Hollywood actress, U.N. goodwill ambassador and globe-trotting mother-of-six Angelina Jolie was named top celebrity humanitarian for the second year running in an AlertNet poll.
Not many mothers would go haring off to a warzone just months after giving birth to twins, but Jolie squeezed in a trip to Afghanistan in October to raise awareness of the plight of refugees returning home to rebuild their lives.
Jolie scooped almost a third of the votes in the online poll despite the fact she has done relatively little other humanitarian work in a busy year in which she also released two major films.
In second place was actress Mia Farrow, who regularly speaks out on Darfur and Congo. U2 rockstar Bono, who campaigns on debt, unfair trade and HIV/AIDS, came third. The least respected celebrity was Madonna, who was roundly condemned over her adoption of a young boy from Malawi which was finalised this year.
Jolie, said to be the world's top earning actress, has made some 25 trips to meet refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) since 2001 in her capacity as an ambassador for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR.
"She manages to raise the issues on the plight of refugees and IDPs in ways that are very human, simple but poignant," said UNHCR spokeswoman Marie-Noelle Little-Boyer who has accompanied Jolie on many trips.
"I'm not surprised she won. She has a way of reaching people that is something particular to her. I think she is so moved by the situation herself that it really comes from the heart."
Of the 132 people who took part in the poll, 40 voted for Jolie. Other celebrities attracting praise included actor George Clooney who campaigns on Darfur and was named a U.N. "messenger of peace" this year, and Jolie's partner actor Brad Pitt who is involved in post-Hurricane Katrina work and runs a Darfur charity with Clooney and actor Don Cheadle.
Credit crunch
Several voters named Jolie and Pitt as a team. The Jolie-Pitt Foundation donated $2 million this year to create a centre for Ethiopian children affected by AIDS and tuberculosis and another $1 million for children affected by the Iraq war.
However, voters in the poll were divided over the couple's adoption of three children from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam.
"Jolie's 'humanitarian' life and her real life don't mix," commented one voter.
But Jolie did not come in for the same flack as Madonna. Of the 73 people who voted for the celebrity humanitarian they least respected, a third chose the popstar.
"How could she adopt a young boy who has a father, rather than supporting the father, so the young boy could stay with his family?" asked one voter, referring to Madonna's adoption of David Banda.
"Her adoption project sent completely the wrong message about development," added another.
Peter Walker, a director at the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University, said many people probably felt the media circus surrounding the adoption robbed the boy and his family of some dignity whereas Jolie's adoptions were more low-key.
However, not everyone was a fan of Jolie Â? she also came second in the vote for least respected celebrity - albeit a long way behind Madonna. Jolie attracted criticism for her international adoptions and being "too publicity-seeking".
If like some voters in the poll you are heartily sick of celebrities then next year may bring good news. Walker predicted we might see a lot less of celebrity humanitarians in 2009 as the credit crunch forces people to cut back on donations to charity.
He thought aid agencies would be less likely to launch high profile campaigns amid the gloomy economic climate.
"I think we are probably going to see a down-turn of celebrities involved in crises over the next few years. People will be less inclined to give to charity and their focus will be more inward," he said.
The UNHCR's Little-Boyer said Jolie was already trying to find ways to emphasise that the world still needs to help refugees despite the financial crisis.
"She is aware that humanitarian aid might be at risk because of the credit crunch," Little-Boyer said. "She has asked us, how can I help you make this message a strong one in these difficult times?"
Other celebrities popular with voters included:
Even Bob Geldof, the granddaddy of celebrity humanitarians who started the ball rolling with Band Aid in the 1980s, still has the odd admirer.
Geldof deserves the top spot "for his continued, ill-tempered and irreverent engagement with politicians worldwide who might otherwise look the other way!" one voter commented.
Click here to see voters' comments on the celebrities they rated and those they didn't.
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