​The cynics out there may find it easy to dismiss celebrities’ charitable acts as a ruse to generate some feel-good PR. Yet some stars really do go above and beyond when it comes to undertaking genuinely heartwarming acts of kindness to help others.

From the stars who surprise terminally-ill fans to those who have launched their own charitable foundations, read on to discover the famous faces who have been amazingly generous with their time and money. All dollar amounts in US dollars.