38 Celebrities Who Are Atheists
It has been widely believed, for several centuries now, that hard work and the blessings of a divine power are equally important for success. However, many famous celebrities from around the globe, who are perceived to be immensely successful, disagree to accept the presence of God or a supreme force. While a few feel that religions or faiths have divided people, many others don’t believe in worshiping a figure which can’t be seen or felt. These people are of the opinion that a man’s success is defined by his attitude, his personality and not by kneeling down at a place of religious importance. This list is a compilation of 38 such famous names which you have admired for several years. When you get to hear their opinions about religion, your perspective about god might get influenced too, you never know.
1. Angelina Jolie
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The gorgeous diva, has undoubtedly floored millions across the world by her prowess in acting as well as her inclination towards social causes. Recently, the actress yet again showed a slice of her interesting personality by expressing her views about God. Jolie apparently said “There doesn’t need to be a God for me. There’s something in people that’s spiritual, that’s godlike.” Well, these words might have influenced the beliefs of many of Jolie’s fans.
2. Daniel Radcliffe
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5yLnIZgNIE/
It looks like Radcliffe, who shot to fame through the acclaimed ‘Harry Potter’ franchise, also doesn’t seem to acknowledge the presence of God. However, Daniel claims that he refrains from any kind of ‘God’s existence’ debates with believers. “I’m an atheist, but I’m very relaxed about it. I don’t preach my atheism, but I have a huge amount of respect for people like Richard Dawkins who do.” is what he had to say when his religious beliefs were questioned.
3. Julianne Moore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shxqf5GGr3s
Academy Award winner Julianne Moore who has garnered critical acclaim for her roles in movies like ‘Still Alice’, ‘Magnolia’ and ‘Nine Months’, also grabbed the attention of the masses by the way she expressed her thoughts about God. A representative of the media had reportedly asked her how she would react on seeing God at the gates of heaven. “Wow, I was wrong, you really do exist!” was Moore’s witty reply.
4. Keira Knightley
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Keira Knightley, who is remembered by many for making the character of Elizabeth Turner in the ‘Pirates of The Caribbean’ memorable for movie lovers, is also known for an unusual reason. Knightley asserted that she is a non-believer by saying “If only I wasn’t an atheist. I could get away with anything. You’d just ask for forgiveness, and then you’d be forgiven.”
5. Johnny Depp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crw0WJxRp54
Johnny Depp, famously known as Captain Jack Sparrow of ‘Pirates of The Caribbean’, has an interestingly different opinion about the word ‘faith’. The renowned Hollywood actor had once famously said “I have faith in my kids…Faith in terms of religion, I don’t, religion is not my speciality.”
6. Brad Pitt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW96I9EXUEk
Touted as one of the sexiest actors of all time, Brad Pitt became a subject of gossip for a new reason, apart from glamor. “I’m probably 20 percent atheist and 80 percent agnostic.” was Pitt’s remark when asked if he believed in the existence of God.
7. Joaquin Phoenix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WqVB7OcERU
This ‘Grammy’ and ‘Golden Globe’ award winner, who is considered to be a powerhouse of talent claims that God hasn’t influenced his life or thoughts in any way. “I don’t believe in God. I don’t believe in an afterlife. I don’t believe in soul. I don’t believe in anything…To me it’s a pretty preposterous idea.” said the ‘Gladiator’ star, rubbishing the belief in the presence of a divine force.
8. Morgan Freeman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyyzL-AHPCA
Morgan Freeman, who is not just an institution of acting, but also a great source of inspiration for many creative minds, revealed his opinion about the almighty. “My belief system doesn’t support a creator as such, as we can call God, who created us in his/her/its image. Has anybody ever seen hard evidence?” said Morgan.
9. George Clooney
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lKm67qBH4w
The dashing George Clooney has proved that apart from his flawless sense of style, HE also has a great personality. “I don’t believe in heaven and hell. I don’t know if I believe in God. All I know is that as an individual, I won’t allow this life – the only thing I know to exist – to be wasted.” were the Hollywood star’s words, affirming his belief that no such place such as heaven or hell exists.
10. Jodie Foster
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2_-3fvzVx4
Actress Jodie Foster had something interesting to say when asked if she believed in a divine entity or religious sects. Although Foster admits that she is an atheist, she doesn’t shun religious practices. These were the lines mouthed by the actress when asked about religion, “I’m an atheist. But I absolutely love religions and the rituals. Even though I don’t believe in God, we celebrate pretty much every religion in our family with the kids.”
11. Hugh Laurie
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The incredibly talented Hugh Laurie, who is reputed for being an actor, singer, writer and musician, is yet another famous face who is an atheist. Laurie once said “I don’t believe in God, but I have this idea that if there were a God, or destiny of some kind looking down on us, that if he saw you taking anything for granted, he’d take it away.”
12. Kevin Bacon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bMVVrp5DH8
Actor Kevin bacon is no exception in this regard and like many of his other atheist contemporaries, Bacon said “I think there is a puritanical wind that is blowing,” he told The Times. “I don’t believe in God, but if I did I would say that sex is a God given right. Otherwise it’s the end of our species.”
13. Bruce Willis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pwvctnQUYM
The ‘Die Hard’ actor feels that religions don’t lead the world towards development. “Organized religions in general, in my opinion, are dying forms. They were important when we didn’t know why the sun moved, why weather changed, why hurricanes occurred.” is what Willis opined while speaking about religions.
14. Aziz Ansari
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXcp-WdI0tE
If a piece of news which appeared on ‘New York Times’ is to be believed, Comedian Aziz Ansari is an atheist. We wonder what the funny man has to say about this claim.
15. Seth Macfarlane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trd_NWiwibI
According to an interview with the tabloid ‘Esquire’, writer and filmmaker, Seth Macfarlane, apparently said “There have to be people who are vocal about the advancement of knowledge over faith.”
16. Uma Thurman
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This actress, who catapulted the movie ‘Kill Bill’ to a cult status with her performance, doesn’t attribute God as the reason behind her immense success. “When asked if I consider myself Buddhist, the answer is, not really. But it’s more my religion than any other because I was brought up with it…I don’t practice or preach it, however.”, is Thurman’s take on religion.
17. Zac Efron
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2GVVC_cD_E
We can’t really blame American actor and singer Zac Efron for his views on God. The star of the popular flick ‘Me and Orson Welles’ says, “I was raised agnostic, so we never practiced religion.”
18. Keanu Reeves
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You have been baffled by actor Keanu Reeves’ celluloid works, but did you know what he thinks of the ‘almighty’? “I wasn’t raised in any special denominations and I haven’t taken on any so far.” is the ‘Speed’ actor’s remark about religion.
19. Janeane Garofalo
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Stand-up comedian Janeane Garofalo, who stole the limelight with her light-hearted gigs and block buster movies, doesn’t believe in a supreme entity either. Her comment on a holy text was “The Bible, I’ve said it before, is a beautifully written work of fiction,” It wouldn’t be shocking if many staunch followers of Christianity are irked by this remark.
20. Javier Bardem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLINABgPVGw
Academy Award winner Javier Bardem said “I’ve always said I don’t believe in God. I believe in Al Pacino.” Now that’s quite an interesting way of paying respect to a legendary actor, isn’t it?
21. Mira Sorvino
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZGiMtsIUfA
The pretty looking Mira Sorvino opened up about her views on religion to the glamorous online magazine ‘GQ’. She reportedly stated “When you are a Christian, your law is laid out for you in codified form,” and ended the conversation by saying “I find that extremely restrictive and impossible.”
22. Rose Byrne
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Little is known about the ‘Troy’ and ‘Insidious’ star’s views about religion. Her parents had apparently raised this actress of British origin in an unorthodox fashion. Rose isn’t inclined to any religion even today and claims that she is agnostic by nature.
23. Penn Jillette
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMnTZdPGkKw
This famous magician and comedian says, “If every trace of any single religion were wiped out and nothing were passed on, it would never be created exactly that way again. There might be some other nonsense in its place, but not that exact nonsense.” Do we need to say more?
24. Emma Thompson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Ka9s6XsEk
Known for her roles in flicks like ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, actress Emma Thompson doesn’t quite believe in books that propagate religious thoughts. She confirmed this by stating “I regard religion with fear and suspicion. It’s not enough to say that I don’t believe in God. I actually regard the system as distressing: I am offended by some of the things said in the Bible and the Koran, and I refute them.”
25. John Malkovich
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Renowned actor John Malkovich had once said “I grew tired of religion sometime not long after birth. I believe in people, I believe in humans, I believe in a car, but I don’t believe something I can’t have absolutely no evidence of for millennia.”
26. Lance Armstrong
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World famous cyclist who faced threatening challenges like cancer and a doping scandal, doesn’t really thank God for overcoming troubled times. “If there was indeed a God at the end of my days, I hoped he didn’t say, ‘But you were never a Christian, so you’re going the other way from heaven.’ If so, I was going to reply, ‘You know what? You’re right. Fine.’” was what he had to say about almighty.
27. Jack Nicholson
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You might think that the versatile Jack Nicholson is too pleased by divine forces for being so kind to him and gifting him a great career in cinema, but here is a shocker. Nicholson stunned his admirers by stating “I don’t believe in God now, but I can still work up an envy for someone who has a faith.”
28. Jack Black
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This funny man, who can leave the audience roaring with laughter with his impeccable comic timing, once told a media source “I’m kind of an atheist”.
29. Amber Heard
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American actress Amber Heard who earned a lot of acclaim for her work in films like ‘Alpha Dog’ and ‘Paranoia’ confirmed that she is an agnostic. “I’m not anti ‘higher power’ so you could call me agnostic. Whatever, call me anything but I will never be a religious person.” was Amber’s take on religious faith.
30. Bjork
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This artist from Iceland who is one among the many eminent names in the field of music, believes whatever she is today is the result of her hard work and not ‘God’s grace’. “If I get into trouble, there’s no God or Allah to sort me out. I have to do it myself.” said Bjork, confirming this claim.
31. Guy Pearce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBjooVcpp84
Remember this man who played the protagonist in Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed thriller ‘Memento’? According to him, his faith hasn’t helped him hog the limelight. Pearce was quoted saying “I don’t believe in God, but the thing I do believe in is that we’re all connected.”
32. Antonio Banderas
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The handsome ‘The Mask Of Zorro’ actor, in his words, isn’t a famous name due to god’s kindness. While speaking to the esteemed glamor magazine ‘People’, Banderas said “I have to recognize that I am agnostic,”
33. Woody Allen
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This might surprise all you performance art lovers who absolutely love Woody Allen’s works. In one of his films titled ‘Stardust Memories’, Allen had famously said “to you, I’m an atheist. To God, I’m the loyal opposition.”
34. Kathy Griffin
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In her inimitable hilarious style, comedian Kathy Griffin once famously called herself a ‘military atheist’.
35. Katharine Hepburn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdYNtGEhb2Y
“I’m an atheist, and that’s it. I believe there’s nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for each other.” was this yesteryear actress’ take on inclination towards a religion
36. Gabriel Byrne
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While speaking to the famous daily ‘The Guardian’, Irish actor and filmmaker Gabriel Byrne said “When the sun is shining I don’t believe in God,”
37. Howard Stern
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In a way, you can’t really blame television and radio personality Howard Stern’s take on religion. The incredibly talented 61-year-old man said “I’m sickened by all religions” “Religion has divided people”.
38. Nigella Lawson
http://www.prphotos.com/p/SPX-018810/
One of the most famous faces of television, Nigella Lawson too gives a thumbs-down when asked whether she believed in the existence of God. “I was brought up an atheist and have always remained so,” was Nigella’s remark about God, in her interview to ‘The Times’. She further added “But at no time was I led to believe that morality was unimportant.”
