Gerard Butler's Real Name: Gerard James Butler

Quick answer: Gerard Butler's full name is Gerard James Butler. He was born on November 13, 1969. Sources differ on whether that birthplace was Paisley or Glasgow, Scotland, but he grew up in Paisley. Gerard Butler is his real name, and James is his middle name. He is best known as King Leonidas in 300 (2006), after first studying law (Biography.com; Britannica Kids).

Real name and early life

Britannica Kids states that "Gerard James Butler was born on November 13, 1969, in Glasgow, Scotland," and that he grew up in Paisley. Biography.com instead says he was "born in Paisley, Scotland, on November 13, 1969." The Library of Congress files him as "Butler, Gerard, 1969-." Biography.com says he was the youngest of three children in a Roman Catholic family. When he was six months old the family moved to Montreal; after his parents divorced, his mother took the children back to Paisley.

He acted with the Scottish Youth Theatre, including a role in Oliver! Britannica Kids says he earned a law degree at the University of Glasgow. Biography.com says he had been anxious to choose a practical career, then left a law firm for the stage. Britannica Kids says he was soon cast in Coriolanus and in an adaptation of Trainspotting.

Career highlights

He moved into film in 1997 with a supporting role in Mrs. Brown, starring Judi Dench and Billy Connolly, and a small part in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. Biography.com says that during that shoot he rescued a boy from a river and received a Certificate of Bravery from the Royal Humane Society. He later starred as Count Dracula in Wes Craven's Dracula 2000 and played the lead in the 2001 television film Attila.

His international breakthrough was 300, in which he played the Spartan king Leonidas. Britannica says the highly stylized film was an unexpected box-office hit. He then switched genres, starring in romantic comedies including P.S. I Love You, with Hilary Swank, and The Ugly Truth, with Katherine Heigl. Later roles included Machine Gun Preacher (2011) and Tullus Aufidius in Ralph Fiennes's film of Coriolanus (2011).

Name notes for searchers

Gerard is his given first name, James his middle name, and Butler his family surname. Library of Congress records also note a misspelling, "Gerald Butler," on at least one title frame. Sources disagree on whether he was born in Paisley or in Glasgow.