Actors/actresses who are atheist?

Scott Clifton, Liam on The Bold and the Beautiful, is an atheist,

There are a lot of Jewish people in Hollywood and many of them say they are Jewish but not religious. Otherwise, it seems like many feel pressured to thank God when they win awards. I feel like there's probably a lot of Oprah-/RuPaul-esque "The Secret" type of religious zealotry among celebrities who have swapped out the word God for The Universe.

I was surprised to see 1970s TV heartthob/lounge act/game-show staple John Davidson on YouTube a few years back speaking of his own commitment to atheism. He was surprisingly eloquent and intelligent about it.

I've defined myself (quietly) as an atheist since adolescence, but the rise of the Fundie Right in recent years has me thinking atheists need to make our voices heard, loudly and often.

Butterfly McQueen

Hollywood is filled with "spiritual types" who eschew organized religon but embrace some dubious New Age/alternative practices. (That's where the alarming amount of anti-vax support is coming from.) Frankly, there's almost (I say almost) as bad as hardcore fundamentalists.

Then of course, there are the Scienos. They're batshit insane, and terrifying. And still powerful, though not like they used to be.

I am weirded out by outspoken atheists because some of them show the same kind of identity-based zealotry and tribalism that crazy American Christians do.

I consider myself agnostic because there's no way to know where this consciousness came from, and I just don't engage with people who demonstrate cultish tendencies

Fran Drescher is Jewish but she's also one of those types you describe, having claimed that 5G cellular service is the cause of COVID—and she was just elected to serve as president of SAG-AFTRA.

That's disturbing, R7, because I (mostly) like her. But that's idiotic on her part.

It's important to remember that for every Yale Drama or Northwestern grad who goes on to make it in show biz, they are vastly outnumbered by pretty people with double-digit IQs who didn't finish high school. THAT'S entertainment.

Julianne Moore is an atheist and has talked about in a few interviews.

[quote] Julianne Moore is an atheist and has talked about in a few interviews.

Only because having to co-star with Danny Pintauro on ATWT would make anyone lose faith in God.

Julia Sweeney, Penn and Teller (at least one, maybe both)

Ricky Gervais, though I guess he is considered a comedian first and foremost.

[quote] Butterfly McQueen

I was Butterfly McQueen!

Will it kill? Or enhance this thread if I post this here, for further discussion.

(I trust Wikipedia, but only to a point.)

Jodie Foster....

I am an atheist, but I wonder whether it takes a type of courage to be a public figure who is an outspoken atheist in America?

Why does someone need to be outspoken about believing in nothing? The whole idea seems rather stupid to me.

Lots of Brits.

Atheists don't believe in nothing, R17. Most of us are secular humanists:

[quote]Secular humanism, often simply called humanism, is a philosophy or life stance that embraces human reason, secular ethics, and philosophical naturalism while specifically rejecting religious dogma, supernaturalism, and superstition as the basis of morality and decision making.

I believe in science, logic, social justice, individual merit, and the good of society as a whole. That's worth speaking out about.

Is it, R18? I believe in all of those things and also have a whimsical fascination with occult and mystical stuff without any associated religious practice, but I don't have any activist compulsion to convert anyone to my way of thinking. I don't care if people read the Bible or make voodoo dolls at home or if they are autistically methodical and obsessed with scientific investigations all day as long as what they do doesn't affect my life or tell me how to live it.

[quote] I feel like there's probably a lot of Oprah-/RuPaul-esque "The Secret" type of religious zealotry among celebrities who have swapped out the word God for The Universe.

Oprah is definitely not atheist. She believes in her God and is annoying about it. It's a huge blind spot for her; she doesn't consider that other people just don't believe in a God.

Burt Lancaster turned down "Ben Hur" because of his atheism. Good for him, Charlton Heston's low-IQ sincerity really worked in that film.

Chris Meloni, based on some of his Tweets I've read

"I don't care if people read the Bible or make voodoo dolls at home or if they are autistically methodical and obsessed with scientific investigations all day as long as what they do doesn't affect my life or tell me how to live it."

But it does and they do, R19.

R16 Unfortunately it does take courage. There are many people who will not vote for someone who is an atheist. Hard to believe, but who would believe that Donald tRump would become president one day?

Thoughts but no prayers.

[quote] Julianne Moore is an atheist and has talked about in a few interviews.

[quote] Julianne Moore is an atheist and has talked about in a few interviews.

Seriously?

At 1:34 - bless her.

What? This is none of anyone’s fucking business.

R29 pretty much.

I believe in God but I'm not trying to convert anyone. Its an individual path. And of course, I respect people's believes as long they're not assholes or downright criminals - islamic radicals, evangelicals, weird cults, etc.

To OP: most people in Hollywood are spiritual, but I believe Angelina Jolie is a atheist.

John Davidson, for those younger than 45, was EVERYWHERE on TV from the 70s to the 90s, mostly hosting shows and doing singing appearances. Back then he was one of those overly goodlooking people with music skills and pizzaz who seem like they might've been produced, fully formed, in a lab. I only found out he was atheist somewhat recently. Both his parents were Christian Ministers.

He's still around and looks good for 79, still rocking that fantastic hair. Here he from 5 years ago having fun overacting a poem "Atheist in the Wood." Clever ending.

I am, but I'm not Actor. I live in a town where no one cares if you're religious or not. It never comes up in conversation....a bit like politics really. NO ONE CARES.

Even most of the ones who claim to be religious are non-practicing - and even most of those types are not weird about it. There's very, very few Kirk Cameron's among actors and actresses.

Ricky Gervais is eloquent and funny with his arguments.

Even most of the ones who claim to be religious are non-practicing. And most of the ones who do practice are not weird about it. There's very, very few Kirk Cameron types among actors and actresses.

The faces of a few of the fraus in r28 when Keaton says the bible is not a favourite are a joy to behold.

"The best script ever written but you can´t really believe it."

Marlene Dietrich on the bible

"Why so glum? Smile- it´s your birthday!"

Tallula Bankhead, commenting on a pic of jesus on the cross, in church on christmas.

Kathy Griffin Kevin Bacon Billy Joel Bill Maher Seth MacFarlane

Tallulah also saw a priest or altar boy in full regalia, swinging an incense senser and yelled "Love your gown darling, but your purse is on fire!".

So my question is: What the hell was Tallulah Bankhead doing in all these churches? Believers don't go to make wisecracks, and nonbelievers don't go at all.

[quote] I respect people's believes

Broadway actress Hannah Cruz notes she is an atheist in her Instagram profile.

Dax Shepard is atheist, if anyone considers him noteworthy other than the fact he's married to Kristen Bell. While his acting projects have pretty much been meh, he does have a hugely successful podcast, so there's that.

dax shepard is a p.o.s. and a dumb ass! supports friends who are scientologist with the "but i don't know anything about it or anything that is going on! even in 2021!???? Get the fuck out of here no talent!

Fuck you OP. What a stupid post. Like anyone would know. ‘But i think julia roberts is’ Is that what you want to read?

I think it's easier just give up and realize that no one really knows what the fuck is going on, especially with the afterlife (if there is one). I find evangelical Christians and hardcore atheists are two types of people I try to distance myself from. They're so damn sure of their beliefs that it can be a little unnerving and annoying.

I like to think there's something else out there. If you want to call it heaven or the other side or another plane of existence. It makes sense to me. It's hard for me to imagine that the human energy just evaporates into the ether when someone dies. I feel like it goes somewhere. Maybe it gets reincarnated. Who knows?

[quote]Then of course, there are the Scienos. They're batshit insane, and terrifying. And still powerful, though not like they used to be.

I was actually thinking of these idiots the other day. They've gone curiously quiet and subdued. In the early 2000's when their messiah, Tammy, and Katie Holmes were papped everywhere and were on the cover of every mag there seemed to be a concerted push to publicize Scientology and make it more mainstream and palatable and social media was very active with Sea Org culties spreading misinformation and praise of Tom Cruise. I think the church really decided that Tom was so popular and besties Will, Jada, Beckham and Posh were being courted. That failed spectacularly and backfired, driving them into silence again. Even loudmouthed cunts like Jenna Elfman and Kirstie Alley have been quiet and that troll, MissCabbabe hasn't been seen in forever.

The thing with being atheist is that most of us shut up about it unless asked explicitly and even then there isn’t much to say.

[quote]There are a lot of Jewish people in Hollywood and many of them say they are Jewish but not religious

Not being religious is not the same as being an atheist. It just means non-practising. Most people still have their kids baptized or bar-mitzvahed or have a religious wedding themselves even though they don't go to worship on Sunday. These are not atheists.

Chris O'Dowd is another confirmed atheist. Seems like British celebrities are most likely to fall into this category.

Justin Theroux, Parker Posey

Daniel Radcliffe, Pedro Pascal, Stellan Skarsgard.

Katharine Hepburn was an atheist…and in her dotage quite open about it.

*Correction Pedro Pascal is agnostic.

Chris O'Dowd and Bill Maher are the types that project atheism on others, particularly people they like. O'Dowd said Obama is too intelligent to be religious even though Obama has written extensively about his faith personal in a couple of his books. Maher, on the other hand, claims people are atheists based on narrow agreements with him on certain issues. For example, he thinks Pope Francis is a secret atheist. Ridiculous!

R48 a disproportionate number of atheists are Jews. I guess they really are smarter.

Brad Pitt does not believe in a god.

It’s from OK Magazine but still…

Unfortunately, there’s a couple of losers on this list…

There should be a word to describe those of us for whom religion is so meaningless we don't even subscribe to descriptors such as 'atheist' or 'agnostic". Religion or belief never crosses my mind short of threads such as this or the occasional news article about the Pope, etc. I bet it is the same for most actors - something they give no thought to.

The closest I've come to a descriptor like that R59 is "apathetic agnostic" meaning I don't really give a shit one way or the other and rarely think of religion at all.

Christopher Eccleston, vocal card-carrying atheist.

R56 Oh, yes, he does. The one in the mirror . . .

When I was in Catholic grade school we called atheists and Protestants "pagans"

I doubt you could fill a very small church with British actors who are practicing Christians (or any other religious denomination).

So much for the Church of England...

John Davidson has suddenly shot way up in my estimation of him. I thought he was just a fairly attractive slice of cream cheese with good hair who could carry a tune. He never conveyed intelligence to me.

R65 Irreligion in England goes back over 350 years to the nonconformists, It's almost as old as The Church of England.

Religion hasn't been seen as a universal force for goodness for centuries.

Thank you r59 I am the same way! It never crosses my mind unless someone tries to force their view. I just don't get worshipping anything, especially something that's not there, I find it so strange.

Sometime ago I was at a dinner party where we were debating this topic and an art history professor made the point that atheism and great art seem be incompatible. My knee-jerk reaction was to challenge him but looking back, all through history, the greatest art, architecture, literature and music has been inspired by religion.

Even now, the best American music, jazz, blues, soul, rock, country is rooted in gospel music. And there hardly any atheists among the all-time greats. Same with acting, theater and the movies. It would appear that a belief in the supernatural is necessary to unleash a certain level of creativity. Whether it’s Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel or Aretha Franklin belting out soul, an atheist couldn’t do it.

[quote]And there hardly any atheists among the all-time greats.

R69 has never heard about Leonardo DaVinci.

The reason we don't see that many examples in architecture and art that isn't associated to atheists, is because the church had the all money and all the power. Movements in renaissance and enlightenment contributed to the values that are the foundation of modern western societies and they all had to do with deliberately moving away from religion towards a world ruled by reason.

If the history of Western art is absolutely stuffed with religious subject matter... it's not necessarily because they artists were painting as an act of faith, it's because that's what the wealthy and the church paid artists to paint. Most of the religious paintings in modern museums were not created as works of faith, they were commissioned by churches, or paid for by wealthy patrons.

The "Old Masters" didn't usually paint what they wanted to paint as a rule, they were businessmen who ran workshops that produced paintings for those who could afford to put paintings on their walls. And if their customers wanted flattering portraits of themselves, their family, or their property, then flattering portraits were painted. If the customers wanted naked ladies in a "classical" setting then the artist produced naked ladies, and if the patron wanted to look pious then they painted religious subjects. Or sometimes they just painted naked ladies and put a biblical reference in the title.

I think most of them are Satanists. Or it could simply be the California sun or paperazzi aiming to shoot stars at their worst; but Hollywood stars seem to age the ugliest of any group of people I've ever seen. They appear frighteningly demonic in appearance as opposed to comfortingly grandparent-like.

[quote] And there hardly any atheists among the all-time greats. Same with acting, theater and the movies.

This is such an absurd overstatement that one hardly knows where to begin. Please--enlighten us about the religiously observant in any one of these 3 categories.

Butterfly McQueen was a known atheist.

[quote]as never heard about Leonardo DaVinci.

R70 did a Bill Maher and tried to claim Leonardo da Vinci, painter of many religions. While he may not have been ultra-religious and was evidently gay given the dropped record of dropped charges of sodomy, there's zero evidence to suggest he was an atheist. He attended mass regularly at the Santa Maria delle Grazie during his Milan years. Even scientists like Galileo Gallelli, condemned by the Catholic Church for stating the earth goes around the Sun, wasn't an atheist.

^ * painter of many religious works.

Well, they had no choice.

[quote]If the history of Western art is absolutely stuffed with religious subject matter... it's not necessarily because they artists were painting as an act of faith, it's because that's what the wealthy and the church paid artists to paint. Most of the religious paintings in modern museums were not created as works of faith, they were commissioned by churches, or paid for by wealthy patrons.

All true. However, the argument was about the artists themselves, not their works. Even today, you'd still be hard-pressed to come up with a great artist (writer, painter, singer, actor, musician) who happens to be atheist. Scientists, yes. But not artists. Ricky Gervais is currently the most famous, but few would call him 'great'.

R78 Aside from Bacon, Duchamp, Delacroix, Matisse, Monet and Picasso (off the top of my head) I'm stumped.

Atheists must indeed be talentless twats.

Miriam Margolyes is Atheist despite playing a nun in 'Call The Midwife'.

She describes herself as anti-religion.

[quote]It's hard for me to imagine that the human energy just evaporates into the ether when someone dies. I feel like it goes somewhere.

It goes to the worms, honey.

And it's not like we're bursting with tons of energy by the time we shuffle off this mortal coil.

I would imagine that a despicable human being by the name of Donald tRump is an atheist.

R78, if most of the artists in history and everybody else went to church and called themselves a "Chrstian", it's through much of Western history atheism was known as "heresy" or "blaphsemy", and was illegal.

Depending on where and when a person lived, a failure to attend church or pay tithes got you a heavy fine or a jail term, and saying "There is no God" could get you burned at the stake. So if Leonardo went to church that doesn't prove he was a believer, not if he lived in places where failing to go was penalized.

The punishments for heresy (atheism) were much worse than the sentences given out to murders who were generally hung, strangled or beheaded.

Heretics were burnt at the stake, boiled, pressed or any other horrible death you can imagine, especially in mainland Europe. Admitting to atheism would be like signing your own (horrible) death warrant.

[quote]So if Leonardo went to church that doesn't prove he was a believer, not if he lived in places where failing to go was penalized.

True. But it's stronger evidence than claims he was a secret atheist when he never suggested that even in his private journals. Leonardo wasn't as overtly religious as his nemesis Michelangelo (a tormented closet case whose gay inclinations weighed on him than Leonardo's did on himself), he was a well-liked man of the world who didn't challenge convention.

[quote]Tallulah also saw a priest or altar boy in full regalia, swinging an incense senser and yelled "Love your gown darling, but your purse is on fire!".

I remember watching the below for the first time, R39, and misunderstanding what Vaccaro meant when she mentioned her [italic]purse[/italic], and I just did the same thing with your post(although Tallulah probably did have the gift that keeps giving)!

Where does DL's fave ingenue Melissa Miller stand in all of this? Do we know whether she a freethinker, or a devout adherent to one sect or another? Or does she keep her private life private?

I agree with R84.

[QUOTE] I believe in...social justice...and the good of society as a whole.

And how, exactly, do you define these?

Natalie Portman Sarah Michelle Gellar Jessica Chastain (even though she got married in her husband's church)

OP, actually, the reverse is true.

Actors are usually very creative people, who are lead by the nose, as to whatever is trending, at the time.

Very simple stuff.

Try to not over-think it.

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that Jessica Chastain is, even though she got married in Preposulo's church in Italy.

I think the majority of actors/actresses are secular/agnostic.

Clint Eastwood, which surprised me, because he is a Trump supporter and Republican. I think conservative Republican celebs are more likely to hide if they are atheists.

How do you qualify atheist?

If it has to be a proselytizing atheist fanatic like Bill Maher, then there probably are not many.

That kind of atheism strikes me as a secular version of religious zealotry, anyway—people desperate to condemn others and desperate to convert them to thinking as they do.

If you mean agnostic people, probably a ton, but people who are wise enough to know they don't know and can't know some things tend not to run around town being know-it-alls like atheist activists, Scientologists and Christians do.

[quote] So my question is: What the hell was Tallulah Bankhead doing in all these churches? Believers don't go to make wisecracks, and nonbelievers don't go at all.

Catholics fell the best Catholic jokes, and nothing seems to be off-limits.

Btw, speaking of churches, I am very interested in all manner of spiritual exploration, while at the same time I've never been to a single church service and I despise all religious organizations...but I find it hard to argue against grand church and cathedral architecture. It's magnificent. I'm obviously not talking about bare-bones American-style puritanical churches, but I would love to live in a house that has been converted from a church with arched ceilings, stained glass windows and so on.

I think I'll just let the mystery be.

I don't believe in any gods but don't call myself an atheist, atheism is too much like religion to me. I do think less of people who believe in magic/religion, which I hate, because I like some people who believe in this stuff unfortunately.

I very rarely hear non-black actors/actresses thanking god in award speeches.

Emma Thompson isn't just atheist - she's anti-religion.

"I'm an atheist ... 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 Qur'an and I refute them."

"We were not created by a deity. We created the deity on OUR image." -- Phyllis Diller,

More from our Phyllis: 28 Dec 2001 - Adam Carley provides the following update on Diller:

In the November 2001 Issue of the AIDS magazine a&u, Phyllis Diller is interviewed, and talks about her own beliefs and Bob Hope's. The magazine says the "complete" interview is on their website, www.aumag.org, but it appears to be under renovation.

Here is text from the article: (p. 40-41)

How does she {Phyllis Diller} visualize the hereafter? "There isn't any, you dingbat!" she replies as she lets out that legendary, raucous laugh: Ahhha... Ha... Ha... Ha... Haaah. This is it, baby! Enjoy, carefully! Religion is such a medieval idea. Don't get me started. I have thought about every facet of religion and I can't buy any of it." She pauses and with a subtle smile continues; "So God made man in His own image? It's just the other way around. Man made God in his own image." Diller's on a religion roll. "Ah... it's all about money."

Cate Blanchett

R100 I don't classify myself as an atheist, but I am anti-religion.

I honestly don't think most Christian churches in the U.S. have anything to do with theism or spiritual investigation at all. They are community center and political organizations that pay no taxes and control huge populations' minds and votes. There's also a huge amount of abuses pervasive to church cultures, and I think that a lot of those abuses would become less common without churches to centralize and continue to popularize them.