George Clooney make headlines late last week when he was arrested for protesting outside the Sudan embassy in Washington D.C., along with fellow humanitarian activists and his father, journalist Nick Clooney. The actor spent much of the week lobbying for humanitarian aid for the famine-ravaged African nation, even imploring President Barack Obama to have Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir arrested for war crimes.
"We need humanitarian aid to be allowed in to the Sudan before it becomes the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Immediately," Clooney told the crowd at the protest before being arrested.
Clooney might have grabbed attention to his cause with his arrest, but he's not the first - or likely the last - celebrity to be detained for supporting a cause.
"Splash" actress Darryl Hannah is no stranger to the inside of a jail cell, thanks to her consistent protesting for environmental causes. The actress' latest arrest came in January in Washington D.C. as she protested against the controversial Keystone XL pipeline in August 2011.
"Sometimes it's necessary to sacrifice your freedom for a greater freedom, and we want to be free from the horrible death and destruction that fossil fuels cause, and have a clean energy future," the actress said while being led away from the White House.
She won, in a way - the Obama administration won't allow the Keystone pipeline to go through on its planned route. Instead, the company must re-route the pipeline so no water supplies are affected.
Martin Sheen
Actor Martin Sheen might be well known for his role as Charlie Sheen's father, but he's also an activist for many causes. "The West Wing" actor has been arrested some 66 times for protesting various injustices, including nuclear proliferation.
Guess he's the one who's actually #winning in the Sheen family.
Lucy Lawless
"Spartacus" actress Lucy Lawless was arrested at the end of February for trespassing on a New Zealand oil ship for several days to protest global warming. The actress, 43, said she was doing it for her children's future.
"I've got three kids," she told reporters during her four-day stay on the vessel. "My sole biological reason for being on this planet is to ensure that they can flourish, and they can't do that in a filthy, degraded environment. We need to stand up while we still can."
Actress Jessica Alba hasn't been arrested for protesting, but she was close when cameras caught her pasting posters of great white sharks on private property in Oklahoma City back in 2009. The actress, in the city filming "The Killer Inside Me" later apologized for putting the protest posters up, helping her avoid legal issues.
"I got involved in something I should have had no part of. I realize that I should have used better judgment, and I regret not thinking things through before I made a spontaneous and ill-advised decision to let myself get involved with the people behind this campaign," she said in a statement. "I sincerely apologize to the citizens of Oklahoma City and to the United Way for my involvement in this incident."
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