In the hope of putting an end to a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, several movie stars and directors including "Avatar" director James Cameron have stepped in to help with donations or their expertise of technology, local media reported on Thursday.

Actress Victoria Principal, 60, is the latest actress to donate to the effort. She has donated 200,000 U.S. dollars to help clean up the tragic oil spill along Louisiana's coast，local television channel KTLA 5 said.

Principal, best known for her role as Pamela Barnes Ewing on the CBS nighttime drama "Dallas" from 1978 to 1987, made the donation to Oceana and the Natural Resources Defense Council to encourage the two nonprofits to work together to address the damage along the Gulf Coast and support a shift toward renewable energy, according to the report.

As the worst spill in U.S. history which was caused by a rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20,21 million to 45 million gallons of crude have so far bled into the Gulf of Mexico, according to official estimates. BP's previous attempts including the "top kill" have all failed.

Other Hollywood celebrities are also stepping up to stop the spill.

Environmentalist, "Cheers" star Ted Danson, who serves on Oceana's board of directors, is an outspoken critic of offshore drilling. "No more ocean drilling," he told CNN's Larry King last week."To say we need to drill offshore to create jobs is wrong."

Actor Kevin Costner has invested more than 24 million U.S.dollars to develop devices now under consideration to help clean up the spill.

"Avatar" and "Titanic" director James Cameron brainstormed with some 23 people who convened in Washington on Tuesday to share his ideas on and expertise on underwater filming and remote vehicle technologies. The award-winning director has developed expertise in deep sea robotic vehicles and submersibles over a period of 22 years.

"Over the last few weeks I've watched, as we all have, with growing horror and heartache, watching what's happening in the Gulf and thinking those morons don't know what they're doing," Cameron was quoted by The Washington Post as saying.

He suggested that the government should have its own system to monitor the spill. "If you are not monitoring it independently, you are asking the perpetrator to give you the video of the crime scene," he said.

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