Discover the career path of Gerard Butler, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.
Gerard Butler is a Scottish actor and film producer who transitioned to acting in the mid-1990s after initially pursuing law. He began with minor roles in films like *Mrs Brown* and *Tomorrow Never Dies*. He gained recognition in 2000 for his role as Count Dracula in *Dracula 2000*. Butler also starred as Attila the Hun in the miniseries *Attila*, and appeared in films such as *Reign of Fire* and *Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life*. Notably, he played Erik, The Phantom in the 2004 musical *The Phantom of the Opera*.
In 1997, Gerard Butler began his acting career with small roles in productions like "Mrs. Brown" and the James Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies".
In 1997, Gerard Butler had a small role in the James Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies".
In 1997, Gerard Butler made his film debut as Billy Connolly's character's younger brother in "Mrs. Brown".
In 1998, Gerard Butler continued his early acting career with a role in "Tale of the Mummy".
In 2000, Gerard Butler starred as Count Dracula in the gothic horror film "Dracula 2000", marking a significant role in his early career.
In 2000, Gerard Butler was cast as Dracula in "Dracula 2000".
In 2000, Gerard Butler won parts in Dracula 2000, Tomb Raider 2, Dear Frankie and Phantom of the Opera.
In 2000, director Joel Schumacher thought of Butler, whom he had seen earlier in the film Dracula 2000, to play the title character in the film "The Phantom of the Opera".
In 2001, Gerard Butler played Attila the Hun in the miniseries "Attila".
In 2001, Gerard Butler was cast in a stage production of Coriolanus by Steven Berkoff.
In 2003, Gerard Butler appeared in "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life" as Terry Sheridan and played Andre Marek in "Timeline".
In 2004, Gerard Butler starred as Erik, The Phantom, in Joel Schumacher's musical "The Phantom of the Opera".
In 2005, Gerard Butler starred in "Dear Frankie", "The Game of Their Lives", and "Beowulf & Grendel".
In 2006, Gerard Butler starred as Spartan King Leonidas in "300", which is often described as his breakthrough role.
In 2007, Gerard Butler appeared in "Butterfly on a Wheel" and "P.S. I Love You".
In 2007, Gerard Butler gained recognition for his portrayal of King Leonidas in Zack Snyder's film "300".
In 2008, Gerard Butler appeared in "Nim's Island" and "RocknRolla".
In 2009, Gerard Butler starred in "Gamer", "The Ugly Truth" and "Law Abiding Citizen", which he also co-produced.
In 2010, Gerard Butler began lending his voice to the "How to Train Your Dragon" franchise.
In 2010, Gerard Butler starred in "The Bounty Hunter" and did voice acting for "How to Train Your Dragon".
Since 2010, Gerard Butler has supported the charity Mary's Meals.
As of August 2011, Gerard Butler was writing songs and in the process of recording an album while filming Playing for Keeps.
In 2011, Gerard Butler played in a charity match for Celtic F.C.
In 2011, Gerard Butler portrayed Tullus Aufidius in "Coriolanus" and Sam Childers in "Machine Gun Preacher".
In August 2013, Gerard Butler bought an equity stake in the Jamaica Tallawahs cricket team.
In 2013, Gerard Butler starred as Mike Banning in the action thriller "Olympus Has Fallen".
In 2014, Gerard Butler reprised his voice role as Stoick in "How to Train Your Dragon 2".
In 2014, Gerard Butler visited the Mary's Meals programme in Liberia.
In 2017, Gerard Butler had a role in the action film "Geostorm".
In 2018, Gerard Butler had a role in the action film "Den of Thieves".
In 2023, Gerard Butler had a role in the action film "Plane".
In 2023, Gerard Butler was involved with promotional videos for the Scotland rugby.
In January 2024, it was announced that Gerard Butler would reprise his role as Stoick in the live-action remake of "How to Train Your Dragon".
In 2025, the live-action remake of "How to Train Your Dragon", in which Gerard Butler will reprise his role as Stoick, is set to be released.