Gerard Butler - Biography

Last Editor: jarrajo				Gerard Butler Biography -   Name : Gerard Butler Birth Name : Gerard James Butler Date of Birth : 13 November 1969 Place of Birth : Glasgow, Scotland, UK Height : 6' 2'' Nationality : British Profession : Actor Sometimes Called : Gerald Butler Gerry Butler Nickname : Gerry

Gerard Butler Trivia -

Has dark brown/black hair. Born in Glasgow but raised primarily in Paisley, Scotland. Scottish, but of Irish decent. First stage role was in Coriolanus. First movie role was in Mrs. Brown (1997). Poked in the eye with a wooden stake during rehearsals for the play Coriolanus. On the first day of shooting his film debut in Mrs. Brown (1997) he had to bound naked into a freezing sea and as a result developed hypothermia. While filming Mrs. Brown (1997), saved a young boy from drowning in the river Tay and recieved a "Certificate Of Bravery" from The Royal Humane Society. Graduated from Glasgow University with a law degree Did not see his father from the age of 2 until he turned 16. His eyes are grey/green in color but often appear blue on screen. Rumored to be the next James Bond (after Pierce Brosnan). [April 2001] Was confirmed for a role in Mindhunters (2004), but chose to drop out of it because of his prior commitment to Timeline (2003). The filming schedules of the two films overlapped. Jonny Lee Miller with whom Butler co-starred in Dracula 2000 (2000) stepped in to take his Mindhunter role. Was a presenter at the 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards with fellow Scotsman Billy Boyd. Was at one time the lead singer for a Scottish rock band named Speed, although music eventually became his second love after acting. Has done 5 films in which his character's name is in the title: Dracula 2000 (2000), Attila (2001/I) (TV), The Phantom of the Opera (2004), Beowulf & Grendel (2005), and Burns (2006). Cried whilst talking about the Phantom's loneliness to The Phantom of the Opera (2004) director Joel Schumacher. Had the "rock and roll" voice that Andrew Lloyd Webber always wanted to play the Phantom. Jokes about preferring the mask side of his face to the regular side of his face. Sung in a rock band whilst training to be a lawyer. He has quickly gained a reputation as one of the nicest actors around, as he always takes time to socialize with fans and hangs out with crew members as much as co-stars on film sets. When he auditioned for the role of Aslan the Lion in the Walden Media/Disney production of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, he asked, "this is going to be like the BBC puppet Aslan, right? Because if so I'm leaving right now." He has a law degree from Glasgow University, but gave up on this career choice after being fired from a law firm just one week before he was qualified to practice law. Shares his birthday with Steve Zahn, Jimmy Kimmel, and Joe Mantegna.

Gerard Butler Detailed Biography -

Born in Glasgow, Scotland to Margaret and Edward Butler, Gerard Butler was raised (along with his older brother and sister) in his mother's hometown of Paisley, Scotland. Gerard Butler also spent some of his early youth in Canada. Gerard Butler's parents divorced when he was a small child and he and his siblings were raised primarily by their mother Margaret who later remarried. Gerard Butler had no contact with his father Edward till years later when he was sixteen years old, after which time they became close. His father passed away when Gerard was in his early twenties. Gerard Butler went on to attend Glasgow University where he studied to be a Lawyer/Solicitor. He was even president of the schools law society thanks to his outgoing personality and great social skills. Gerard Butler's acting career began when he was approached in a London coffee shop by actor Steven Berkoff (who later appeared alongside Butler in Attila), who gave him a stage role in the play "Coriolanus". Gerard Butler decided to give up law school for acting. He was later cast as Ewan McGregor's character Renton in the stage adaptation of the movie Trainspotting (1996). His debut movie role was as Billy Connolly's younger brother in the movie Mrs. Brown (1997). While filming the movie in Scotland, he was enjoying a picnic with his mother, near the River Tay, when they heard the shouts of a young boy who had been swimming with a friend who was in some trouble. Gerard Butler jumped in and consequently saved the young boy from drowning. He received a "Certificate of Bravery" from the Royal Humane Society. He felt he only did what anyone in the situation would have done. Gerard Butler's movie career continued with small roles in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and Russell Mulcahy's Tale of the Mummy (1998). In 2000, Butler was cast in his breakthrough roles, the first being Attila the Hun in the USA movie Attila (2001/I) (TV). Producers of the mini-series wanted a known actor to play the part but kept coming back to Gerard Butler's screen tests and decided that he was their man. Gerard Butler had to lose the thick Scottish accent, but managed well. Around the time Attila was being filmed, casting was in progress for Wes Craven's new take on the Dracula legacy, also wanting a known name (so Butler wasn't much of a consideration). His unending tenacity and drive drove him to hounding the producers. Eventually, he sent them a clip of his portrayal of Attila. Evidently they liked it because Dracula 2000 (2000) was cast in the form of Gerard Butler. Producers of Attila (2001/I) (TV), thinking that his big screen role might help with the Attila ratings, managed to finish up a little early so that he could get to work on Dracula 2000 (2000). Attila (2001/I) (TV) ended up being the 2nd highest rated mini-series ever. Following these 2 roles, Butler developed quite a fan base and Internet sites and lists started popping up everywhere. Since then Gerard Butler has appeared in Reign of Fire (2002) as Creedy and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) as Terry Sheridan alongside Angelina Jolie. Recently the role that has garnered him much attention from both moviegoers and movie makers was that of Andre Marek in the big screen adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel Timeline (2003). Butler played an archaeologist who was sent back in time with a team of students to rescue a colleague. Gerard Butler appeared in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opera (2004), portraying the title character in the adaptation of the stage musical. Other projects of Gerard Butler include The Game of Their Lives (2005), Beowulf & Grendel (2005), and Burns (2006).