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Gerard Butler
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This article's introduction section may not adequately summarize its contents. To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (September 2009) |
| Gerard Butler | |
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 Arriving at RocknRolla premiere, Tiff '08 |
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| Born | Gerard James Butler November 13, 1969 Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland |
| Occupation | Actor, former lawyer |
| Years active | 1997–present |
Gerard James Butler, (born, November 13, 1969) is a Scottish actor known for his portrayal of King Leonidas in 300, The Phantom in the 2004 film version of The Phantom of the Opera, Gerry Kennedy in P.S. I Love You, One Two in RocknRolla, Mike Chadway in The Ugly Truth and Clyde Shelton in Law Abiding Citizen. He is now filming The Bounty Hunter, a romantic comedy with Jennifer Aniston.
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Early life
Butler was born in Paisley,citation needed Renfrewshire, Scotland, the son of Margaret and Edward Butler, a bookie.12 Butler was raised in a Catholic working-class family3 and for the first two years of his life, lived in Montreal, Quebec.4 When his parents divorced, he returned to Scotland with his mother and siblings. Butler had no further contact with his father until he was 16 years old. Butler attended the Scottish Youth Theatre.
Career
Butler graduated from the School of Law at Glasgow University before embarking on his early career in stage plays. His first roles were in Coriolanus and in the stage version of Trainspotting.5 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 (though his appearance was cut). 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 alongside Billy Connolly. Based on the Michael Crichton book of the same name, Butler played archaeologist Andre Marek. Also in 2003, he starred as Terry Sheridan 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. association football team who beat England 1 - 0 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The same year he was cast 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. 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 currently holds the record for the highest opening weekend box office gross in U.S. for the month of March, with takings of over $70 million. By the end of its theatrical run, 300 had a worldwide box office gross of $456 million. 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 filmed 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. The film was released in December 2007.
Nim's Island, which also stars Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin, opened in cinemas on 4 April 2008. Butler was cast in the role of Nim's father, Jack, and as Nim's imaginary hero, Alex Rover. The dual role allowed Butler to use his natural Scottish accent when playing Alex, while he adopted an American accent as Jack.6
He next appeared in RocknRolla, a gangster film directed by Guy Ritchie, playing a street-smart gangster involved in a lucrative real-estate scheme. This film had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2008 and was released in major North American cities in October 2008.7
Butler also performed the voice of The Captain in the Watchmen movie extra, "Tales from the Black Freighter" that was made alongside Zack Snyder's adaptation of Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore's Watchmen. The special was released on both Blu-Ray and DVD on 24 March 2009.
In 2009, Butler co-starred in the battle of the sexes comedy The Ugly Truth with Katherine Heigl.8 The film was released on 24 July 2009.9 The film made $27.6 million in its opening weekend and, as of October 31, has grossed $170,523,885 worldwide. Butler was next seen in Lionsgate's Gamer, a futuristic thriller, co-produced by Paramount Pictures and Relativity Media, which began filming in November 2007 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and was released on September 4, 2009.10 In the film, Butler played Kable, the No. 1-ranked warrior in the highest-rated game, which is called "Slayers".11
Subsequently, Butler co-starred in Law Abiding Citizen with Jamie Foxx,12 the first project of his production company, Evil Twins. Originally slated for a 26 March 2010 release by Overture Films, the movie was instead released on 16 October 2009 in the United States.13 The film was directed by F. Gary Gray; shooting began on 21 January 2009 on location in Philadelphia, PA,9 and wrapped in April 2009. As of October 31, the film has grossed $44,081,650.
Gerard has joined the cast of Coriolanus, Ralph Fiennes directorial debut, as Tullus Aufidius.9 Shakespeare's Coriolanus is being adapted by Fiennes in a contemporary setting. Gerard's first professional acting role was in a stage production of Coriolanus at London's Mermaid Theater in 1996.14 Filming is scheduled to begin in March 2010 in Serbia.
Personal life
Butler currently splits his time between Los Angeles and New York City. He has a pug named Lolita.citation needed
Butler was a heavy smoker but quit smoking in 2007 when he played Gerry Kennedy in PS, I Love You. "I was smoking a huge amount and having real bad premonitions and then I got this role where the guy dies of cancer", Butler said. "The film made me contemplate death and realize I was playing Russian roulette with my health. I've stopped smoking since".
Butler's patron charity is Kids Kicking Cancer.15 He is currently donating his time, set visits, movie premiere tickets and autographed personal items and photographs in an effort to support the charity.16
Filmography
References
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/5836476/Gerard-Butler-interview-for-The-Ugly-Truth.html
- ^ "Gerard Butler en español". Gerardbutler-es.com. http://gerardbutler-es.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1505&Itemid=116&lang=en. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ^ Profiles. "An in-depth look at your favourite celebrity personalities - hellomagazine.com, HELLO!". Hellomagazine.ca. http://www.hellomagazine.ca/profiles/gerardbutler/. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ^ By canada.com 29 March 2007 (29 March 2007). "Butler and Campbell a couple?". Canada.com. http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html?id=50e2e2f3-f765-4d9c-88e6-a39959023abb&k=97955. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ^ "New York Times Biography". Movies2.nytimes.com. http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=240591&mod=bio. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ^ By (17 May 2007). "Butler sets sail for "Island"". Variety.com. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117965182.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ^ TIFF Press Release, 10 October 2008
- ^ The Ugly Truth, 13 January 2009
- ^ a b c The Ugly Truth Gets a Summer Release, 13 January 2009
- ^ http://www.gerardbutler.net, 7 August 2007
- ^ By (16 May 2007). "Lakeshore duo reunite for Game". Variety.com. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117965070.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ^ "Interview with Big O and Dukes WJFK 1067". Wjfk.com. http://www.wjfk.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=3039116. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ^ Law Abiding Citizen at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Coriolanus - GerardButler.Net
- ^ Kids Kicking Cancer
- ^ Win a Date with Gerard Butler
External links
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