The Welsh county of Neath Port Talbot has been the birthplace of great actors of cinema and theatre such as Richard Burton (deceased in 1984), Anthony Hopkins (88), and Michael Sheen (57). The latter is back in the spotlight because as one of the 21 contestants in the second season of the BBC reality show Celebrity Traitors, he has revealed that he has parted with most of his fortune to help those in need.
According to information gathered by several British newspapers such as The Independent or Daily News following statements to Saga magazine, the star of The Queen (2006), where he portrayed Tony Blair or Frost/Nixon (2008) - playing David Frost - has stated that he has "been very lucky to be able to earn a lot of money, but, whether on purpose or by accident, I have ended up giving it away practically everything."
In recent years, Michael Sheen has used his fortune to support humanitarian causes, including selling properties to fund projects for the homeless and donating from his own funds to pay off debts of people in difficult situations. He recalled that "at 18, I didn't care if I had money or not. I wasn't living in poverty, but I managed with what I had. Like many things in my life, I've gone away and then come back home, to the starting point."
Regarding this last statement, the actor, former partner of actress Kate Beckinsale with whom he has his firstborn, Lily Mo, who has lived in London and Los Angeles, has decided to simplify his life and return to his roots. "For example, I have returned to living in Wales. I never thought I would do that. I am getting back into theatre," he emphasized.
A well-thought-out and brave decision considering that at the peak of his popularity he earned 7.3 million dollars for the movie The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009). Much has been said about the fortune of this actor trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), and although he has never publicly discussed his salaries, industry media have attributed him a net worth of 16 million dollars.
However, as he has matured and weighed the benefits of fame, he has realized that, as in the main principle of architecture, less is more. "I want to make sure my family is okay, that we have a roof over our heads and everything else, but at 57, I still think the same as at 18 on this matter," he pointed out in his latest statements. He has defined himself as a "non-profit actor."
Personally, Michael is also father of two other girls, Lyra (7) and Mabli (4), from his relationship with Swedish actress Anna Lundberg (32), with whom he has been dating for seven years. Regarding parenthood, he highlighted that "despite it being an intense experience and all my mistakes, it changes you a lot. My life is completely different since I became a father."
In 2019, he sold two of his properties for the Homeless World Cup to be held in Cardiff, and last year he made headlines for his good deeds, as months after stating that he would fund a new theatre company following the dissolution of the National Theatre Wales, he founded a debt acquisition company to help 900 people in South Wales.
In this way, with £100,000, he bought packages of overdue debts at a fraction of their real value - around a million pounds - which served to pay off the loans and provide a better life for the area's residents.