George Clooney
Age: 50
Occupation: Actor, activist
Previous TIME 100 appearances: 4
Long before it became routine for celebrities to have international causes, George Clooney was a champion for Darfur. And a stalwart for southern Sudan he has remained, even as media attention and public interest in the area have quelled. He was instrumental in helping its citizens gain independence from their northern counterparts in January's referendum vote, and at the end of 2010, Clooney launched the Satellite Sentinel Project to monitor the border between the two nations. For all his work in bringing attention to Africa — and briefing President Barack Obama on the region, for that matter — it's easy to forget that Clooney's still one of Hollywood's most sought-after actors too. This year, he'll star in The Ides of March, a movie he also co-wrote and is directing.