Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler | |
|---|---|
 Gerard Butler, posing in front of a poster of himself in 300 | |
| Born | Gerard James Butler |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1997 - present |
Gerard James Butler (born November 13, 1969) is a Scottish actor perhaps best known for his portrayal of King Leonidas in 300 and The Phantom in the 2004 film version of The Phantom of the Opera.
Biography
Early life
Butler was born in Glasgow, the son of Margaret and Edward Butler.[1] His great-grandparents were from Ireland.[2] Butler was raised in a strict Catholic household in a working-class family.[3][4] For the first two years of his life, he lived in Montreal.[5] When his parents divorced, his mother took him and his siblings back to Scotland, to her hometown of Paisley.[6] He had no further contact with his father until he was sixteen years old.
Career
Butler graduated from Glasgow University Law School before embarking on his early career in stage plays. His first roles were in Coriolanus and in the stage version of Trainspotting.[7] Butler landed his first film role as Archie Brown in 1997's Mrs. Brown alongside Judi Dench and Billy Connolly. That same year, he appeared in a minor role in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. He followed this with several appearances in various independent films and several television series in the UK, including a role in the series Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married and the films The Cherry Orchard, One More Kiss, and Harrison’s Flowers.
In 1999, he began filming his first lead role as Attila the Hun in the American TV miniseries Attila. During filming of Attila, the production actually stopped in order for him to film his second lead role as Dracula in Wes Craven’s Dracula 2000. Both films were released in 2000. In this early part of his career his most notable work was in The Jury, a critically acclaimed UK TV miniseries. In Timeline which was released in 2003, Butler once again starred along side Billy Connolly. Based on the Michael Crichton book of the same name, Butler played archaeologist Andre Marek, also in 2003 he starred opposite Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. The following year he was cast in the title role of Joel Schumacher's film rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, co-starring Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, and Ciaran Hinds. Prior to filming The Phantom of the Opera, Butler had completed the independent film Dear Frankie, which co-starred Emily Mortimer.
In 2005, he starred in The Game of Their Lives, a film based on a true story of the 1950 U.S. soccer team who beat England 1 - 0 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The same year he was cast in as Beowulf in the Sturla Gunnarsson film production of Beowulf & Grendel. Filmed entirely in Iceland, Beowulf & Grendel was widely released in Canada to moderate success. During filming, Butler also participated in and co-produced the documentary Wrath of Gods. Directed by Jon Gustafsson, the film documents the dramatic circumstances the cast and crew faced while making the film Beowulf & Grendel. Later this same year Butler began production of 300, in which he starred as King Leonidas of Sparta. The film, directed by Zack Snyder and co-starring Lena Headey, was released in March 2007. The film was an adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name based on events surrounding the Battle of Thermopylae in Greece circa 480 BC. 300 was released in the US on March 9, 2007. It currently holds the record for the highest opening weekend box office gross in the month of March at over $72 million during that first weekend. As of May 2007, 300 had a box office gross of $438 million after nine weeks. Butler received various awards for this role including "Action Star of the Year" at the Taurus World Stunt Awards and "Biggest Ass Kicker" at the 2007 Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards.
In 2006, Butler completed filming Butterfly on a Wheel (renamed Shattered in the U.S.) and began work on PS, I Love You with Hilary Swank, based on Cecilia Ahern's novel and released in December 2007. On July 7, 2007 Butler appeared at the UK leg of Live Earth at Wembley Stadium, London.
In November 2007, an Entertainment Weekly readers' poll named Gerard as #5 Ultimate Male Hottie of All Time. Later in November, Entertainment Weekly named Gerard as one of the Top 25 Entertainers of 2007.
Future roles
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In 2005, Butler announced that he would play Robert Burns in the film Burns. Several tentative production dates have been set for the film, but they have been postponed due to scheduling and financing conflicts. Butler was also slated to play the role of Laurent in the new film adaptation of Emile Zola's novel Therese Raquin, but he is no longer attached to the project due to a scheduling conflict with his upcoming role in the film Game.[8]
In 2006, Butler announced that he was in negotiations for the role of Ivan Issacs in the upcoming film Priest, based on the graphic novel. In March 2007, he also confirmed he was in talks to film a remake of Escape from New York where he will star as Snake Plissken. In late October 2007, Gerard withdrew from the "Escape From New York" remake due to creative differences. In May 2007, several press releases were made announcing that Butler has officially been cast in three more films and production dates have been scheduled. The films are:
- Nim's Island, which will also star Jodie Foster will begin filming in late July 2007, at Warner Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast, in Queensland, Australia. Butler has been cast in the role of Nim's father, Jack, and as Nim's imaginary hero, Alex Rover. The dual role allowed Gerard to use his natural Scottish burr when playing Alex, while he adopted an American accent as Jack.[9]
- The Untouchables: Capone Rising, the prequel to the film The Untouchables, is scheduled to begin filming in October 2007. Brian De Palma will be directing. Butler is cast as Jimmy Malone.
- GAME, a futuristic thriller, co-produced by Paramount and Relativity Media, began filming in November 2007 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. [10] Butler has been cast as Kable, the No. 1-ranked warrior in the highest-rated game, which is called "Slayers".[11]
- In an interview, Butler expressed interest in playing in a comedy, yet he is still waiting for the right one to come along.
- RocknRolla, a gangster film directed by Guy Ritchie. Butler is cast as One-Two, a street-smart gangster involved in a lucrative real-estate scheme.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Mrs. Brown | Archie Brown | |
| Tomorrow Never Dies | Leading Seaman | ||
| 1998 | Tale of the Mummy | Burke | |
| Fast Food | Jacko | ||
| Little White Lies | Peter | TV movie (UK) | |
| The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star | Marty Claymore | TV series (UK) | |
| 1999 | The Cherry Orchard | Yasha | |
| Please! | Peter | Short Film | |
| One More Kiss | Sam | TV movie (UK) | |
| Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married | Gus | TV series (UK) | |
| 2000 | Dracula 2000 | Count Dracula | |
| Harrison's Flowers | Chris Kumac | ||
| 2001 | An Unsuitable Job for a Woman | Tim Bolton | TV series (UK) |
| Attila | Attila the Hun | TV miniseries | |
| Jewel of the Sahara | Captain Charles Belamy | Short Film | |
| The Jury | Johnnie Donne | TV miniseries (UK) | |
| 2002 | Shooters | Jackie Junior | |
| Reign of Fire | Creedy | ||
| 2003 | Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life | Terry Sheridan | |
| Timeline | André Marek | ||
| 2004 | The Phantom of the Opera | The Phantom | |
| 2005 | Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula | Prefect Cassius Chaerea | Short Film |
| Dear Frankie | The Stranger | ||
| Beowulf & Grendel | Beowulf | ||
| The Game of Their Lives | Frank Borghi | ||
| 2007 | 300 | King Leonidas | |
| Butterfly On A Wheel | Neil Randall | ||
| PS, I Love You | Gerry Kennedy | ||
| 2008 | Nim's Island | post-production | |
| RocknRolla | One Two | post-production | |
| 2009 | Game | filming |
References
- ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/73/Gerard-Butler.html
- ^ http://gerardbutler-es.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1505&Itemid=116&lang=en
- ^ http://gerardbutlerusa.com/Interviews.html
- ^ http://www.hellomagazine.ca/profiles/gerardbutler/
- ^ http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html?id=50e2e2f3-f765-4d9c-88e6-a39959023abb&k=97955
- ^ http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/02/11/1362913.htm
- ^ New York Times Biography
- ^ http://www.gerardbutler.net, 8-7-07
- ^ Butler sets sail for "Island"
- ^ http://www.gerardbutler.net, 8-7-07
- ^ Lakeshore duo reunite for Game