VIDEO: Ryan Gosling Breaks Up New York Street Fight

Ryan Gosling, 30, may be an Oscar-nominated actor, but now he's playing the role of real-life hero. Gosling happened upon a street fight between an art vendor and a passing bandit near New York City's Astor Place on Saturday, and proceeded to jump in and break it up.

On top of that, some passers-by were filming the incident when Gosling, dressed down in sneakers and a stripped tank top, stepped in. It took the amused and bewidered ladies holding the camera a minute to even figure out that the peacemaker was "the guy ... from The Notebook." They were delighted as Gosling walked closer to them after successfully stopping the row, so that they confirm their star-sighting. The incident, of course, made Gosling the subject of the most recent viral video to hit the internet.

So what was the disagreement all about? "There is a man who sells paintings [that] he makes on that corner," an eyewitness told Us Weekly. "This older man ran by him and tried to grab and run away with one of his paintings. The painter was able to stop him before he took off with him and tackled him to the ground."

The two then began arguing in the middle of the street before Gosling approached, dropped the shopping bag he was carrying, inserted himself between the men, and tried to get the story of why they were fighting. "How much is the painting?" Gosling reportedly asked after he had put an end to the brawl. When the painter told Gosling it was $10, the actor gave him a $20 and said, "Does this cover what the man owes you?" The painter confirmed that it did, thanked Gosling, and all three walked away.