SPARTA, Greece – The popular actor Gerard Butler visited Greece after being invited to take part in the 2,500th anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Thermopylae and the Olympic Torch Lighting Ceremony. He was also one of the torchbearers for this year’s Torch Relay leading up to the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

On March 12, the actor, perhaps best known for his role as Leonidas in the movie 300, was in Sparta, attending the Olympic Torch Lighting Reception Ceremony and expressed his love for Greece, saying he had visited in the past. He noted that he has a “Greek heart.”

On March 13, the Hollywood star lit the flame and found himself next to the statue of the original Leonidas holding the Olympic Torch ready to run the relay. He was surrounded by a crowd of people in Sparta, and at one point he shouted, “This is Sparta,” the iconic phrase from the film 300.

Gerard Butler runs the Olympic Torch Relay in Sparta. (Photo by Eurokinissi/ Markos Houzouris)

Gerard Butler Runs the Olympic Torch Relay in Sparta.(Photo by Eurokinissi/ Markos Houzouris)