The nicest man in showbiz: George Clooney gave 14 friends $1million dollars each

George Clooney is known for philanthropyWIREIMAGE / GETTY

George Clooney is known for his philanthropy and generosity

It’s certainly a mantra that George Clooney has taken to heart.

This week one of his oldest friends Rande Gerber – Mr Cindy Crawford – revealed that the star gifted 14 of his closest friends $1million each (£750,000) for helping him when he was a struggling actor.

The 56-year-old, with two Oscars to his name, is said to have invited his old pals to dinner and presented them with suitcases full of cash.

His extraordinary act of generosity even extended to paying another $300,000 apiece to cover their tax bills for capital gains. 

Clooney has won 2 OscarsWIREIMAGE

Clooney has won 2 Oscars in his long and successful acting career

I came to Los Angeles, I slept on your couch. I’m so fortunate in my life to have all of you and I couldn’t be where I am today without all of you. So it was really important to me that while we’re still all here together, that I give back. So I wan

George Clooney


At a time when bad behaviour in the movie industry is in the spotlight Clooney, who comes from Kentucky and battled hard to get his big break, is now being hailed as the nicest man in Hollywood.

The star is already renowned for his philanthropy and humanitarian efforts but the tale of the million-dollar handouts has just emerged, although it happened more than four years ago.

Gerber, 55, told the US TV show Headliners how Clooney instructed the 14 friends to put September 27, 2013 in their diaries.

“Everyone’s going to come to my house for dinner,” said the actor.

The group, known to each other as The Boys, has kept in touch despite lives and careers going in very different directions.

At the start of the get-together Clooney, who is now based in the UK, is said to have got to his feet, handed out the closed suitcases and made a short speech.

Gerber reveals that Clooney said: “Listen, I want you guys to know how much you’ve meant to me and how much you mean to me in my life.

“I came to Los Angeles, I slept on your couch. I’m so fortunate in my life to have all of you and I couldn’t be where I am today without all of you.

“So it was really important to me that while we’re still all here together, that I give back. So I want you all to open your suitcases.”

Gerber added: “Every one of us got a million dollars. Every single one of us.

“We’re in shock. Like, what is this?

“George goes, ‘I know we’ve all been through hard times, some of you are still going through it.

“You don’t have to worry about your kids, you don’t have to worry about school, you don’t have to worry about paying your mortgage.’”

The other 13 have not been revealed but Gerber confirms that at the time one was working at an airport bar in Texas and struggling to support his family, while another couldn’t afford to run a car.

Gerber, who isn’t short of a few quid, said his initial reaction was to refuse the cash but the star had thought of everything.

Clooney said his gifts were dependent on all 14 accepting and if just one declined then all the rest would lose their remarkable windfall.

Clooney, now worth more than £400million, appears to have the Midas touch and since handing over the cash to his friends has added to his fortune.

This year he sold his Tequila brand to drinks giant Diageo.

However, for most of his pals the cash has been life-changing and Gerber argues that any good luck that comes Clooney’s way in future will be karma – the idea that good works generate good fortune.

It is also said that the gesture is typical of the star, who now calls a £10million mansion in Berkshire home but has never forgotten the tough years before he hit the big time.

Clooney was always determined to be an actor but was forced to make ends meet by taking a variety of low-paid jobs including shoe salesman, selling insurance doorto-door, stocking shelves and taking on construction work.

His first role was in 1978 but it was 16 years before he got his breakthrough role, playing Dr Doug Ross on the hit medical drama ER.

Clooney has since become one of Hollywood’s go-to stars, and is now equally comfortable behind the camera.

In addition to Oscars for his acting in Syriana, in 2006, and co-producing Argo, in 2012, he’s been awarded three Golden Globes.

His film credits include heist movie Ocean’s Eleven, Gulf War drama Three Kings, legal thriller Michael Clayton and the drama/ comedy Up In The Air.

George and wife Amal are both prominent activistsGETTY

George and wife Amal are both prominent activists and have fundraised for good causes

Away from the studios Clooney is known for his humanitarian work and donations to good causes.

He’s been involved with the United Nations since 2008 and his work has included trying to find a solution to the Darfur conflict in Sudan, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians.

Clooney has also raised funds for victims of 9/11, the devastating 2004 tsunami and the earthquake in Haiti in 2010.

It’s easy to be cynical about Hollywood stars attaching themselves to good causes but much of Clooney’s generosity is unsung.

He doesn’t seek recognition for many of his kind acts which, although seemingly trifl ing, mean the world for those involved.

One that was picked up was a visit to Social Bite, a café in Edinburgh where all the profits go to social causes, where he posed for selfies with customers and left £750 to buy everyone lunch.

As Clooney was whisked away in 2015 after crowds began to build up, he stopped to sign a card for an onlooker’s mother.

We can only imagine her delight when she discovered the A-lister’s autograph on her 60th birthday.

On another occasion, earlier this year, he surprised a grandmother at an assisted-living home in Sonning, Berkshire, by popping in to see her on her 87th birthday.

Clooney surprised staff at the Social Bite PA

Clooney surprised staff at the Social Bite, Edinburgh, which employs many formerly homeless people

Staff wrote to Clooney and he simply turned up unannounced, with no fanfare, bearing a bouquet of flowers for a shell-shocked Pat Adams.

“He is a real class act,” one member of staff said later.

“The lady loves George and was always saying how much she would like to meet him.”

Then there was the time a diner in Berlin found his bill had been paid by Clooney, who feared he and his companions had been a little noisy.

The surprised but grateful man hadn’t been bothered, or even noticed his famous fellow restaurant-goer until a waiter pointed out his identity.

In his second wife Amal, whom he married in 2014, the actor has found a kindred spirit.

She’s a London barrister specialising in international law and human rights.

The 39-year-old has been involved in high-profile cases, including representing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, but the little things also matter to her and her husband.

Clooney gave a grandmother a special 87th birthdayPA

George Clooney gave a Berkshire grandmother a special 87th birthday surprise

On a recent trip home to the UK with their six-month-old twins Amal handed out headphones to fellow airline passengers, along with a note apologising in advance for any disturbance.

And while the couple were renovating their Thames-side mansion, they paid for the neighbours to stay elsewhere while the building work was going on.

They also threw in a holiday to Corfu, at the height of the disturbance.

Tinseltown’s reputation has taken a bit of a battering recently.

Its legions of spoiled stars would do well to take a leaf out of the Clooneys’ book when it comes to humility and generosity of spirit.