Sci-fi star Greg is now one of our Heroes
A HOLLYWOOD star is now a real hero for pupils and parents fighting to save a city primary school.
Greg Grunberg is playing a supporting role for campaigners opposing plans to shut Lansdowne Primary in Cardiff.
The father of three is one of the stars of the hit American show Heroes where he plays psychic policeman Matt Parkman. The series is currently being shown on BBC2.
He has also appeared in movies like Mission Impossible III and The Ladykillers, but he now has a new starring role in saving the school.
Pledging his support for the Save the Lansdowne Primary campaign, he has signed a campaign T- shirt which will now be one of the lots in an auction to raise cash for Lansdowne''s fighting fund. Education chiefs have proposed closing Lansdowne in Canton, as part of the third phase of a schools shake-up. Pupils would transfer to other primaries, Radnor, Severn and Kitchener. Ysgol Treganna, which is overcrowded, would take over the Lansdowne site.
But parents and pupils have staged demonstrations and marched on City Hall as part of the campaign to overturn the proposal. Having seen reports of the campaign in the Echo, Greg vowed to give the school community his support.
The 41-year-old actor was given the newspaper cuttings and became aware of the school''s plight after a meeting with staff at Cardiff-based film production company Pillay-Evans Productions. The company interviewed him for their feature film documentary Tattoos: A Scarred History.
Actress and film-maker Sousila Pillay and one of the founders of the company said: ""As we are based in Canton, we were outraged at the council''s plans to close what is the heart of the community, so we approached the PTA which kindly gave us one of their T-shirts to be signed.
""As soon as we showed Greg the paper cuttings of all the protests, he jumped at the chance to help the school and sends his full support and wishes to all at Lansdowne Primary ."