NEW YORK — Jesse Eisenberg, an actor recognized for his Oscar-nominated performance in “The Social Network,” announced on Thursday his intention to give one of his kidneys to a stranger, marking a rare and selfless gesture in the medical community.

Eisenberg, who is 42 and also famed for his roles in the “Now You See Me” films, shared this personal news on “Today,” mentioning that his surgery is planned for mid-December.

“I am truly going to donate my kidney in six weeks,” Eisenberg confirmed on the show. “It’s happening.”

His announcement followed a conversation with co-anchor Craig Melvin, who brought up Eisenberg’s notable history of blood donation, including his involvement in a “Today” show blood drive event this past July.

“I don’t know why. I got bitten by the blood donation bug,” Eisenberg said. “I’m doing an altruistic donation (in) mid-December. I’m so excited to do it.”

An altruistic kidney donation occurs when someone donates a kidney to a person with advanced kidney disease they do not personally know. These donors are called non-directed kidney donors because the organ is not going to a specific family member, friend or acquaintance.

In an interview with TODAY.com, Eisenberg described the decision as “essentially risk-free and so needed,” adding, “I think people will realize that it’s a no-brainer, if you have the time and the inclination.”

Eisenberg explained that he first considered kidney donation about 10 years ago and contacted an organization but never received a response. He recently discussed his desire to donate with a doctor friend, who directed him to NYU Langone Health in New York City.

The actor also said he enrolled his family members in a program that would prioritize them for living kidney donations should they need one in the future. “So it’s risk-free for my family, as well,” he said.

About 90,000 people were on the transplant list waiting for a kidney as of September 2024, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration.