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In the wake of actor Paul Walker’s tragic death, many stories have been coming out about his infinite generosity and goodness.

Recently, a story broke about how Walker had purchased a $9,000 engagement ring for a military couple in 2004. Almost 10 years ago, Walker was at a jewelry store in Santa Barbara, Calif. and saw a couple, Kyle and Kristen Upham, looking at engagement rings. Kyle had just finished his first tour of duty in Iraq, and couldn’t afford the ring he wanted to buy for his then-fiancee.

Walker had overheard that the ring was out of their price range. He secretly told the manager of the store to “put it on his tab”, according to a clerk at the store. The couple received a call from the store next day to pick up the engagement ring.

They managed to keep the story under wraps for nearly a decade. When the store clerk’s son went public with the tale shortly after Walker’s death, the Uphams confirmed that Paul Walker had in fact bought them the ring.

“It’s still to this day the most generous thing anyone has ever done for me,” Kristen said. “His real life speaks volumes of his character. He really did good for this world.”

For 2024’s iteration of MadameNoire and HelloBeautiful’s annual series Women to Know, we knew we wanted to celebrate the people who help make the joys of film and television possible. To create art is to create magic. This year, we spotlight Hollywood Executive’s changing the face of cinema.