Greg Grunberg of the NBC Hit Television Series "Heroes"

Actor Greg Grunberg won a gem of a role when he was chosen for the part of police officer Matt Parkman on NBC's new baby, "Heroes." The show has just finished its very first season, and Parkman has really put Grunberg through his paces. Grunberg has gone from playing a bored, disillusioned cop to a man suddenly discovering he can hear people's thoughts. At first he is excited, especially after his special power leads to the quick discovery of a missing girl.

Parkman then becomes even more disillusioned as every single attempt on his part to do the right thing ends in criticism and castigation, not to mention that, despite the fact that he's a good guy who stands by his duty, many people think really nasty thoughts about him - including a superior officer whom he discovers is sleeping with his wife. As time goes on, Parkman finds himself sucked deeper and deeper into a bizarre mystery full of people who can do truly odd things, such as the radioactive man he had to interrogate on suspicion of terrorism. It was a real, "Where are the nuclear wessels (sic)?" moment.

Grunberg's other roles of note include CIA agent Eric Weiss on "Alias," "Mission Impossible III" and "Perfect Picture." He was also executive producer for "The Catch," a made-for-TV movie. In addition to that, he has appeared in 24 major films and took several small spots in television shows: "Baywatch," "Melrose Place" and "Murphy Brown." He auditioned for the role of Fred Flintstone in "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas."

Before all that, however, he had found some success with a frozen yogurt delivery service. But the screen's call was too much to ignore and he decided to act instead.

As for his role in "Heroes," Matt Parkman was custom made for Grunberg. He had originally auditioned for the part of Peter Petrelli, but that part went to Milo Ventimiglia. He is set to play a detective named Davis in a movie called "Magic."

One interesting note is that he is in Band From TV with Hugh Laurie of "House M.D."

We may be seeing even more of Grunberg, as he is in a pilot for a comedy tentatively titled "Grand Union." He has the lead role. Cross your fingers for him. The last time he was in a pilot, for which he quit his job on "Alias," the series wasn't picked up.

As far as hobbies, he is a casual gamer and especially enjoys playing "Burnout." He plays "Mario Kart" with his sons. He will actually be playing the title role in a 2007-release video game, "Condemned: Criminal Origins." ###