John Malkovich saves 77-year-old Jim Walpole after he falls, slits throat. Bystanders didn't recognize Academy Award winner John Malkovich, who merely identified himself as John. John Malkovich aced the role of a hero, according to an Ohio man who credits the actor with saving his life. The 59-year-old actor came to the aid of Jim Walpole, 77, Thursday night in Toronto when he tripped and fell, colliding with a piece of scaffolding near the King Edward Hotel.