Paisley has produced some fine acting talent over the years. Tom Conti, David Tennant, Fulton Mackay, Phyllis Logan, and Kari Corbett are just a few of the many actors who were born in the town.
Conti was nominated for an Oscar for his role in the 1983 movie ‘Reuben, Rueben’, while Tennant has a total of 28 awards to his name including two Emmys and two BAFTAs. However, none have appeared in more Hollywood movies than local lad, Gerard Butler.
Breakthrough performance
Butler was catapulted to stardom following his appearance in ‘300’, the historical epic based on Frank Miller’s 1998 comic series. The movie was one of the early directorial efforts of Justice League and Wonder Woman director Zack Snyder.
The movie quickly became a cult classic and spawned the hit 2007 video game ‘300: March to Glory’. Other 300-inspired games include the slot titles ‘300 Shields’ and ‘Fortunes of Sparta’, which can both still be played at Paddy Power’s online casino. The continued widespread popularity of ‘300’ even 15 years after the film was released proves just what a cultural phenomenon the film has become.
More than just an action star
What people might remember less is that before Butler was catapulted to fame with ‘300’, he was also the lead in the 2004 film ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ as the titular character. Thrust into the role without any formal singing training, he managed to walk away with praise over his performance which earned him a Satellite nomination for best actor in a comedy or musical.
He has since starred in many high-profile releases from action and disaster movies to romantic comedies and dramas. He starred in the action trilogy ‘Olympus Has Fallen’, ‘London Has Fallen’ and ‘Angel has Fallen’ throwing himself wholeheartedly into stunts to the point where he broke two bones in his neck. But it was his performance in ‘Law Abiding Citizen’ (2009) that drew the most praise. The film has Butler starring alongside Jamie Foxx as an engineer out for justice after his wife and daughter are murdered in a home invasion. The film could have been a formulaic revenge flick and does stretch the imagination, but it is utterly compelling thanks to the raw performances of Butler and Foxx.
Heavy workload
The actor shows no sign of slowing down soon with nine movies currently in pre- or post-production. Among those are sequels to apocalypse movie ‘Greenland‘ (2020) and heist film ‘Den of Thieves’ (2018). He is also involved in post-apocalyptic action film ‘Afterburn’ and the Ric Roman Waugh-directed ‘Kandahar’, in which he plays a CIA agent on the run from special forces in Afghanistan after exposing a covert mission. Most recently, he starred in the Netflix release, ‘Last Seen Alive’.
His wife mysteriously vanished and he’s the prime suspect.
Gerard Butler and Jaimie Alexander star in Last Seen Alive. Now on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/g1TaIw948t
— Netflix (@netflix) October 2, 2022
Butler has yet to receive any major awards nominations, but the actor has enough solid performances under his belt to justify his hugely successful career. And you can’t help but feel there are more highlights to come from Paisley’s biggest star.