Oprah Winfrey
She's the unrivaled queen of media, an Oscar nominated actress, author, publisher, and oh yeah, she's hosted the country's most popular talk show since 1986. Oprah is famous for giving her audiences gifts, everything from books to computers to appliances. In 2004, to celebrate the show's 19th season opener, she gave all 276 audience members a Pontiac G—6 worth $28,400. Comedian Dane Cook joked that Oprah might tell her audience, "Everybody here gets a school! You get a school and you get a school and you get a school. Everybody here gets a school district with a full faculty!" She was already hard at work on it. In 2000, Oprah visited South Africa and pledged to Nelson Mandela to build a school for girls. In 2007, she opened the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls outside of Johannesburg. Like all of her projects, her philanthropy isn't limited just to one area. Since 1998, her Oprah's Angel Network has raised more than $51 million, and Winfrey covers all administrative costs, allowing 100 percent of proceeds to go to charity. She received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award in 2002.