Ryan Gosling turned real-life action hero by saving a journalist who was almost mowed down by a taxi.

British writer Laurie Penny was left stunned after The Notebook star swooped in to save her when she stepped into a busy New York City street on Tuesday (03Apr12).

Penny immediately took to her Twitter.com page to share her lucky escape with followers and to hail Gosling a hero.

She tweeted, "I literally, LITERALLY just got saved from a car by Ryan Gosling. Literally. That actually just happened. I was crossing 6th Avenue in a new pink wig. Not looking the right way because I am from London. Ryan Gosling grabbed me away from a taxi... He said, 'Hey, watch out!'"

Penny then joked, "I would also like to thank the several other, more anonymous New Yorkers who have saved me from cars since my stay here."