Hoffman the hero

Marathon Man star saves jogger's life

by Jennie Kermode

Dustin Hoffman is being hailed as a hero today after saving the life of a London jogger who suffered a cardiac arrest. The 74 year old star was out for a stroll in Hyde Park when he saw 27 year old Sam Dempster slump to the ground. Rushing to the man's aid, he called the emergency services and stayed to provide support until they were ready to take Mr Dempster to hospital.

Dempster, a lawyer who suffers from the same heart condition as footballer Fabrice Muamba, had his heart successfully restarted by paramedics before being taken to hospital for a life saving operation. He is now up and about again. Although he has no memory of the incident, he has expressed his gratitude to the star, without whose prompt action he would certainly have died.

Share this with others on...
News

Family reunion Tasha Hubbard on exploring the aftermath of the Sixties Scoop in Meadowlarks

Throwback Adam Rehmeier on the spirit of Seventies cinema and Carolina Caroline

Uncovering everyday moments Alvin Hall and Sam Pollard on uncovering the history of The Lorraine

Driven by love and capitalism Director Pierre Le Gall on the themes of Flesh and Fuel

The ultimate act of friendship Robin Campillo on picking up the threads from the late Laurent Cantet

Reaching for a better future Daniel E Catullo, Julie DeVercelly and Gary DeVercelly on hazing and 4000 Days

More news and features

We're bringing you news, reviews and more from ImagineNative and Tribeca.



We're looking forward to Docs Ireland and the Fantasia International Film Festival.



We've recently brought you coverage of Cannes, Queer East, the San Francisco Independent Film Festival, Visions du Réel, Fantaspoa, Overlook, BFI Flare and SXSW, the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival and the NY Rendezvous with French Cinema.



Read our full for more.


Visit our festivals section.

Interact

Don't forget that you can follow us on YouTube for trailers of festival films and more. You can also find us on Mastodon and Bluesky.


It's a busy time for festivals and here's the latest:


Fantasia Second wave of titles announced


Tribeca Artistic director Frédéric Boyer discusses the highlights of this year's edition


Cannes The 2026 Palme d'Or has gone to Fjord


Cannes Everytime wins Un Certain Regard prize


Cannes Yuri wins Palm Dog for La Perra


Cannes La Gradiva tops Critics' Week awards