50 Famous Vegans & Vegetarians in History

A practice that excludes the consumption of meat and any by-products of animal slaughter is called vegetarianism. There are four kinds of vegetarian diets – Ovo- Lacto, Ovo, Lacto, and Vegan. All of them exclude meat, Lacto, and Vegan excludes eggs and dairy too. Below is the list of famous celebrities across the globe.

Pythagoras

His vegetarianism was influenced when he traveled to southern Italy and founded a school where he lived an ascetic life, that prohibits the consumption of meat products. Pythagoras practiced vegetarianism due to religious and ethical objections. Pythagoras believed all living beings including animals had souls. He also banished the humble bean because he thought beans and humans were created from the same material.

David Duchovny

He is an environmentalist and believes that animals too have rights. He wanted to change people’s meat-eating lifestyle. His first fiction novel was titled “Holy Cow.” The book deals with themes of animal rights and veganism. The book’s main character is a cow.

Brigitte Bardot

For animal rights, she became a vegetarian. She has donated and raised several million dollars for the protection of endangered species. Brigitte Bardot has criticized Pope Francis for not adopting a vegan diet over Lent. Bardot often speaks out against the exploitation of animals. In 1986, she set up La Foundation Brigitte Bardot (FBB), which is dedicated to animal protection and has campaigned against fur, the live transportation of animals, and blood sports.

Kim Basinger

She turned vegetarian to support her animal rights activism and has posed for PETA advertisements. She has spoken up for animals on a number of occasions. She has been the spokesperson for the Performing Animal Welfare Society’s elephant campaign. Through social media platforms, she has raised awareness of the dog meat trade, circuses, and the mistreatment of pit bulls.

Gwyneth Paltrow

She credits Leonardo DiCaprio and her father’s cancer for her vegetarianism. Gwyneth follows “a strict vegan diet.

Linda Blair

She has always been an animal lover and she is an animal rights activist. She has been working with PETA and other organizations. Blair has also founded the Linda Blair World Heart Foundation, which rescues, rehabilitates and adopts animals about to be euthanized.

Brad Pitt

He has been a vegan for a long time because he hates meat and animal products. He supports plant-based eatables and is an environmentalist. He has been vocal about environmental issues, including animal welfare. He has now advocated for better living conditions for egg-laying hens.

Bryan Adams

He is an animal lover and vegetarian since he was 28. He has said that if a person loves animals, they should not eat them. He is against fur and any kind of use of animal products. He doesn’t eat them, and  doesn’t wear them. He is not for the killing of any creature.

Mary Tyler Moore

She is an animal lover and doesn’t think of eating them as being kind, which is the reason for her turning towards vegetarianism. Moore has been active in charity work, particularly animal rights.

John Denver

He became a vegetarian because he believed the solution to world hunger was higher food yield.

Natalie Portman

She has been a vegetarian since she was 8 after she attended a medical conference with her father. She is a devoted animal rights activist and does not wear or use any animal products.

Guy Pearce

Guy Pearce is not just an animal lover, but also an animal rights activist. He supports and works for animal welfare, which led him towards vegetarianism.

Orlando Bloom

He was known to embrace life as Buddhist, a religion that prohibits the consumption of animal products including dairy.

Pink

Singer Pink has protested against KFC. In a PETA campaign, she posed naked as a protest against animal products and fur.

Martina Navratilova

She has been involved with animal rights movements, although she has said that she does eat fish to get protein while traveling. Her vegetarianism stems due to her avid love for animals.

Drew Barrymore

She follows a strictly vegan diet. She believes that veganism lets her live her best life and is a healthy alternative for weight loss and clear skin.

Paul Newman

His brands, Newman’s Own and Newman’s Own Organics, were established to reduce animal cruelty.

Chelsea Clinton

She turned towards veganism for health reasons. She is gluten-intolerant. Chelsea read an article about eating meat when she was a teenager that interested her when she was in a life sciences class. As a result, she realized the negative attributes of eating meat. Chelsea stuck to a vegetarian diet.

Danny DeVito

He started out as a hippie vegetarian years ago in the ’60s. He was a vegetarian but then he started eating meat for protein.

Julia Sawalha

Actress Julia Sawalha turned vegetarian for some time because her school food was awful and vegetarian dishes were better.

Albert Einstein

He believed human health and survival can only be improved by a vegetarian diet. Even though he himself could not adopt a vegetarian lifestyle for health reasons, he always wished he could do so.

Peter Sellers

Actor Peter Sellers was not just a vegetarian himself; he got his friends to follow a similar diet. He was an animal lover.

Uri Geller

According to Uri Geller, veganism brings purity and peace of mind and builds a strong connection to the animal kingdom.

William Shatner

William Shatner is a vegetarian because he loves animals and cannot tolerate animal cruelty.

Richard Gere

Gere, who took to Buddhism for peace and enlightenment, has been off the red meat wagon for a long time. However, he is not a complete vegetarian.

George Bernard Shaw

The main reason for George Bernard Shaw’s vegetarianism was he thought killing and eating animals was an act of cruelty and we can live a healthy life even without eating meat.

Robin Gibb

After his struggle with liver cancer, Robin Gibb turned vegan, which according to him helped him after his treatment without the need for any drugs.

Josh Hartnett

A former vegetarian Josh Hartnett mentioned that his turning vegetarian was just a phase and hence turned back to eating meat again.

Heather Small

Heather Small turned towards veganism due to her allergies that affected her voice. She also had asthma and the diet change helped her.

Woody Harrelson

He has written to officials about animal rights, spreading awareness about veganism, and also trying to turn other major figures into vegans.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

According to Shelley, eating meat was not good for the body and gave way to diseases such as syphilis.

Sir John Gielgud

One of the first celebrity supporters of PETA, Sir John Gielgud had great love and kindness for animals.

Alicia Silverstone

Being an animal lover, she has been a vegetarian since she was 8.

Leo Tolstoy

According to Leo Tolstoy, human beings should not be killing and eating animals.

Dustin Hoffman

He believed the way to a healthy life is a vegetarian diet since animal foods are fattier.

Shania Twain

Not a preacher of vegetarianism, Shania Twain believes every individual has the right to their own eating habits. She herself credits vegetarianism for her healthy skin.

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson considered animals as his friends and never wanted them to suffer. Hence, he chose a vegetarian lifestyle.

Lindsay Wagner

She became a vegetarian during her late teenage years when she had severe ulcers.

Sir Ian McKellen

He has been a vegetarian for a long time because of an incident he witnessed of a decomposing body of a four-legged animal on the beach.

John Wesley

He promoted a vegetarian diet because he believed that vegetarianism is the answer to a happy healthy body and mind, creating a strong connection with God.

Martin Kemp

He believed in the fact that vegetarian food is ethical and does not pose cruelty towards animals.

Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner would have wanted to consider a vegetarian lifestyle for ethical reasons but could not do so because of his weak heart and face-eczema.

KD Lang

Lang believed that animals’ love is unconditional and hence, they should not suffer, that led her to choose vegetarianism.

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet is particular about her self-care that led her to take on a vegetarian diet.

Demi Moore

An arch follower of the raw vegan diet, Demi Moore’s veganism is a result of her wanting to stay sexy and looking as well as feeling great.

Reese Witherspoon

Another Hollywood diva, who credits a healthy vegan diet for her anti-aging beauty, Reese Witherspoon is also a vegetarian because of her love for animals.

Dennis Weaver

Dennis Weaver took to a vegetarian lifestyle after he became a follower of the Indian guru Paramahansa Yogananda.

Paul McCartney

He used to go to his farm in Scotland to get away from the media attention. There were animals on the farm that made him feel rejuvenated and hence, he decided to give up meat.

HG Wells

He used to have nightmares where humans’ love for eating animals would ultimately lead Morlocks to cannibalism and hence to the downfall of mankind. Hence, he thought of vegetarianism as an ethical diet. It is still unknown whether he was a vegetarian.

Hayley Mills

Mills became a vegetarian since her involvement with the “Hare Krishna” movement.