Hollywood icon Dustin Hoffman has reportedly saved a young man who was having a heart attack while jogging in Hyde Park.

The quick thinking actor dialled 999 after he saw Sam Dempster begin to stagger, foam at the mouth and eventually collapse on to the ground last week.

Paramedics spent 15 minutes resuscitating the young lawyer, 27.

The Meet the Fockers star, 74, who has a home in London, stayed with paramedics as they managed to get Mr Dempster's heart beating again using a defibrillator.

"Dustin was fascinated. He seemed impressed we'd got this guy back so quickly," paramedic Martin Macarthur told the Sun.

"[He] walked up and said 'Great job, guys.' He really appreciated what had happened."

A recovering Mr Dempster, whose heart attack was similar to the one suffered by footballer Fabrice Muamba, said: "I want to say 'Thank you' to Dustin Hoffman. He saved my life."