Gerard Butler's Early Life
Gerard James Butler was born on November 13, 1969 in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. His family moved to Montreal, Canada when he was six months old, but when his parents split, he moved back to Scotland with his mother.
Butler attended and graduated from law school, spending a year in California before his final lap, and aimed to become a lawyer. However, problems with alcohol and a lack of discipline prevented him from reaching that goal, he moved to London, where he worked a series of odd jobs with the intent of "becoming famous."
Gerard Butler's Rise to Fame and Career
His first acting role came at the age of 27, when he won an ensemble role in a production of Shakespeare's Coriolanus on the stage. Following bit parts in Mrs. Brown (1997), the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and Tale of the Mummy (1998), he received notice for his leading turn in Dracula 2000 (2000) and in the miniseries Attila (2001).
Further attention followed for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life (2003) and the cinematic adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera (2004), before achieving worldwide recognition in 2005 for his turn as King Leonidas in the smash epic 300. He followed that up with noted turns in P.S. I Love You (2007), Law Abiding Citizen (2009), the How to Train Your Dragon franchise (2010-2019), and the Has Fallen franchise (2013-2019).
Gerard Butler's Personal Life
Due to struggling with alcohol in his life since his early adult years, Butler has stated that he has avoided drinking since 2011 and mentioned that he had briefly entered a rehabilitation facility in 2012 for substance abuse.
He divides his time between Los Angeles and Glasgow, although lost his home in the California Woolsey Fire in 2018. While he keeps his personal life under wraps, he has been dating interior designer Morgan Brown for nine years.
