Gerard James Butler (born November 13, 1969)

Born in Paisley, Scotland to Margaret and Edward Butler, Gerard is the youngest of three children. He studied law at Glasgow University, where he served as President of the school's Law Society, and worked as a solicitor after graduation. He felt depressed as a lawyer and after being fired from his job began acting.

His love of acting started at an early age. He joined the Scottish Youth Theatre and spent many a day there. His mother Margaret took him to auditions and soon Gerard was cast as a street urchin in Oliver.

Gerard's big break came at a chance meeting at a local coffee shop with producer/director Steven Berkoff. He auditioned on the spot for Berkoff. He was then given a role in the stage play Coriolanus. He went on to other roles in plays including Renton in Trainspotting, Snatch, and Dr. Sugar in Suddenly Last Summer.

After proving his stuff on stage and U.K. television, Gerard went onto film.

His early film roles included Tomorrow Never Dies, with his first major role being the title character in Dracula 2000. His breakthrough came when he played the title role in the U.S. mini series Attila. He also appeared in the U.K. mini series The Jury.

His star continues to grow. He has gone onto to star as the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. A role which demanded a great deal of focus and formal singing training for Butler. He did have a bit of background with singing as the lead for a small band called Speed during his university years.

His current roles include Beowulf (Beowulf and Grendel) and King Leonidas (Frank Miller's 300). He is currently filming in Vancouver in Icon's Butterfly on a Wheel.