WHEN Terry Underwood (pictured) tells you he is going to make you a star, he means it. For the 73-year-old vice chairman and acclaimed artistic director of Newport's New Venture Players has helped nurture the talents of many of Gwent's finest actors and singers who have gone on to become household names.

The talent spotter, who has written 73 musicals and plays in his career, has made stars of a host of Gwent talent including West End star Jimmy Johnston and singer David Willetts. And the latest career he has helped get off the ground is young Caldicot actor Ian Virgo who, as the Argus exclusively revealed last week, is appearing in Ridley Scott's latest $100m blockbuster, Black Hawk Down.

Ian's dream part will see him star as American soldier John Waddell in the film which is fast becoming the most talked about in recent movie history.

And Mr Underwood told the Argus he was not at all surprised that his former pupil was reaping the rewards as a successful actor.

"You could see the magic straight away. I had seen Ian in a school play in Caldicot when his mother Sue asked me if I could find a part for him in Dodger, a New Venture Players' production I had written.

"He took the part of Tinker playing alongside three other boys, but he had the biggest part because I knew he had the talent to do it because of the fact he could deliver and his timing was superb.

"I remember Jimmy Johnston, who was playing the Artful Dodger, had to try really hard to stay as the lead role and he walked up to me in the dressing room and said 'Where the hell did you find this one!?'," Mr Underwood said. He said he loves a success story, so much so the generous director coughed up thousands of his own cash to send Jimmy Johnson to top stage school Italia Conti in London.

Jimmy has since clinched a number of high-profile roles including starring alongside Cliff Richard in Heathcliff and was nominated for a Laurence Olivier award. David Willetts went on to star in the Phantom of the Opera.

Mr Underwood said: "I just get a buzz out of it. I love to see success in anyone, especially someone with talent.

"I love the theatre and I love to see people climbing the ladder. It is immediately obvious if a person has got what it takes. And my job is to encourage them, to tell them how good they are.

"I write a part with someone in mind based around their attributes. "We are not born actors, but we develop into them. I love to see people making it and I'm sure that Ian will do that too."