts)... who thankfully hasn't had his right wing BS wear off on her at all. It's a shame she can't have a better family to be closer to in that regard! I would have thought that being in "Coming Home" would have had Jon Voight evolve in to a decent citizen as well, but no...
bondwooley
(1,198 posts)of deevolution.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)Also, for the animals, Tippi Hedren.
bondwooley
(1,198 posts)is a great one. Audrey is no longer with us, so that would be hard to schedule an interview.
Jogs my memory that Bardot also became an animal activist.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)Yes, I know she is no longer with us. An interview with her would have been so very, very cool.
Thinking outside the box, and now knowing they need to be alive for interviews... Eminem (he's done a ton for the city of Detroit) and Uncle Kracker (for the same reasons). (He's also a really nice guy I used to know before he was "Uncle Kracker)
bondwooley
(1,198 posts)Thank you. Sorry about the confusion about how we want to profile them. Have to look up Uncle Kracker. Interested.
cascadiance
(19,537 posts)... with songs like "Union Town"
Adrahil
(13,340 posts)MrBig
(640 posts)He's perfect! He's on the list now.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Like most of the others named, they didn't quit their day jobs but were progressive activists while pursuing their entertainment careers. Newman was on Nixon's enemies list early on.
I met Sheen while volunteering on a homeless project in D.C. with the late Mitch Snyder a long time ago (Sheen was a big supporter of Snyder and D.C.'s Community for Creative Non-Violence) and met Newman while volunteering for Kerry in Ohio (Newman was a 'Veteran for Kerry' in the '04 campaign).
Oops, left out Ed Asner, who is still active. Naturally, I met him, too, lol! At an antiwar protest in the San Fernando Valley.
bondwooley
(1,198 posts)offhand if there's a way to contact either other than through their agent?
Any groups that they're board members of (or something like that) who could be contacted? Agents will ignore it because of the political element, but other organizations will take it seriously for the cause.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Jetboy
(792 posts)He started out in show biz on SNL. Now he's a progressive leader in the community who plans on running for congress next year.
bondwooley
(1,198 posts)Thanks!
Tom Rinaldo
(22,918 posts)fayhunter
(221 posts)he deserves a lot more credit than he's gotten.
JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)Most of Hollywood as well.
cascadiance
(19,537 posts)Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)Public education activist: http://www.educationupdate.com/archives/2004/apr04/issue/car_nixon.html
bondwooley
(1,198 posts)thank you.
cali
(114,904 posts)He stayed in the arts but he's been a champion for people with disabilities, both mental and physical.
bondwooley
(1,198 posts)a little more info to my inbox?
Tanuki
(14,924 posts)appalachiablue
(41,182 posts)of America (PDA). Mimi's been on Thom Hartmann's program in the last few years.
-Bianca Jagger; Elizabeth Taylor for AIDS awareness & treatment; Betty Ford for breast cancer awareness (Betty was a dancer, a darn good one when younger).
-Darryl Hannah actress, environmental activism against Keystone XL Pipeline.
-Susan Sarandon, actress, longtime activist
-Alfre Woodard, actress, longtime activist for Haiti, South Africa
-Jennifer Garner, actress, activist for early childhood education (wife of Ben Affleck)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Garner
maryellen99
(3,790 posts)cascadiance
(19,537 posts)... in San Diego many years back when we had problems with voting issues replacing Duke Cunningham many years back.
Talked with her later then and found out that we shared birthdays as well...
She's a great person as well as an activist!
appalachiablue
(41,182 posts)Haven't been to San Diego in years, must return to see friends there-
BeeBee
(1,074 posts)at events for my former Congresswoman, Lynn Woolsey. Down to earth, very nice.
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)Walks the walk!!! True progressive hard-worker!
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)fayhunter
(221 posts)This guy was a comedian who was squeezed out of performing because of his progressive ideas, and then started a powerful political party in Italy. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/06/italians-beppe-grillo-five-star-movement
AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)DrDan
(20,411 posts)bondwooley
(1,198 posts)for better or worse
tavernier
(12,410 posts)Human rights, the poor and homeless, children's health organizations.
OutNow
(868 posts)Most of my memories of entertainers that became a progressive leader come from the 1970s.
When I think of the phrase "put your money where your mouth is" I think of Holly Near.
Another singer in that category is Barbara Dane.
The actors Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland were very involved in the anti-war movement in the 1970s, including starring in (and helping to fund) the FTA tour and subsequent movie.
cascadiance
(19,537 posts)Liked him in that too. He really hasn't lost any of his inner self either, even in the newer Hunger Games movies too. I think he really shows where we as society are headed where if the 1% don't ever feel the need to give in, a lot of violence may be heading their way at some point that will be equal or more so than the the abuse that class has handed the rest of us these days. I think the Hunger Games films really captures the frustrated sentiments of many of us today.
ms liberty
(8,613 posts)scrubthedata
(382 posts)fayhunter
(221 posts)AnnieBW
(10,470 posts)He's the best example I know of.
foo_bar
(4,193 posts)olddots
(10,237 posts)they walk the walk .