Michael Sheen
Credit - Mike Marsland—WireImage/Getty Images
When funding for the Homeless World Cup soccer tournament in his home country Wales fell through in 2019, Michael Sheen decided to sell two of his houses to help cover the shortfall. Realizing the impact his earnings could have, he declared himself a 'not-for-profit actor' in 2021.
Sheen uses the money he makes from acting to fund social projects, focusing in particular on helping the people of Wales. In March, he revealed the results of a two-year project that involved creating a debt acquisition company with $133,000 of his own money to buy up borrowers' discounted loans and writing off around $1.3 million worth of debt for some 900 people across south Wales. Sheen previously also pledged $66,000 over five years to fund a bursary to help Welsh students attend the University of Oxford.
Write to Ayesha Javed at ayesha.javed@time.com.
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