Gerard James Butler was born on November 13, 1969, in Paisley, Scotland where he would frequent the local movie theatre. He was immediately drawn to the art of acting and began shaping his newfound passion by joining the Scottish Youth Theatre and performing in plays. He was also an excellent student, graduating from St. Mirin's & St. Margaret's High School with the highest ranking among his class and enrolling in Glasgow University to study law - an area of study he chose based on his family and teachers' opinions that a career in acting was unrealistic and unattainable.
Ensuing his graduation from law school, Butler took a break from his studies and moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a background actor, making small appearances in films like The Bodyguard (1992). He then traveled to Canada to say farewell to his cancer-stricken father before returning to Scotland to take advantage of a two-year law internship at one of the top law firms. However, Butler's lack effort was evident and he was let go a few weeks later, providing him with the freedom to pursue his life dream as a famous actor. He moved to England to strengthen his on-stage presence and landed his first acting role in the play Coriolanus, followed by his first lead role as Mark Renton in Trainspotting.
In 1997, Butler officially abandoned his law background and made a big leap from the stage to the big-screen with his film debut as the younger brother of Billy Connolly in Mrs. Brown (1997). Butler's career slowly grew with additional small roles in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and Tale of the Mummy (1998). His first big break came in the form of a Hun in USA network's made-for-TV film Attila (2001), followed by a lead role as Dracula in Dracula 2000 (2000). He continued gaining ground with appearances in Reign of Fire (2002), Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) and Timeline (2003). Later that year, Butler received his first critical praise for his musical performance in The Phantom of the Opera (2003), despite the film's dismal reviews.
Butler's big breakthrough moment came in 2007, when he was cast as Spartan King Leonidas in the fantasy history film 300, which ultimately put him on Hollywood's radar. His performance opened the door for roles opposite Hollywood's most cherished stars in blockbuster films, including the romantic comedy P.S. I Love You (2007) opposite Hilary Swank, the family comedy Nim's Island (2008) with Johnny Depp, the sci-fi thriller Gamer (2009) alongside Michael C. Hall, the romance comedy The Ugly Truth (2009) with Katherine Heigl, the crime thriller Law Abiding Citizen (2009) alongside Jamie Foxx, the action comedy The Bounty Hunter (2010) opposite Jennifer Aniston, and a voice-over role in the family animated film How to Train Your Dragon (2010).
Butler's most recent projects include, the sport drama Chasing Mavericks (2012), the romance comedy Playing for Keeps (2012) with Uma Thurman and Jessica Biel, the comedy Movie 43 (2013) alongside Richard Gere and Emma Stone, the thriller Olympus Has Fallen (2013) with Morgan Freeman, How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), the action film Hunter Killer, the action thriller Manhunt, the war drama Thunder Run (2013) opposite Matthew McConaughey, the sport drama Dynamo (2014) and the crime drama Motor City with Adrien Brody and Mickey Rourke.
