Gerard Butler

Gerard Butler (born 13.11.1969)

Gerard Butler is a Scottish actor who has appeared both on television and on the big screen, starring in films such as 'Phantom of the Opera' (2004), '300' (2007) and Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla (2008). Butler currently lives between London, Los Angeles and New York, and in 2008 launched his own production company 'Evil Twins' with his manager.

Gerard James Butler was born in Glasgow on 13th November 1969 and spent his first two years in Montreal, Canada. His parents, Margaret and Edward divorced when he was a child and he returned with his mother and elder siblings Lynn and Brian to Ralston in Paisley where he developed a love of acting and joined the Scottish Youth Theatre.

After graduating from Glasgow University Law School, Gerard found roles in Shakespeare's Coriolanus and as Ewan McGregor's character Renton in the stage version of Trainspotting. His first film appearance was in 'Mrs. Brown' with Judi Dench and Billy Connolly, followed by minor roles in 'Tomorrow Never Dies' (1997), 'Tale of the Mummy' (1998), and the British TV series The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star.

2000 was Butler's breakthrough year for film. He was cast as Attila the Hun in the American TV film 'Attila', leading to a central role in Wes Craven's 'Dracula 2000'. Butler has found time to continue to appear in independent films, as well as the Hollywood blockbusters like 'Reign of Fire' (2002) featuring Christian Bale, and 'Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life' (2003) with Angelina Jolie.

In 2004, Butler gained international attention, taking the lead role in the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical 'The Phantom of the Opera'. Butler went on to play Beowulf, the Norse warrior, in 'Beowulf and Grendel' (2005), and co-starred in 'P.S. I Love You' (2007) with Hilary Swank. More starring roles followed: in 2007 Butler played Spartan King Leonidas in '300', which was based on the Frank Miller graphic novel and was a surprise box office hit, earning Butler the title of Action Star of the Year at the Taurus World Stunt Awards. Showcasing the range of his talents in 2008, Butler featured both in the family adventure 'Nim's Island' and the gangster film, 'RocknRolla'.

Entertainment Weekly rated Butler as the fifth 'Ultimate Male Hottie of All Time' and named him as one of the top 25 Entertainers of 2007.