Vegetarianism has become high-profile in recent years, helped along by the many celebrities who have ditched meat for fruit and vegetables. Some of these celebrities are very active in promoting vegetarianism, and have contributed to celebrity vegetarian cookbooks. Celebrities become vegetarians for different reasons: Christain Bale did so at a young age, after he read Charlotte's Web, while Jerry Garcia did so at the end of his life for health reasons. Actors and actressses are the most high-profile vegetarians, but many politicians, artists, musicians and scientists also prefer this diet.
Actors and Actresses
- Christian Bale (1974 - ) Actor
- Kim Basinger (1953 - ) Actress
- Lynda Carter (1951-) Actress best known for playing the title role in the TV show Wonder Woman
- John Cleese (1939-) Comedian, actor, writer best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe
- Penélope Cruz (1974-) Actress and model
- Danny DeVito (1944-) Actor
- David Duchovny (1960-) Actor, best known for playing Fox Mulder on the X-Files TV show.
- Richard Gere (1949-) Actor (not vegetarian but does not eat red meat)
- Woody Harrelson (1961-) Actor and activist
- Daryl Hannah (1960) actress
- Josh Hartnett (1978-) actor
- Anne Hathaway (1982 - ) Actress
- Dustin Hoffman (1937-) Oscar-winning actor
- Paul Newman (1925) Oscar-winning Actor
- Gwyneth Paltrow (1972 - ) Oscar-Winning Actress
- Brad Pitt (1963 - ) Actor
- Natalie Portman (1981-) Actress
- William Shatner (1931- ) Canadian actor, writer and singer best known as Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek
- Alicia Silverstone (1976 - ) Actress
- Hillary Swank (1974 - ) Oscar-winning actress
- Reese Witherspoon (1976 - ) Oscar-winning actress
Writers, Scientists and Philosophers
- Plato (428 B.C. – 348 B.C.) Greek philosopher and teacher who described the benefits of a vegetarian diet in The Republic.
- Ovid (43 B.C. – 17 A.D.) Roman Poet
- Scott Adams (1957-) Cartoonist, creator of the Dilbert Comic strip
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955) Theoretical Physicist, author of the Theory of Relativity. Vegetarian at the end of his life.
- Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian politician and spiritual leader
- George Bernard Shaw (1856- 1950) Irish Playwright
- Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862) American writer, abolitionist, naturalist, transcendentalist and philosopher
Artists and Musicians
- Leonardo DaVinci (1452-1519) Italian artist, mathematician, inventor and Renaissance man.
- Bob Dylan (1941-) Award-winning singer and musician, composer of songs such as “Blowin’ in the Wind.”
- Peter Gabriel (1950 - ) British singer/songwriter, formerly with Genesis
- Jerry Garcia (1942-1995) Musician and singer for the Grateful Dead. Became vegetarian when he developed health problems.
- George Harrison (1943-2001) British musician, one of the Beatles
- Lenny Kravitz (1964-) Singer-songwriter
- Bob Marley (1945-1981) Reggae Musician
- Ricky Martin (1971-) Latin Pop Artist
- Paul McCartney (1942-) British singer/songwriter, member of the Beatles
- Ozzy Osborne (1948-) British singer, member of Black Sabbath
- Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) (1940-) British Musician, drummer for the Beatles
Other
- Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) (1774 – 1845) American tree planter, pioneer and eccentric
- Christie Brinkley (1954-) Model
- Dan Castellaneta (1957 - ) Voice of Homer Simpson
- Lisa Simpson (Ageless) Cartoon character and 8-year old girl
- Dennis Kucinich (1946-) American politician, Representative from Ohio and Mayor of Cleveland
- Carl Lewis (1961 - ) Olympic gold medal winning athlete, vegan
- Ralph Nader (1934-) Consumer advocate and politician
- Oprah Winfrey (1954 - ) Talk show hostess, actress. Occasionally vegetarian or vegan when on different diets.
From Plato to Portman, many famous people have chosen a vegetarian lifestyle, most of them because they feel it is more healthy, but some because of empathy for animals. If you are thinking about becoming a vegetarian, be sure to do some research first and plan your diet so that you are sure to get all of the essential vitamins and nutrients that your body needs every day.
Sources:
Happy Cow.net's List of Famous Vegetarians
International Vegetarian Union
Wikipedia.org's List of Famous Vegetarians
Christopher Minster - I'm a freelance writer. I mostly write about travel, history and culture. I enjoy writing fiction as well.
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