Ashley Judd Is More Than Just An Actress-She Is A Humanitarian And An Activist

American actress Ashley Judd does not confine her life to acting but is also devoted to humanitarian activities. She has been actively participating in social welfare for women’s rights and gender equality for over a decade. 

Born in 1968, the actress grew up with performing artists in the family. Her mother, Naomi Judd, is an American country singer and her half-sister Wynonna Judd is among the most renowned female country singers in  America. 

A Brief Introduction To Her Acting Career

Making her debut in 1991 with Star Trek: The Next Generation, Ashley has been on tons of well-received films over the years. 

In the same year, she also took on another project, NBC’s drama Sisters, where she played the role of Reed. Further, in 1993, she got her first lead with the movie Ruby In Paradise. 

The movie happens to be one of her major acting projects, which bagged two awards: 'The Most Promising Actress in Chicago films Critics Association Award' and 'The Best Lead Female in Independent Spirit Award.'

After the big wins, the actress appeared in films such as Norma Jean and Merylin and A Time to Kill in 1996. By the time she did Kiss the Girls and Double Jeopardy in 1997 and 1999, respectively, she had already set her mark in the industry for leading roles.

Again, Ashley was awarded the 'Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favourite Actress-Suspense' in 2000.

Among her numerous movies, some of the significant ones were Where the Heart Is, Frida, High Crimes, Divergent, and A Dog’s Way Home. Moreover, as of this writing, she has been a part of more than three dozen films and nine television shows, including two documentaries. 

The Activist and Humanitarian Judd

Besides having a successful professional career, the High Crimes star's involvement in social welfare and activism is truly praise-worthy. 

Her humanitarian journey began over a decade ago when she felt the need to stand against gender discrimination.  

The feminist is an avid supporter of women’s rights and has worked with the United Nations focusing on sexual and reproductive health, which led her to become the Goodwill Ambassador for UNFPA in 2016.  

Since then, the actress has been a part of several projects of UNFPA for girls and women and has traveled around Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Turkey. 

For her inspiring humanitarian act in UNFPA, she was honored with KISS Humanitarian Award 2016 in India. On receiving the award, she shared her thoughts:

This award will empower and make me energetic to do more work...On sexual exploitation: I should say our cultures and faith practices share the same underlined spiritual principles but yet on the outside can look quite different.

The actress has also been affiliated with YouthAIDS, advocating to eliminate poverty and bring AIDS awareness globally.  Further, her involvement with organizations such as Women For Women International and Equality Now shows how devoted she is to be a voice for those in need. 

On February 12, Judd made an Instagram post through which she shed light on an endangered animal, Bonobos, in Congo. She also mentioned how she accidentally broke her leg during her stay in the research camp, for which later she had to undergo hours-long surgery.  

The actress also believes that giving birth to a child and adding to the population is unfair while there are so many children in the world starving. Her relentless passion for extending helping hands to humankind as well as wildlife is something we should be aspiring to.