10 celebrities who would give their lives to save someone else. And we must know them

Watching blockbuster films gives many celebrities a hero persona through which they are viewed in the eyes of the public, but some of them are heroes in real life too.

There are those who give selflessly to others in order to help them. Be it a few coins or a sandwhich to a beggar on the streets, or a couple million to a charity of their choice. But then there are those who literally save lives, putting their own at risk in the process.

As reported by Shared, these celebrities have been labeled heroes after saving others, sometimes perfect strangers, from potentially fatal circumstances.

The following 10 celebrities took their own lives and safety out of the equation when they saw disaster strike, and went out of their way to help people. As much as they are considered heroes on the big-screen, they certainly deserve that title in reality too.

1. Heidi Klum

The German supermodel was in Hawaii on vacation with her children and then-boyfriend Martin Kirsten when her oldest son and nannies were swept away by a dangerous tide. Fortunately, her son was able to swim back to safety.

But the nannies were not, and were clearly in a lot of trouble. She and Kirsten immediately sprang into action, getting themselves into the dangerous tide in order to pull them back to safety.

2. Blake Shelton

The country singer was driving near the Oklahoma river one day when he came across a group of men who had gotten stuck in a mudslide. He was unable to pull them out with his body weight or truck, and so returned home to get his tractor.

3. Garth Brooks

A decade after releasing Standing Outside The Fire in 1993, Brooks was faced with a real-life fire. He was in Oklahoma outside a burning home in which two young boys were trapped.

Rather than risking the boys' lives waiting for the fire brigade, Brooks rushed into the home and pulled them from the flames. He then sat with them in his truck while he waited for the fire brigade to arrive.

4. John Oates (Hall & Oates)

Daryl Hall and Joan Oates were dining in a restaurant in Australia in the 1980's when an armed robber stormed into the establishment.

Rather than obeying the request for everyone to get down, Oates instead body slammed the robber into the glass door, and held him there restrained until the police arrived.

Not only did Oates save everyone in the restaurant, but the robber had actually attacked other establishments on numerous occasions. Oates probably saved many others from the robber's future attacks.

5. Ashton Kutcher

When he was just 13 years old, Kutcher's twin brother needed a heart transplant. Desperate to save him, the teenager contemplated committing suicide so that his own heart could be donated.

"I'm standing on the balcony, thinking about jumping off, and my dad comes out and says, 'What are you thinking about?'" recalled Kutcher. “I tell him. He comes over and says, 'You can’t do that.'"

Fortunately, a donor was found not long after. Even though Kutcher didn't actually save his brother's life, the fact that even at such a young age he would consider what he had wanted to do just for his brother is heroic.

6. John Krasinski

Much like Klum, The Office star also put his swimming skills to good use while he was living in Costa Rica as a teenager. A riptide almost drowned a young woman, who was dragged out to sea within 3 seconds.

He risked his life to follow her out to sea, where he was luckily able to bring her back safely to shore.

7. Ryan Gosling

When Gosling saw a fight breaking out on the streets of New York City, he decided that rather than avoiding the area, he would get involved to try and break it up.

Gosling remained calm throughout the encounter, even when one of the perpetrators swung his fist at the actor's head. He was also able to convince the men to move out of the busy intersection and onto the sidewalk to avoid an incident with a vehicle.

8. Kate Winslet

In 2011, the Titanic atress was able to save the life of a 90-year-old woman who had gotten stuck in a burning home in the Caribbean. According to reports, she had picked the woman up on the staircase and carried her out to safety.

While the woman believed that Winslet was only concerned that she was holding up her children, the actress had actually been trying to ensure the safety not just of the woman, but also a number of people who had been caught up behind her.

9. Mark Harmon

In 1996 Harmon came upon a scene where two teenage boys were trapped inside a burning car. Fortunately, he had a sledgehammer handy, and smashed the windows of the car to pull the boys out to safety.

Both boys suffered severe burns in the incident, but survived thanks to Harmon. It was only years later that the actor spoke up about his heroics.

“I won’t take credit for it, because if the car explodes and I’m there next to the car, then you’re talking about two young boys who don’t have a father. And you’d be doing this interview with my wife and talking about how stupid it was,” he said.

10. Harrison Ford

Ford may be a hero in Star Wars movies, but he's also a real-life hero who flies a helicopter on rescue missions. It's not an easy thing to do, and many have lost their own lives in the attempt.

Fortunately, it seems Ford is strong with the force, and managed to save two hikers who got lost in a forest and were suffering from severe dehydration, and a 13-year-old boy scout who was lost in Yellowstone National Park.