Clint Eastwood Performed the Heimlich Maneuver at 83 - For the First Time

He had never done it before. But when Clint Eastwood saw a man's life slipping away across the dinner table, he did not hesitate.

A Volunteer Party, a Piece of Cheese, and a Panic in the Eyes

On the eve of the 2014 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Eastwood attended a volunteer appreciation dinner at the Monterey Conference Center in California. Sitting nearby was Steve John, the tournament director who had helped run the event for years. John had eaten a piece of cheese that lodged in his throat. He could not breathe. He could not speak.

Eastwood, then 83 years old, saw it happen. "I looked in his eyes," he later told the Carmel Pine Cone, "and saw that look of panic people have when they see their life passing before their eyes." He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around John from behind.

The First Time

Eastwood had never performed the Heimlich maneuver before - not on anyone. He delivered three sharp upward thrusts. John, who weighed 202 pounds, felt himself lifted off the floor each time. The cheese dislodged. John could breathe again.

"I can't believe I'm 202 pounds and he threw me up in the air three times," John said afterward. "I was looking at him and couldn't breathe. He recognized it immediately and saved my life."

Make His Day

News of the rescue spread quickly, and reporters could not resist the obvious Dirty Harry angle. Eastwood - the man who built a career on fictional tough-guy rescues - had pulled off a real one at an age when most people avoid lifting anything heavier than a golf club. He has attended the Pebble Beach Pro-Am for decades and remains one of its most recognizable regulars.

Why the Heimlich Works

The Heimlich maneuver, developed by Dr. Henry Heimlich in 1974, uses a sharp upward thrust below the ribcage to force air from the lungs and eject a blockage from the airway. It requires no equipment and takes seconds to perform. In this case, one moment of recognition - and three thrusts from an 83-year-old man - was all it took.