In a career that has spanned 30 years, Paul Le Mat has done it all.

He's survived an alien invasion, battled carnivorous puppets, fought a few wars, ran a western town and drove some fast cars.

Make that vintage fast cars like the one he challenged Harrison Ford with in American Graffiti.

It's those cars and his role as rebel John Milner in American Graffiti that has brought Le Mat to Calgary this weekend.

He's one of the guest hosts at the 36th Annual World of Wheels which runs at the Roundup Centre until tomorrow.

"I consider Calgary a second home. In 1994 and 1995, I filmed 30 episodes of Lonesome Dove: The Series and Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years," says Le Mat.

He played Josiah Peale who, in the first season ran the town's newspaper then graduated to running the whole town as its mayor for the second season.

"I had the little glasses and everything which meant I didn't get to shoot too many people."

Neither did he get to fall in love off-screen like his co-star Eric McCormack.

"I was too busy getting my divorce to fall in love," notes Le Mat, who quickly adds he's definitely not soured on love.

Le Mat played Dr. Alex Whitaker in the first of the highly successful Puppetmaster films and actually survived the carnage.

"I got excited when I heard they were doing a sequel, but they didn't call. When I saw (Puppetmaster 2) I learned they'd sent my character off to an asylum."

In the late 1960s, Le Mat served six months in Vietnam, flying missions in a sea plane.

When he returned home, he went to college to study acting and also trained as a boxer winning the Southern Pacific welterweight championship in 1972.

When he heard John Huston was casting the boxing flick Fat City, Le Mat figured he had a good chance to nabbing a role.

He didn't, but his audition led to the role in American Graffiti, that has made him famous.

"Fred Roos who was the casting director on Fat City was also the casting director on American Graffiti. He recommended me to George Lucas, who called me in for an audition."

He poured his heart into that audition because, as he recalls: "I really needed the money. My '57 Chevy had just broken down. I even had to hitchhike to and from the audition."

On his way back to his apartment, a car stopped to pick him up.

"The guy was so friendly, I wondered what was going on. It turned out to be Willard Huyck, the third writer on American Graffiti.

"He congratulated me on getting the part then realized he'd let the cat out of the bag. George's people hadn't told me anything."


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