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Gerard Butler

Gerard Butler

Actor and producer · Born November 13, 1969 (56) · Paisley, Scotland, UK

Gerard James Butler (born 13 November 1969) is a Scottish actor and film producer. After studying law, he turned to acting in the mid-1990s with minor roles in productions such as Mrs Brown (1997), the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and Tale of the Mummy (1998). In 2000, he starred as Count Dracula in the gothic horror film Dracula 2000. He played Attila the Hun in the miniseries Attila (2001), then appeared in the films Reign of Fire (2002) and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life (2003) before starring in the science fiction film Timeline (2003). He played Erik, The Phantom in Joel Schumacher's 2004 musical The Phantom of the Opera. Butler gained wider recognition for portraying King Leonidas in Zack Snyder's fantasy war film 300 (2007). In 2010, he began lending his voice to the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. Also in the 2010s, he portrayed a Secret Service agent in the action thriller Has Fallen film series, played military leader Tullus Aufidius in the 2011 film Coriolanus, and Sam Childers in the 2011 action biopic Machine Gun Preacher. Butler had further action film roles in Geostorm (2017), Den of Thieves (2018), Greenland (2020), and Plane (2023).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 13, 1969 (56)
From
Paisley, Scotland, UK
Works as
Actor and producer
Titles
65 on MovieCove · 90 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 14% in 30 days

What are Gerard Butler's films like?

Across their 60 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Action26 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 46th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Animation7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 93rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 28th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 24th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
30%
Morality
21%
Survival
18%
Self
12%
Power
7%
Society
6%
Ideas
6%
Family bonds19 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival19 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty9 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love8 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption8 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition6 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 57 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 15 · Serious 17 · Dark 25

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 27 · Stylized 20 · Heightened 10

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 7 · Charged 18 · Intense 32

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 20 · Shifting 33 · Whiplash 4

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 38 · Some laughs 17 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 14 · Even-paced 26 · Relentless 17

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 17 · Engaged 36 · Full focus 4

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 14 · Affecting 23 · Heavy 20

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 44 · Open-ended 11 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

50 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 26 of 50 analyzed roles.

Hero
26 of 50
Shadow
8 of 50
Ally
5 of 50
Mentor
4 of 50
Threshold guardian
3 of 50
Herald
2 of 50
Trickster
1 of 50
Shapeshifter
1 of 50
Show the 50 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
42
Thrilling
27
Dread
23
Hopeful
18
Melancholic
17
Other
42

How their films linger

Hopeful22 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 17 with a twist

  • Happy17
  • Bittersweet29
  • Tragic5
  • Ambiguous9

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Gerard Butler's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 55 of their 65 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (19).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Gerard Butler's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

90 credits, 65 with a MovieCove page; 27 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • How to Train Your Dragon 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    as Stoick

  • Street Smart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Executive Producer

  • In the Hand of Dante(2025)

    as Louie / Pope Bonifacio

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Greenland 2: Migration(2026)

    Producer · as John Garrity

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • How to Train Your Dragon(2025)

    as Stoick

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Den of Thieves: Pantera(2025)

    Producer · as Nicholas 'Big Nick' O'Brien

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland(2024)

    Executive Producer · as St. Nick (voice)

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Paris Has Fallen(2024)

    Show 16 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows

  • Ark: The Animated Series(2024)

    Show 14 episodes · Executive Producer · as Gaius Marcellus Nerva (voice)

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows

  • The Bricklayer(2023)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Kandahar(2023)

    Producer · as Tom Harris

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Plane(2023)

    Producer · as Brodie Torrance

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Last Seen Alive(2022)

    Producer · as Will Spann

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Copshop(2021)

    Producer · as Bob Viddick

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Greenland(2020)

    Producer · as John Garrity

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Love Reaches Everywhere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Actor

  • How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming(2019)

    as Stoick (voice)

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Angel Has Fallen(2019)

    Producer · as Mike Banning

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Them That Follow(2019)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Vanishing(2018)

    Producer · as James

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World(2019)

    as Stoick (voice)

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Hunter Killer(2018)

    Producer · as Captain Joe Glass

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Den of Thieves(2018)

    Producer · as 'Big Nick' O'Brien

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Geostorm(2017)

    as Jake Lawson

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • A Family Man(2016)

    Producer · as Dane Jensen

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • London Has Fallen(2016)

    Producer · as Mike Banning

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Gods of Egypt(2016)

    as Set

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Septembers of Shiraz(2015)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • How to Train Your Dragon 2(2014)

    as Stoick (voice)

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Frame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 1 episode · as King Leonidas

  • Olympus Has Fallen(2013)

    Producer · as Mike Banning

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Movie 43(2013)

    as Leprechaun 1 & 2 (segment "Happy Birthday")

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Playing for Keeps(2012)

    Producer · as George

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Chasing Mavericks(2012)

    Executive Producer · as Frosty Hesson

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen(2012)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury(2011)

    as Stoick the Vast (voice)

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Machine Gun Preacher(2011)

    Executive Producer · as Sam Childers

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Saturday Night Live: The Best of '09/'10 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Actor

  • Coriolanus(2011)

    as Tullus Aufidius

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Legend of the BoneKnapper Dragon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Stoick (voice)

  • How to Train Your Dragon(2010)

    as Stoick (voice)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Bounty Hunter(2010)

    as Milo Boyd

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Law Abiding Citizen(2009)

    Producer · as Clyde Alexander Shelton

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Gamer(2009)

    as Kable

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Ugly Truth(2009)

    as Mike Chadway

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Tales of the Black Freighter(2009)

    as The Mariner (voice)

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • RocknRolla(2008)

    as One-Two

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Nim's Island(2008)

    as Jack Rusoe / Alex Rover

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • P.S. I Love You(2007)

    as Gerry

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Guilty Hearts(2006)

    as Peter

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Shattered(2007)

    as Neil Randall

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • 300(2006)

    as King Leonidas

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Shadow Company(2006)

    as James Ashcroft

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Beowulf & Grendel(2005)

    as Beowulf

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Prefect Cassius Chaerea

  • The Game of Their Lives(2005)

    as Frank Borghi

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Phantom of the Opera(2004)

    as The Phantom

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Dear Frankie(2004)

    as The Stranger

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Timeline(2003)

    as Andre Marek

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life(2003)

    as Terry Sheridan

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Reign of Fire(2002)

    as Creedy

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Jury(2002)

    Show 6 episodes · as Johnnie Donne

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Shooters(2002)

    as Jackie Junior

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Jewel of the Sahara (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Captain Charles Belamy

  • Please! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Peter (as Gerry Butler)

  • Attila (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 2 episodes · as Attila the Hun

  • Attila(2001)

    as Atila the Hun

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Dracula 2000(2000)

    as Dracula

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Harrison's Flowers(2000)

    as Chris Kumac

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 16 episodes · as Gus

  • One More Kiss(1999)

    as Sam

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Cherry Orchard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Yasha

  • The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 6 episodes · as Marty Claymore

  • Fast Food (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Jacko

  • Tale of the Mummy(1998)

    as Burke

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Little White Lies(1998)

    as Peter

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Tomorrow Never Dies(1997)

    as HMS Devonshire Leading Seaman

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • An Unsuitable Job for a Woman(1997)

    Show 1 episode · as Tim Bolton

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Mrs. Brown(1997)

    as Archie Brown

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • A Darker Shade of Magic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • All-Star Weekend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Russian Gymnast Fan

  • Den of Thieves 3 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · as Nicholas 'Big Nick' O'Brien

  • Don't Go Gentle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • Empire City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · as Rhett Westermark

  • Hair of the Dog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Mr. P

  • Just Watch Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · as Riley Wolfe

  • Naya: Legend of the Golden Dolphin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as King Kula (voice)

  • Night Has Fallen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · as Mike Banning

  • Remote Control (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · as Michael Rafter

  • The Nest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 89 titles, 77 of them dated from 1997 to 2026; peak year 2008.

Biggest box office

How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

$637M worldwide

Highest rated

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19972026

Peak 2008 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 47 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting82 of 89: 56 only acting, 26 with another role · typical Midcredits score56thProducing33 of 89: 7 only producing, 26 with another role · typical Midcredits score51st

89 titles, 26 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 26 of them.

By decade

1990s10 · acting2000s26 · 26 acting · 1 crew2010s26 · 24 acting · 12 crew2020s15 · 12 acting · 12 crew

Billing

usually 1st · top billed in 52% of 54 roles
970207121722

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Gerard Butler's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 54th percentile, the median of all 61; across their 57 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 57

Approval · how many liked their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 57

Reach · how many have seen their films

94thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 57

Midcredits score across 65 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up19
  • 50th to 74th16
  • 25th to 49th18
  • Below 25th12

Shape of the crowd

22 of their 65 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved11
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser22
  • Broadly Agreed13
  • Mixed16

Most divisive · actor

Guilty Hearts (2006)

87th percentile spread · 66% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 65/100 in their films, across 54 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Gerard Butler's work okay for kids?

Across up to 45 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore38 titles37–93 · median 63 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity45 titles9–48 · median 25 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity40 titles11–86 · median 50 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs35 titles6–62 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense36 titles37–83 · median 60 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Gerard Butler work with?

People who share at least 2 of Gerard Butler's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alan Siegel shares the most, 21.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles