The films that made ‘King of Sparta’ Gerard Butler famous

On the occasion of the Scottish actor’s presence in Vietnam, let’s look back at the film works that turned Gerard Butler into a star loved by many people.

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997): The film marked Gerard Butler’s first appearance on the big screen, the 18th blockbuster in the 007 series.

However, the actor only appeared for a moment with one or two lines of dialogue. Only observant audiences could recognize the 28-year-old Gerard Butler at that time. Photo: United Artists

Dracula 2000 (2000): On the eve of the new century, Gerard Butler has the opportunity to play one of the famous cultural icons: Count Dracula. After accidentally being revived, the vampire lord decided to hunt down Mary Heller-Van Helsing, daughter of hunter Abraham Van Helsing.

The film offers a new interpretation of the origin of the character Dracula, but is not really supported by a wide audience. Photo: Miramax

Reign of Fire (2002): Fantasy film set in England in 2020. The land of mist is currently engulfed in fire and smoke due to the appearance of evil dragons.

Not having the opportunity to play the main role, Gerard Butler learned a lot from his two famous co-stars, Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale, through Reign of Fire, as he shared behind the scenes. Photo: Buena Vista

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) : In the second part of the series adapted from the game Secret of the Tomb, Gerard Butler has the opportunity to co-star with Angelina Jolie.

He plays Terry Sheridan, the former lover of main character Lara Croft, and helps her discover the secrets of the “Cradle of Life”. Although the revenue was not as high as the previous part, The Cradle of Life still earned 156.5 million USD globally. Photo: Paramount

The Phantom of the Opera (2004) : Gerard Butler began to attract international media attention when he participated in the film version of the famous musical The Phantom of the Opera.

In the film, he played the main role of the Phantom, co-starring with beautiful woman Emmy Rossum and had the opportunity to show off his singing talent. In fact, overall The Phantom of the Opera was not popular with demanding critics, but the acting of the Butler – Rossum duo was still recognized by many people. Photo: Warner Bros.

300 (2006): The turning point in Gerard Butler’s career came when he played the role of Leonidas, the mighty king of Sparta, leading 300 loyal soldiers against a powerful army from Persia.

The film is adapted from the real battle of Thermopylae, which took place in 480 BC. Directed by Zack Snyder, the film makes fans excited with its beautiful frames but no less gore and violence. 300 grossed more than 456 million USD worldwide, compared to a production budget of less than 60 million USD, helping both Zack Snyder and Gerard Butler to be sought after by many producers from here. Photo: Warner Bros.

The story in PS I Love You revolves around the letters left by husband Gerry for his wife after he passed away from a brain tumor.

The romantic, touching and humane content has made many female viewers unable to hold back their tears while watching the film. Paired with Gerard Butler in the film is star Hilary Swank. Photo: Warner Bros.

Law Abiding Citizen (2009): Returning to the familiar action movie series, Gerard Butler plays Clyde Shelton – who decides to carry out justice himself after the man who murdered his family was acquitted.

However, the character also puts the lawyer defending the murderer in his sights. Possessing an interesting topic, Law Abiding Citizen earned 126.7 million USD at the box office. Starring alongside Gerard Butler in the film is black star Jamie Foxx. Photo: Overture

How to Train Your Dragon (2010) : Gerard Butler ventured into animation when voicing Stoick – the father of main character Hiccup, in the hit series How to Train Your Dragon.

The two episodes were highly appreciated by critics, received a total of three Oscar nominations, and brought distributor Paramount more than 1.1 billion USD. As planned, Butler will continue to contribute his voice to How to Train Your Dragon 3, expected to be released in 2018. Photo: Paramount

Olympus Has Fallen (2012) & London Has Fallen (2016): Among the many action works that Gerard Butler participated in after 300, two notable episodes include The Fall of the White House and Fall of London – where he played the main role of Mike Banning.

This is the loyal secret agent of US President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart). Banning has many times saved both Asher and the United States from “dangerous” situations. The close combat action and destructive blows make the character more memorable than many action heroes of the time. Photo: Lionsgate

Gods of Egypt (2016): Most recently, Gerard Butler played the evil god Set in the fantasy blockbuster directed by Alex Proyas, reminding people somewhat of the blockbuster 300 exactly 10 years ago.

Although estranged from North America, Gods of Egypt is still interested and warmly received by many international markets. Besides How to Train Your Dragon 3, Gerard Butler will have at least four more new projects in the near future: Geostorm, The Headhunter’s Calling, Den of Thieves and Hunter Killer. Photo: Lionsgate