Greatness in Action The Best Entertainers of 2014 by Angela Guzman l The Best of 2014 l Entertainers of the Year l Awards for 2014

Jamie Foxx

2014 has proven to be a great year for singer and actor Jamie Foxx. Earlier in the year he played villain Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and is staring in the retelling of Annie later this year.

Also this year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America presented Foxx with its Common Good Award, which is given to a partner who provides an investment of services to benefit the common good of the organization and brand as a whole. Since 2012, Foxx has been Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s national spokesperson. In addition, Foxx regularly hosts “Littles” at his home and, earlier this year, helped to launch the BE AMAZING! campaign. "All children need someone to inspire and encourage their passions and to help them achieve success in life," said Foxx.

Kerry Washington

In April 2014, Time Magazine named actress Kerry Washington as one of the "Most Influential People" in the world. Washington has been in several films and is the star of the ABC hit drama Scandal.

Washington is drawn to efforts dedicated to women’s issues, so it wasn’t surprising that she was on board with the Purple Purse program after learning that 98 percent of domestic violence victims stay in harmful situations because they lack financial dependence. “A purse is a woman’s domain, it’s where her financial life lives. I like the symbolism of clutching; really being able to hold on to it. You can take back your financial control,” said Washington.

Washington has a strong desire to empower women through her activism and successful career.

Gillian Flynn

2014 has been quite the year for author Gillian Flynn. Her 2012 book Gone Girl was purchased by 20th Century Fox for $1.5 million and the film was number one at the box office for several weeks. The movie release prompted the title Gone Girl to stay on the NY Times Best-Sellers list for eight straight weeks. And recent news has released that another one of Flynn's books, Dark Places, will also be adapted into a film which is set to star Charlize Theron and release in 2015.

In an interview with US Weekly Flynn said, "I could not have written a novel if I hadn't been a journalist first, because it taught me that there's no muse that's going to come down and bestow upon you the mood to write. You just have to do it. I'm definitely not precious."

Flynn continues to inspire fellow writers and others who want to make their dreams come true. There's no doubt that Flynn's success is proof that hard work will be rewarded.

John Green

John Green had us in tears with his New York Times Best Seller A Fault in Our Stars. The book was published in 2012 and made into a movie in 2014. The film adaptation opened as #1 in the box office and solidified Green's spot in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2014.

Aside from being a writer, Green is also well known for his YouTube videos. In 2007 he launched the VlogBrothers channel with his brother, Hank Green. Since then, John and Hank have launched events such as Project for Awesome and VidCon and created a total of 11 online series including Crash Course, an educational channel teaching literature, history, and science. Green is dedicated to making a difference in the world and joining people together to improve their lives.