9 Milestones in the Evolution of Gerard Butler

300 (2007)

And then came the breakthrough role for Gerard Butler (and his well-toned physique) in Zack Snyder's "comic book adaptation on steroids," 300. Butler stars as King Leonidas, the brave royal who led 300 Spartans into battle against Persian Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his army of over a million soldiers. At the time of production, the actor said that training for the film was the most difficult thing he had done in his life. For his work in the film, Butler won his first Hollywood award: the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight. This was also Butler's most lucrative project at the time, grossing over $450 million worldwide.

Nim's Island (2008)

What better way to for Butler to decompress from a testosterone-fueled torso pic like 300 than with the weepy widow love story P.S. I Love You and then his first children's film Nim's Island? Playing the shipwrecked marine biologist father of Abigail Breslin's Nim, Butler's character struggled to fashion a boat out of miscellaneous materials so that he could return to his daughter who was busy tracking down her favorite author (Jodie Foster). While this film did not buoy critical perception of Butler's acting abilities, it did introduce the Scot to an entirely new audience.

The Ugly Truth (2009)

Shortly after filming Guy Ritchie's British crime pic RocknRolla, Butler entered a dark stage of his career during which he starred in two insufferable (but decently performing) rom-coms. The first being The Ugly Truth, which pitted the actor as a pigheaded television star who torments his hopeless romantic morning show producer (Katherine Heigl) with cynicism and gifts of remote-controlled vibrating panties. Although Heigl and Butler had snappy chemistry, The Ugly Truth was panned by critics. A year later, Butler would follow up this rom-com with The Bounty Hunter, the four-time Razzie nominated picture which starred Butler as bounty hunter hired to track down his ex-wife (Jennifer Aniston).

How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

A year later, Butler experimented with his first 3D picture -- which also happens to be his most lucrative film domestically to date. In this DreamWorks action fantasy, Butler provides the voice of village chieftain Stoick the Vast, who watches as his awkward son (Jay Baruchel) attempts to become a dragon slayer to gain acceptance within his tribe. How To Train Your Dragon was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature but ultimately lost to Toy Story 3.

Coriolanus (2011)

Although Butler has achieved legitimate leading man status by starring in films that have grossed well over $100 million, the Scottish actor has never really been praised for his acting ability. Hopefully by coming full circle with this weekend's film adaptation of Coriolanus -- the Shakespeare play that Butler first appeared in as a young actor -- he can prove his dramatic worth. Up next, Butler has plenty of projects on the horizon that could provide more opportunities for evolution including the sports drama Playing the Field with Jessica Biel and Dennis Quaid, the surfing drama Of Men and Mavericks, the political thriller Hunter Killer with Sam Worthington and How to Train Your Dragon 2.

Pages: 1 2