Clint Eastwood saves man from choking

MONTEREY, Calif., Feb. 8 (UPI) -- The director of a California charity golf tournament said he has a "lucky angel" in the form of famed actor Clint Eastwood, who saved him from choking.

Steve John, 50 -- executive director of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and tournament director of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am -- was chatting with Eastwood during a dinner thanking the tournament's 2,100 volunteers Wednesday when he began to choke on a piece of cheese, the San Francisco Chronicle said.

Eastwood, 83, said he immediately recognized the severity of the situation and performed the Heimlich maneuver.

"I gave him three good jolts, and that got it out," Eastwood said. "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."

Eastwood is part owner of Pebble Beach golf course and a prominent figure behind the scenes at the annual pro-am tournament.

John was never happier to see the "Dirty Harry" star.

"I probably shouldn't have been eating and talking at the same time," John said. "I was kind of blurry afterward, but I thanked him profusely. I started to drink water [afterward], and Clint said I needed lemon in the water. He knew the acid helps. ... I've got a lucky angel, man."