Oh yeah – it was Maurice Greene and his teammate, hurdler Larry Wade:
Daryl Hanna ran down a mugger once.
Neville Brand, one of my favorite movie bad guys, was a decorated combat veteran of WWII. Knowing what guys like Neville Brand, Audie Murphy, James Stewart, Clark Gable, et. al. did during “The Big One” makes it difficult for me to stomach John Wayne.
What about giving large sums of money? Does it count as heroic or does it have to be something that puts one in physical danger? I’m not talking about celebs who bought a $25,000 ticket to an AIDS fundraiser but those who have been exceptionally generous (e.g. Ray Charles gave tens of millions of dollars to charities for the blind and African-American causes, Bill Cosby has built libraries and university buildings, Dolly Parton has sent hundreds of Appalachian kids to college and bought millions of dollars worth of books and educational equipemnt for them, Johnny Carson basically rebuilt Norfolk Nebraska, Victor Borge gave millions to charity [even though he wasn’t a super-wealthy entertainer when compared to Cosby or McCartney, etc.], etc.).
Or… how about USO performers? Bob Hope risked his life to do his shows (and often found out only years later how truly close he’d come to being killed or kidnapped a few times). Al Franken often uses his appearance on gigs in war zones to great effectiveness when combatting O’Reilly and Limbaugh and their ilk when they’re questioning his patriotism (and he’s earned the right).
Yes, in fact, I never liked Superman, since he was never actually putting himself in danger like other superheros.
Both USO show examples are great examples of heroism in my book, although it is not the ones I had in mind when I started this thread. I think that this thread has opened my mind.
Old Dirty Bastard once helped lift a burning car off of a 4-year old child. He later went to the hospital to visit the child and bring her Wu Tang merchandise. Immediately afterward, he insisted on being referred to as “Big Baby Jesus” during interviews.
Atlanta Falcon Chris Draft and Herschel Walker:
http://www.stpetetimes.com/2002/05/03/Columns/A_crash__a_life_saved.shtml
While governor of California, Ronald Reagan was hosting a party at the governor’s mansion and a child fell into the swimming pool and clearly was in danger of drowning. Reagan, a former lifeguard (among other things like “B” movie actor) dived in and rescued the child.
The very popular movie actor in the late '20s and early '30s Tom Mix had been a Texas Ranger and had been wounded several times while in that job.
I don’t think giving lot’s of cash, or volunteering your time counts as being “heroic”. Nice, sure. Does show they “give back”.
One of my per peeves is when they commentators talk about “sports heroes”- those being those rich prima-donna’s that do well in their particular sport. That’s also not being “heroic”- not even close.
Is it not true that in WW2 some actors were told that it was more important that they act than they enlist? Morale is very important.
Rosie O’Donnell rescued a drowning swimmer with her Jet-Ski. Bobby Sherman was an EMT throughout the 80s and 90s. Madonna would take Puerto Rican teenage boys into her limo and make out with them before kicking them to the curb (which doesn’t sound particularly heroic, but consider if she’d done it with you!).
John Lennon and John Denver tithed lots of money to altruistic foundations.
Another sports figure:
Michael Matz, a US show-jumper and three-time Olympian riding with the United States Equestrian Team, was on that United Airlines flight that crashed outside Sioux City, IA in 1989. He lead three children out of the burning plane, then returned to the wreck and helped rescue a fourth child. Story here