Biography

Gerard Butler

Gerard James Butler (born 13 November 1969) is a Scottish actor, the youngest of three children of Margaret and Edward Butler. He was raised in a Roman Catholic working class family and spent the first few years of his life in Canada, before returning to Scotland. He is best known for his roles in 300 films, The Phantom of the Opera, RocknRolla, PS I Love You and the Law Abiding Citizen.

Auditions for the film Trainspotting and the 1987 classic The Lost Boys inspired him to become an actor. Butler left everything he had and went to London where he was approached at a coffee shop by actor Steven Berkoff, who later appeared with Butler in Attila, who gave him roles in stage productions Coriolanus. After that, Butler decided to give up law to act. He served as Ewan McGregor character Renton in the stage adaptation of Trainspotting. His film debut was as Billy Connolly’s brother in Mrs. Brown . While filming in Scotland, he was enjoying a picnic with his mother, near the River Tay, when they heard the cries of a young child who has been swimming with a friend who in some trouble. Butler jumped in and saved the young boy who drowned he received a Certificate of Courage from the Royal Humane Society.

Continuing his film career with small roles, first in James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies and Russell Mulcahy’s Tale of the Mummy. In 2000, Butler played in two breakthrough roles, the first being Attila the Hun in the USA movie Attila. Movie producer who wanted a known actor to play the role but continued to return to Butler’s screen tests and decided that he was their man. He had to lose the thick Scottish accent for the role. Around the time Attila was filmed, casting is in progress for Wes Craven’s new take Dracula legacy. Also wanted a name that is known, Butler was not much into consideration. He sent them a clip of Attila and thrown representations in the form of Butler in Dracula 2000. Attila’s producers finished shooting a little early so I could work on Dracula 2000. Attila end up being the second highest-rated TV movie ever. After the two roles, Butler developed a fan base, a website and began to appear in various lists.

Since then he has appeared in Reign of Fire as Creedy and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life as Terry Sheridan, along with Angelina Jolie. Role of Andre Marek in the big screen adaptation of Michael Crichton’s novel Timeline draw the attention of both audience and filmmaker. Butler played an archaeologist who was sent back to the past with a team of students to rescue a colleague. He continued to appear in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera, plays the title character in the successful adaptation of the musical stage. That is the role that brought him much international attention. Other projects that follow include Dear Frankie, The Game of their Lives and Beowulf & Grendel.

His breakthrough role came in 2007, when he starred as Spartan King Leonidas in Warner Bros, based on Frank Miller graphic novel, and Butterfly on the Wheel starring Pierce Brosnan and Maria Bello, which aired on television network under the title Shattered. In 2007, he starred in P.S. I love you with an Academy Award winner Hilary Swank.

In 2008, he appeared in Nim’s Island and RocknRolla. Recently, he also starred Mark Neveldine / Brian Taylor Garner film, The Ugly Truth Law Abiding Citizen.

Tags: 300 films, Gerard Butler, RocknRolla, The Bounty Hunter, the Law Abiding Citizen., The Phantom of the Opera