Gerard James Butler (born 13 November 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, and Mike Chadway in The Ugly Truth. He is now filming The Bounty Hunter, a romantic comedy with Jennifer Aniston.

Butler was born in Glasgow, Scotland, the son of Margaret and Edward Butler, a bookie. His great-grandparents were from Ireland. Butler was raised in a Catholic working-class family and for the first two years of his life, lived in Montreal, Quebec. When his parents divorced, his mother returned to Scotland with him and his siblings. Butler had no further contact with his father until he was 16 years old. Butler attended the Scottish Youth Theatre.

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. 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.