The word “hero” gets thrown around a lot, but John Malkovich does have an instance of performing something truly heroic. As reported by The Toronto Sun in 2013, 77-year-old Jim Walpole went out for a walk and accidentally fell into the scaffolding near a hotel, suffering a throat injury on the way down. Walpole yelled while losing a significant amount of blood, and if someone hadn’t come to his aid quickly, his chances for survival would have been slim.
Malkovich just happened to have been standing by the side of the hotel smoking a cigarette when he saw what happened. Rushing to Walpole’s aid, Malkovich applied pressure to the injury and was working to stop the bleeding while more people came to the scene. Eventually, three people were working to save the man’s life, with a 911 operator guiding them through what to do. Walpole, when the paramedics picked him up, asked Malkovich for his name. “My name is John,” the actor replied, “and you are going to be all right.”
As it turns out, Walpole had no idea who Malkovich was, but he was grateful that he saved his life. When asked about it later, Malkovich chose not to comment on the incident.