From King Leonidas in 300 to Agent Banning in the Has Fallen film series, Gerard Butler has had many iconic roles in his career. Stoick the Vast is also one of his most revered animated characters, and he has finally gotten to play it in live-action. The live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon is doing exceptionally well at the box office and has been praised by both fans and critics.
However, Butler isn’t just a movie star. He has done some work on television, much of it during the early stages of his career. Still, all his small-screen projects are worth checking out as they show an actor with plenty of hunger and focus, and an actor who was always destined for great things in his career.
Here’s how Gerard Butler’s 6 television roles rank against each other.
6
‘Ark: The Animated Series’ (2024)
Role: General Gaius Marcellus Nerva
Things move quickly for Australian paleontologist Helena Walker (voiced by Madeleine Madden) in Ark: The Animated Series. When her wife dies, she drowns herself in pills and booze, only for her to surrender herself to a series of events that lead her to a strange island. There she finds dinosaurs and humans, as well as figures from both the past and present, including General Gaius Marcellus Nerva (voiced by Gerard Butler), a military leader from Ancient Rome.
Merging Science and History
Butler’s character is fun to watch as he is similar to the one (Leonidas) that paved the actor’s path to Hollywood superstardom. General Gaius Marcellus Nerva is also further proof that Butler is up there with the greatest voice actors of all time. Wright and Michelle Yeoh also provide perfect backup.
However, whilst the show merits praise for its detailed and sensitive portrayal of grief, LGBTQ relationships, evolution, and the moral ambiguities of different periods in human history, its failure to have solid storylines all through makes it a bit of a disappointment. Even so, fans of the video game, Ark: Survival Evolved, will find plenty to enjoy.
5
‘An Unsuitable Job for a Woman’ (1997 – 2001)
Role: Tim Bolton
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman stars Helen Baxendale as Cordelia Gray, a young private detective under the tutelage of ex-policeman Bernie Pryde (Jeff Nuttall). Unfortunately, Pryde commits suicide, leaving Cordelia to run his ramshackle agency. While at it, numerous unexpected challenges pop up. Butler has a cameo in one episode as Tim Bolton, a young man dating an inspector’s boyfriend.
Smashing Gender-Related Toxicity
Is it one of the greatest detective shows? Certainly not, but it’s always entertaining. Despite the corrosive rancor between Cordelia and many of her male counterparts, who happen to be unrepentantly hostile chauvinists, she always manages to get the job done. It’s fun watching her follow up on all the twisty trails. Regrettably, Butler’s role is thin, fleeting, and the standard kind, so the actor never gets to showcase his range.
4
‘The Young Person’s Guide To Becoming a Rock Star’ (1998)
Role: Marty
The Young Person’s Guide to Becoming a Rock Star covers the challenges and triumphs of a young Glaswegian band named Jocks-Wa-Hey and their attempts to become household names in the British music industry. Along the way, the band recruits new members, changes their sound, gets new managers, and gets a record deal. Butler plays Marty, a young rock singer with delusions of grandeur.
Music Makes Him Lose Control
Lush, concentrated, and pungent as a tray of freshly plucked chilies, The Young Person’s Guide to Becoming a Rock Star is a show worth savoring. It’s fun watching these young, ambitious characters. Their thankless servitude in the music industry can be imprisoning, but it provides the right outlet for their fiery spirit. We aren’t used to seeing Butler the way we see him here, blending buffoonery and cockiness. Unfortunately, he only appears in three episodes.
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3
‘Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married’ (1999)
Role: Gus
Based on Marian Keyes’ novel of the same name, Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married follows Lucy Sullivan (Sam Loggin), a twenty-something hopeless romantic who is promised by a psychic that she will soon get married. Obsessed with this prophecy, she starts seeing every date as a potential husband, resulting in numerous disappointments. Meanwhile, she has an on-again, off-again relationship with a man named Gus (Gerard Butler).
Striving To Get It Right
Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married might be too overstuffed with nods to British culture to appeal to all viewers around the globe, but it’s an excellent show with relatable plots and powerful performances. Sam Loggin is great, but the supporting cast gives much greater value, particularly Butler. The actor feels very comfortable here, which explains why he starred in a few more rom-coms later in his career.
2
‘Attila’ (2001)
Role: Attila the Hun
In Attila, Butler plays Attila the Hun, the legendary 5th century leader of the Huns who waged strong campaigns against the Roman Empire, earning him the moniker, “Scourge of Gods.” A parallel plot follows Roman general Flavius Aetius (Powers Boothe), Attila’s archenemy, who works tirelessly to prevent the Western Empire from falling apart, despite political scheming, a weak emperor, and endless barbarian invasions.
Bringing Hell to Rome
For a show like Attila, viewers often sign up for the history and the action. Thankfully, the USA Network miniseries thoroughly delivers on the two aspects. Extra credit goes to the cinematographer and the costume design team. Here, Butler proved to the world that he could handle action roles easily (as a real lead actor) if given the chance. Sadly, events end too quickly. Butler’s excellent work in the miniseries would play a key role in earning him the role of King Leonidas in Zack Snyder’s 300.
1
‘The Jury’ (2002)
Role: Johnnie Donne
A 15-year-old boy’s murder in The Jury rocks Britain. Controversy reaches an even higher point when the boy’s Sikh classmate is accused of the crime. Even more interesting than the case is the selection of jurors. There are Charles, a man who has left the seminary to reunite with his lost love; Elsie, an old, dying woman; Johnny (Gerard Butler), a recovering alcoholic; Rose, a woman with a paranoid husband; Jeremy, a man who lost all his wealth via a scam; Peter, whose wife’s parents are all in the ear; and Marcia, a single mother.
Has the Jury Reached a Verdict?
Many great legal drama shows came out in the 2000s, and The Jury was one of the series that set this particular bandwagon rolling, a classic of its genre that proved hugely influential in Britain, thanks to its realistic cases. The show topped others of its kind by showing how the personal demons of the jurors often influence their decisions during high-profile cases.
Butler’s character is especially key since the actor had to tap into his past for inspiration. A former alcoholic, he channeled his past anguish into his role, making Johnnie the most likable juror in the show. And it helps that there are numerous close-up shots of all the juror members, showing how each of them is being weighed down by the facts of the case, depending on what is said.
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