'Something very compulsive and dark and lusty and pleasurable but damaging took over. Like many other new graduates, Butler decided to take a year off to travel abroad, and his ventures soon landed him in Venice, California, where he indulged in the high life: 'This is when things started to go a little crazy,' he later said. During his time in university, Butler was also the president of the law society and graduated with honors. There was Sean Connery, and that was it.' Though he claims he is 'not the most academic of guys,' Butler graduated near the top of his high school class and enrolled in the University of Glasgow, where he studied to become a lawyer and solicitor. 'I was a 16-year-old kid on the other side of the world from where they made movies,' he later said. He joined the Scottish Youth Theatre and in one of his first roles played a street urchin in its production of Oliver!.ĭespite his love for theater and film, Butler was anxious to please his family and believed that acting was not a realistic career choice for him. (Gerard Butler and his later father reconciled, and remained close until his father died of cancer when Butler was in his early 20s.) During his childhood, Butler was enthralled with movies and acting, and his mother took him to several auditions. A year and a half later, his parents divorced, and his mother moved Gerard and his two older siblings back to her hometown of Paisley, Scotland.Īfter the move, Butler was raised by his mother, with no further contact with his father until he was 16 years old. When he was 6 months old, his family relocated to Montreal, Canada, where his father tried a few business ventures but ultimately failed. Early Life and Careerīorn in Paisley, Scotland, on November 13, 1969, Gerard Butler grew up the youngest of three children in a devout Roman Catholic family.

I Love You with Hilary Swank and The Ugly Truth with Katherine Heigl, along with appearing on many 'world's hottest men' lists. Since appearing in the film, he has starred in several romantic comedies, including P.S. Born November 13, 1969, in Paisley, Scotland, Gerard Butler is an actor best known for his role as King Leonidas of Sparta in 300.

Gerard butler 300 character