Gerard Butler is a Scottish actor and film producer whose career spans stage, screen, and voice work across three decades. After studying law at the University of Glasgow, he turned to acting in the mid-1990s and built a reputation through horror, action, and fantasy projects. He first drew international attention with his portrayal of King Leonidas in the 2006 fantasy war film 300, directed by Zack Snyder, and went on to headline the action thriller Has Fallen film series as Secret Service agent Mike Banning. He is also widely recognized for voicing Stoick the Vast in the How to Train Your Dragon animated franchise. Across three decades in film, Butler has balanced major studio releases with smaller character-driven projects, working with directors ranging from Joel Schumacher to Guy Ritchie. He has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2011.
