Celebrities Who Have Become Real Life Heroes

Some celebrities don't just play heroes on the big screen — they've also become them in real life! Thanks to quick thinking and a lot of courage, a few stars have taken part in some pretty heroic acts and actually saved lives in the process.

Celebrities like Jamie Foxx and Kate Winslet have been at the right place at the right time to intervene in these real-life crises and they're sure to have gained some lifelong fans because of the experience.

Find out which stars have turned into IRL superheroes...

1. Benedict Cumberbatch

Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife were in an Uber when he stopped the car to come to the aid of a delivery person who was being robbed by a group of four men. With the help of his Uber driver, the duo fought off the group of attackers.

"He stood there instructing them in the street, shouting, 'Leave him alone.' It was only then I recognized Benedict. The cyclist was lucky, Benedict's a superhero,” the Uber driver told The Sun.

He added, "I had hold of one lad and Benedict another. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing. He was very brave. He did most of it, to be honest. They tried to hit him but he defended himself and pushed them away. He wasn't injured. Then I think they also recognized it was Benedict and ran away."

2. Danny Trejo

Danny Trejo was driving in California when he witnessed a car accident that caused one of the involved vehicles to roll over. He pulled over and jumped into action, removing a baby from the car who was still strapped into their carseat.

"Everything good that has happened to me has happened as a direct result of helping someone else. Everything," he told KABC.

3. Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio and his girlfriend Camila Morrone were vacationing on a yacht near St. Barts when they reportedly received a notice that a man had fallen overboard nearby. The couple actually came across the man, who had been treading water for almost 11 hours, and brought him on board to safety before bringing him to the Coast Guard. Their rescue came just in the nick of time as the sun was about to set and a storm was approaching.

"Leo and his friends and their boat captain decided to join the search and their efforts resulted in helping save a man's life. The boat crew were happy to try and assist — even more so that they were able to help get the man to safety,” a source told People.

4. Idris Elba

Idris Elba was in the middle of a preview of a play that he co-created when he noticed that a member of the audience had collapsed. Idris rushed to the aid of the woman, who later explained she was prone to seizures. When she came to, Idris was checking on her before escorting her to an ambulance.

"I would love to thank him personally, but doubt I will cross paths with him, he's very famous,” the woman told The Mirror.

5. Dolly Parton

While Dolly Parton was on the set of Netflix's "Christmas on the Square,” she saved her nine-year-old co-star Talia Hill from being hit by a car. She pulled her out of the way of an oncoming vehicle just in time.

"She hugged me and shook me and said, 'I saved your life!' And my mom was crying, and she said, 'Yes, you did, Dolly Parton. Yes, you did,'" Talia told Inside Edition.

6. Kate Winslet

Back in 2011, Kate Winslet and her family were vacationing at Richard Branson's mansion in the Caribbean when it was struck by lightning. The house was set ablaze, forcing all 20 guests to flee the home. Thankfully, everyone was able to safely escape, including Richard's 90-year-old mother, who was carried out of the house by Kate.

"Many thanks to Kate Winslet for helping to carry my 90-year mum out of the main house to safety," Richard wrote on a blog which has since been deleted.

7. Tom Hardy

Tom Hardy reportedly once chased after a thief who had stolen a moped and then crashed it into a car. He caught the criminal and even patted him down for weapons before escorting him towards police.

"It was mental - like he'd switched to superhero mode in an action movie. Two boys on the nicked moped had jumped a red light and smashed into a car. Tom must have been walking down the road. He went off like a shot in pursuit and looked furious. If the kid had been dumb enough to resist I reckon Tom would have given him a good hiding," a witness told The Sun.

8. John Malkovich

John Malkovich was at the right place at the right time when he witnessed a man fall into scaffolding. After realizing the man had cut his throat, John rushed to apply pressure to the wound until medics arrived on the scene.

"The guy really seemed to know what he was doing. We didn't know who he was. I just asked if I could hold the man's head and he said yes. He told the man don't worry, the Canadian medical system is excellent. He assured the man everything was going to be first class,” a fellow Good Samaritan told The Guardian.

9. Michael Rapaport

Michael Rapaport was on board an airplane when he noticed a man suspiciously attempting to open the emergency exit door. Since the flight attendants weren't nearby, Michael quickly ran towards the man and pinned him into a seat. The man spoke to authorities upon landing and had reportedly mistaken the exit door as the entrance to the bathroom.

"Everyone thanked me and everyone did say I was brave and heroic. I consider myself a common man who does uncommon things," Michael said on his "I Am Rapaport" podcast.

10. Hannah Brown

Former "Bachelorette" Hannah Brown and her brother Patrick helped rescue a man whose boat had flipped over while whitewater rafting in Tennessee. The current was quickly pulling the man downstream towards rocks when Hannah and her crew lifted him onto their boat. The man's girlfriend even shared a video of the encounter.

"Took on the rapids with the fam jam! I got to relive my lifeguard days and Hannah thinks she's a part of the Coast Guard now... #rescuemission,” Patrick wrote on Instagram.

11. Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxx was driving when he witnessed a man's car roll over into a ditch and catch fire in a horrific accident. Thankfully, Jamie, as well as an off-duty EMT, were able to break the car window, cut the man's seatbelt off, and get him out of the burning car. While the man was burned, he survived the accident.

"I'm not a hero, but had to do something," Jamie told ABC News.

12. Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman turned into super dad when his daughter Ava and son Oscar got stuck in a riptide in Australia. Hugh and another swimmer linked up to form a human chain to pull the children to safety.

"His daughter was struggling to get on to the sand bar so I reached down, grabbed her arm and put my arm up to Hugh to make a chain to pull us up on the sand bar. That's what you do with any family out there,” the swimmer told 9News.

13. Gerard Butler

Way back in 1997, Gerard Butler was having lunch in Scotland when he heard a child screaming for help. He finally found a 14-year-old boy struggling in the water of a nearby river. Gerard didn't hesitate and jumped in to save him.

''I wouldn't call myself a hero. I just acted instinctively. When I brought him out he was lifeless. I'm just glad he's all right now,” Gerard reportedly told The Herald.

14. Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood's knowledge of the Heimlich maneuver paid off when he was in attendance at a golf tournament and the event’s CEO began choking on a piece of cheese. The actor lifted the man into the air several times before the food was dislodged from his throat.

"A piece of cheese went in my mouth, and suddenly I couldn't breathe. It was as bad as it could have been. But Clint came up behind me and he knew exactly what to do. He did the Heimlich maneuver and he lifted me right off the ground," John told the Pine Cone.

Clint added, "I gave him three good jolts, and that got it out. The look on Steve's face was different than when somebody is just coughing or joking around. I looked in his eyes and saw that look of panic people have when they see their life passing before their very eyes. It looked bad."

15. Patrick Dempsey

After a teenager flipped his car near Patrick Dempsey's Malibu home, he jumped into action to extract the driver from the vehicle. He used a crowbar and a fire extinguisher to get the teen out and then called his mother to let him know what was going on.