By Wonderwall.com Editors
9:33am PDT, Jul 9, 2018
You might be used to seeing celebrities on the screen, but some stars have also worked behind the camera, lending their creativity to documentary projects. Wonderwall.com is taking a look at some of the actors and actresses who've made documentaries, starting with Leonardo DiCaprio. The Oscar winner and activist has produced five documentaries during the course of his career: "The 11th Hour," a 2007 film on the environment; "Virunga," a 2014 movie on conservation work in the Congo that was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary feature; "Cowspiracy," a 2015 doc about the impact of animal agriculture on the environment; "The Ivory Game," a 2016 project on the ivory trade; and "Before the Flood," a 2016 climate change documentary. Keep reading to see which other stars have moonlighted as documentary filmmakers…
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Beyonce gave fans an intimate look at her life behind the scenes in her 2013 documentary "Life Is But a Dream." The superstar singer not only starred in the HBO film but also directed and executive produced it. "Life Is But a Dream" was well-received by critics and earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for outstanding documentary.
Idris Elba became a documentary filmmaker in 2015 when he produced "Mandela, My Dad and Me." The film captures the period in which the grieving actor lost his beloved father, Winston, and created an album inspired by his portrayal of political leader Nelson Mandel in "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom."
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Brad Pitt is no stranger to documentary films, having produced two critically acclaimed documentaries: "God Grew Tired of Us," a 2006 film about three of the Lost Boys of Sudan, and 2016's "Voyage of Time," a documentary about the birth and death of the known universe that he also narrated.
Eva Longoria has always been an advocate for Latino causes and she shared that activism in her own documentary. The actress produced and starred in the celebrated 2014 film "Food Chains," which examines agricultural labor in the United States.
In recent years, actor Colin Hanks has shifted gears, directing two well-received documentaries: 2015's "All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records" and 2017's "Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends)," in which the acclaimed band's members recount their experiences before and after terrorists killed 89 people at their 2015 concert at Paris' Bataclan theatre.
Katie Couric became a documentary filmmaker when she produced and starred in "Under the Gun" in 2016. The critically acclaimed film explores American gun violence and gun control laws with firsthand accounts from parents of Sandy Hook school shooting victims, expert commentary and statistics.
Long before actor Robert Duvall wrote, directed and starred in the critically acclaimed movie "The Apostle," he directed a documentary film. His 1977 movie "We're Not the Jet Set" followed a rodeo family in Nebraska.
Madonna has explored documentary filmmaking a few times over the course of her career. The pop singer produced, starred in and narrated "Madonna: Truth or Dare," a 1991 film that chronicled her 1990 "Blond Ambition" world tour. The doc was a big box-office success, making over $29 million to become the highest grossing documentary of all time (at the time). Madonna also produced and starred in a "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret," a 2005 documentary about her 2004 "Re-Invention" world tour.
Music mogul Diddy is also a documentary filmmaker. The Bad Boy Records founder produced and starred in his own doc, "Can't Stop, Won't Stop: The Bad Boy Story," in 2017. The film explores Diddy's rise from intern to near billionaire.
Angelina Jolie added documentarian to her long list of impressive titles when she produced, directed and starred in "A Place in Time." The 2007 film documents the daily lives of people in more than two dozen countries around the world during the course of a week. In the film, Angie's celebrity friends visit orphanages, refugee camps and other impacted areas in an effort to raise awareness and encourage cultural understanding.
Oprah Winfrey has been involved in quite a few TV documentaries. The media mogul produced "Nine" in 1992, "Legends Ball" in 2006, "Building a Dream: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy" in 2007, "Extraordinary Mom" in 2011 and "Serving Life" in 2011.
Daisy Ridley might be known for her Jedi moves in the "Star Wars" franchise, but the British actress is also a documentary filmmaker. She narrated and produced "The Eagle Huntress," an empowering 2016 film that follows a Mongolian teenager who is training to be the first woman to take part in Mongolia's Golden Eagle Festival (a frigid hunting expedition through the mountains). The BAFTA Award-winning film was a huge hit and was even shortlisted for an Academy Award for best documentary feature.
Meredith Vieira has also tried her hand at documentary filmmaking. The former "Today" show host co-produced the 2016 documentary "Tower." The powerful animated film is about the 1966 shootings at the University of Texas at Austin, one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern U.S. history.
Luke Wilson was also involved with "Tower." He and Meredith Vieira co-produced the documentary, which was critically lauded for showing "a painful chapter of American history with sensitivity and grace."
Susan Sarandon has participated in more than 46 documentaries and most recently executive produced the 2015 documentary "Radical Grace." The film is about three nuns who challenged a patriarchal system to fight for social justice.
Actress Sarah Polley, who started her career in front of the camera as Ramona Quimby on Canada's "Ramona" TV series (based on Beverly Cleary's popular books) before appearing in movies like "The Sweet Hereafter," "Go" and "Dawn of the Dead," has transitioned into a new career as a producer, writer (she penned the 2017 miniseries "Alias Grace") and director (her credits include 2006's "Away From Her"). In 2012, Sarah directed her first documentary film, "Stories We Tell," which explores family secrets including her own true parentage.
Comedian and actress Tig Notaro wrote and executive produced the 2015 documentary "Knock Knock, It's Tig Notaro," which follows her as she does stand-up not in clubs and traditional venues but in fans' homes, yards, barns and more unusual spots around the country.
Former vice president Al Gore is a wildly successful documentary filmmaker. The politician wrote and starred in "An Inconvenient Truth," a 2006 film that followed his campaign to educate people about global warming. The movie was a critical and commercial success that won two Academy Awards — for best documentary feature and best original song (for Melissa Etheridge's "I Need to Wake Up") — and grossed $26 million worldwide. "An Inconvenient Truth" was so influential that it spawned a sequel, "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power," in 2017.
