Gerard Butler Net Worth

What Is Gerard Butler's Net Worth and Salary?

Gerard Butler is a Scottish actor who has a net worth of $80 million. Gerard Butler is perhaps most famous for playing the Spartan King Leonidas in the film "300." This performance won Gerard many awards and honors. Butler subsequently gained widespread recognition for his starring role in the film "Olympus Has Fallen" and its spin-offs. In addition to these accomplishments, he is an established voice actor and a producer.

Gerard Butler has gone back and forth between raunchy comedy roles and over-the-top action flicks, with the occasional romantic lead in a drama thrown in there for good measure.  The raunchy comedies and action flicks have been far more consistently successful. The Scottish actor was originally on his way to becoming a lawyer when the death of his father sent him on a downward spiral.  His unpredictable behavior resulted in his losing his position at the law firm where he was a junior partner, and he decided to move to London to "become famous."  It took a while for that fame thing to happen, but eventually, he made the move to Los Angeles, caught the eye of some agents and casting directors, and began his rise toward household name status and worldwide recognition. He has appeared in such films and television movies as, "Attila," "Dracula 2000," "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life," "The Phantom of the Opera," "300," "Nim's Island," "RocknRolla," "The Ugly Truth," "Machine Gun Preacher," "Chasing Mavericks," and "Olympus Has Fallen."

Early Life

Gerard James Butler was born on November 13, 1969, in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Raised alongside two siblings in a Catholic household, Gerard relocated to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with his family when he was just six months old. However, Butler didn't get to experience Canada for very long before his parents separated and his mother brought him back to Scotland when he was still just 18 months old.

After excelling in secondary school, Butler was admitted to the University of Glasgow School of Law. During this period, he became involved with theatre and reunited with his father for the first time as a 16-year-old. During his years in university, Gerard became president of the school's law society and joined a rock band. When he was just 22, his father passed away from cancer, which shook Gerard to his core.

Perhaps reeling from the loss of his father, Butler took a year off from university before completing his final year of law school. He moved to California, living on Venice Beach, working odd jobs, and drinking heavily throughout. Things reached a climax when he was arrested for disorderly conduct after becoming completely inebriated. Despite the fact that he was, by his own admission, "out of control," Butler returned to Scotland after one year to complete law school.

Career

Despite having the potential for a successful law career, Butler's options seemed limited after he was fired for drinking heavily and missing work due to late nights of partying. At that point, he was still just a trainee lawyer, which meant that he never actually qualified to work professionally.

Instead of trying his hand at law once again, Butler took a U-turn and moved to London in an effort to become famous. No, he didn't necessarily want to become a successful actor – his main goal, according to later interviews, was simply to become famous by whatever means possible. Like his effort to become a lawyer, his acting career also stalled early on. However, this time, things would pan out for Gerard. He reconnected with an old pal from his days in Scotland Youth Theatre who was now a casting director. This gave him the connections he needed to book his first theatre role in Shakespeare's "Coriolanus."

Further theatre work came with a stage adaptation of "Trainspotting." He then booked film roles in movies like "Mrs Brown," "Tomorrow Never Dies," and "Tale of the Mummy." At around this time, Butler decided to move to Los Angeles. Once in the United States, he booked roles in a number of additional projects, although his main breakthrough roles came with the miniseries "Attila" and the film "Dracula 2000."

Another important moment for Butler came when he was cast in 2002's "Reign of Fire." Gerard appeared alongside Matthew McConaughey, and although the film failed both critically and commercially, it helped put Gerard on the map. "Reign of Fire" later became a cult favorite among some circles.

Throughout the next few years, Butler booked roles in movies like "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life," "Timeline," and "Phantom of the Opera." After appearing in films like "Dear Frankie," "The Game of Their Lives," and "Beowulf & Grendel," Butler took another major step forward when he booked a starring role in the film "300." A string of additional roles soon followed before Gerard voiced Stoick in the animated film "How to Train Your Dragon."

In 2013, Butler began playing Mike Banning, starting with the thriller "Olympus Has Fallen." He reprised his earlier role with spin-offs such as "London Has Fallen" and "Angel Has Fallen." Along with "300," these films became some of his best-known projects.

Real Estate

In 2015, it was reported that Butler had purchased a property in Glasgow, Scotland. He spent 582,000 pounds on the residence, which features three bedrooms and a private balcony. One year later, it was reported that Butler had listed his home in Los Feliz for a cool $4.4 million. He had originally acquired the residence in 2008 for $3.25 million, and Butler was also renting the property out at the time for $15,000 per month. The 4,500-square-foot home features a pool and a spa. Gerard still hadn't managed to find a buyer – although he did increase the rental cost to $17,500 per month.

In addition, Gerard owns a 3,300-square-foot duplex loft in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea, which he purchased in 2004 for $2.57 million. After completely transforming the duplex with a number of renovations, Butler listed the property in 2017 for about $6 million. The chic space includes 11-foot mahogany doors, a home theater, and many chandeliers. As of this writing, he still hasn't managed to find a buyer.

In 2019, it was reported that Gerard was spending $65,000 on the initial reconstruction process after his home had been seriously damaged by fires in California. The Malibu home was deemed a "heartbreaking loss," and Butler admitted that it had been partially destroyed. He originally spent $6.45 million on the mansion, which sits on 1.67 acres of land. Butler was one of many celebrities who had their homes destroyed during this period.