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Gerard Butler has distinguished himself as a leading man on the stage and screen in both the United States and Great Britain. Earlier in 2007, Butler starred as the Spartan King Leonidas in Zack Snyder's blockbuster actioner 300, which broke box office records in its opening weekend on its way to earning more than $450 million worldwide.

Butler also stars in a wide range of upcoming projects. He just completed work on two films due out in 2008: Guy Ritchie's crime comedy RocknRolla, with Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Chris Ludacris Bridges and Jeremy Piven; and the fantasy adventure Nim's Island, in which he stars with Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin. He is currently filming the thriller Game, with Michael C. Hall.

Born in Scotland, Butler made his stage debut at the age of 12 in the musical Oliver! at Glasgow's famous Kings Theatre. As a young man, his dreams of acting were temporarily deterred and he went on to study law for seven years before returning to the stage in London. In 1996, he landed the lead role in the acclaimed stage production of Trainspotting. He later starred on the London stage in such plays as Snatch and the Donmar Warehouse production of Tennessee Williams' Suddenly Last Summer, opposite Rachel Weisz.

In 1997, Butler made his feature film debut in John Madden's award-winning drama Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown, starring Judi Dench. His early film work also includes Fast Food, One More Kiss, the 1999 screen adaptation of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard and Harrison's Flowers.

In 2004, Butler won the coveted title role in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. He also earned critical acclaim for his work opposite Emily Mortimer in the independent feature Dear Frankie, which screened at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. Butler's other film credits include Beowulf & Grendel, The Game of Their Lives, Timeline, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life and "Reign of Fire.