Nicole Gaudiano

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — TV's "most interesting man in the world," known in Dos Equis beer commercials for achieving the wildly impossible, probably could eliminate landmines by himself — using only his beard.

But actor Jonathan Goldsmith, who has played the cultural icon for nearly nine years, is looking for help from others. He's raising funds for landmine removal in Cambodia, where accidents involving buried explosives have spiked this year, through a contest to be his guest for a day in Vermont. He won't be in character, but he'll make it interesting.

"We're going to spend a day doing some things — off-road driving and some other little events, one being falconry," said Goldsmith, who turns 76 on Friday.

Goldsmith has volunteered for the Mines Advisory Group since visiting the non-profit group's operations in Vietnam last year. MAG has worked in more than 35 countries and shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997. The contest will benefit the organization.

"It's a terribly important charity," said Goldsmith of Manchester, Vt. "Accidents are up. Funding is down. Kids are getting hurt. I want to do whatever I can to help and bring attention to it."

In the popular Dos Equis ads — an Internet meme — Goldsmith's dashing, cigar-smoking character can be found dog-sledding to a black-tie party, saving a firefighter from a burning building or releasing a growling bear from a trap. A narrator claims, "He's trained canaries in the art of falconry" or "He can speak Russian … in French."

Goldsmith often ends the ads relaxing in a lounge while surrounded by young women. He delivers his classic sign-off, "Stay thirsty, my friends," in a deep Spanish-accented voice inspired by his late friend, the actor and director Fernando Lamas.

Through his advocacy for landmine removal, Goldsmith fills a void left by other celebrity advocates, most notably the late Princess Diana, said Jamie Hathaway, a MAG consultant. "Ironically, when much of the world has lost interest in the movement, comes the 'most interesting man in the world' to help us out," said Hathaway, a friend of Goldsmith's who got him involved with MAG.

In April, Goldsmith joined Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., for a reception and photo exhibit honoring the group's 25 years of work. Leahy, a decades-long proponent of landmine removal efforts, said Goldsmith has "invested his time, his talent and the intangible capital of his star power to bring attention to these vital missions."

The United States is the biggest donor to mine removal efforts. This week, the Obama administration moved closer to compliance with a global treaty banning landmines, announcing the United States will not use mines outside the Korean Peninsula. The United States is among 34 United Nations members that haven't signed the treaty.

Casualties from mines and other explosives totaled 3,628 in 2012, according to the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, an initiative of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. That's the lowest total since the monitor began recording casualties in 1999.