July 04, 2010

Gerard Butler

Gerard Butler made his mark in Hollywood in 2007 starring as Leonidas, the Spartan King, in Zack Snyder's blockbuster 300. The film broke box office records in its opening weekend and went on to earn more than $450 million worldwide. The project solidified Butler as a leading man.

Last summer, Butler starred in the worldwide hit romantic comedy The Ugly Truth opposite Katherine Heigl. He also recently starred in the thrillers Law Abiding Citizen (which he also produced) and Gamer. Butler’s voice may currently be heard in DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon. His upcoming projects include Ralph Fiennes' directorial debut Coriolanus, an adaptation of Shakespeare's play, and in Machine Gun Preacher, for director Marc Forster.

Butler’s other recent roles include the Guy Ritchie feature RocknRolla, which placed him in the middle of a criminal underworld alongside Thandie Newton. He also starred in the children’s adventure film Nim’s Island opposite Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin. In December 2007, Butler starred in the romantic drama P.S. I Love You with Hilary Swank.

In 2004, Butler won the coveted title role in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. He earned critical acclaim for his work opposite Emily Mortimer in the independent feature Dear Frankie, which screened at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. He has also been seen in Beowulf & Grendel, The Game of Their Lives, Timeline, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life and Reign of Fire.

In 1997, Butler made his feature film debut in John Madden’s award-winning drama Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown, starring Judi Dench. His early film work includes roles in Fast Food, One More Kiss, Harrison’s Flowers and the 1999 screen adaptation of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.

Born in Scotland, Butler made his stage debut at the age of twelve in the musical “Oliver,” at Glasgow’s famous Kings Theatre. As a young man, his dreams of acting were temporarily deterred and he went on to study law for seven years before returning to the stage in London. In 1996, he landed the lead role in the acclaimed stage production of “Trainspotting.” He later starred on the London Stage in such plays as “Snatch” and the Donmar Warehouse production of Tennessee Williams’ “Suddenly Last Summer,” opposite Rachel Weisz.

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