Gerard Butler is a Scottish actor, who originally studied law before choosing to move into the field of acting. Butler worked his way into Hollywood through a variety of small roles. Butler eventually made his debut as Count Dracula in the horror film Dracula 2000. After this, he gained a number of roles, including one of his best roles in Reign of Fire. It wasn’t until his performance in 300 that he garnered international recognition for his skill as an actor. Most recently, Butler appeared in the epic disaster movie Greenland and the bullet-ridden tale Copshop.

Butler’s career has spanned over the last two decades, and he’s managed to build up a sizable filmography. That said, not all of his films are note-worthy, including the outrageously ridiculous Movie 43 and his attempt at a rom-com with Katherine Heigl in The Ugly Truth. That said, Butler has also managed to produce a number of hits, particularly in the action genre. In fact, Butler is set to start in Just Watch Me, teaming up with John Wick creator Derek Lostad for the project. While we wait for more news on the project, here are the best Gerard Butler movies, ranked.

Related: Greenland 2 is Happening with Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin Both Returning

8 The Bounty Hunter

Gerard Butler stars alongside Jennifer Aniston in this romance-action film, playing the role of Milo Boyd, an empty-handed bounty hunter who gets a call to bring in his ex-wife Nicole for jumping bail. While Milo considers this an easy job, Nicole evades him to chase a lead on a murder case for her career. The Bounty Hunter examines the concept of bounty hunting, in which citizens are allowed to hunt down people with warrants for their arrest and use any force necessary if they resist. This film barely makes the list as it was a box office flop, but it certainly has its moments.

7 P.S. I Love You

P.S. I love You
Warner Bros. Pictures

P.S I Love You follows the story of Holly and her journey through the untimely death of her husband Gerry, who has taken the liberty to write her letters before his passing in order to help her work through his death. This includes giving her experiences, like sending her to Ireland with her best friends. The letters are the only thing keeping Holly from staying holed up in her apartment thinking about Gerry. Gerard Butler plays the role of Gerry and while he is only seen through flashbacks and imagined through Holly’s mind, his role is part of what makes the film so heartwarming.

6 Den of Thieves

Gerard Butler stars as Nick O’Brien, the borderline alcoholic, and leader of the “Regulators," an elite force of the L.A Sheriff's Department. O’Brien and his team face off against the “Outlaws," a team of ex-military men who use their skills to evade the law when the Outlaws plan to pull off a heist at the Federal Reserve Bank in the city. Den of Thieves was a commercial success and garnered enough attention to warrant the sequel Den of Thieves 2, which is now in the works with Butler expected to reprise his role as Nick O’Brien, alongside co-stars 50 Cent as Enson Levoux and O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Donnie Wilson.

5 Greenland

Greenland is a 2020 apocalyptic disaster film that follows John Garrity (Gerard Butler) and his family on their journey to find solace in Greenland as a comet approaches Earth. As fragments of the comet strike the Earth, causing devastating destruction, the clock continues to tick as John hopes to get his wife and son to safety. The film was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was released domestically through VOD and was eventually available for streaming on HBO Max and Amazon Prime. Greenland has a sequel lined up called Greenland: Migration with Butler and his family to return to the newly changed world.

4 Reign of Fire

Reign of Fire is a one-of-a-kind film. In a post-apocalyptic world where dragons reign free, leaving a layer of ash over every surface, Quinn (Christian Bale) and Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey) work together to take the beasts down and save mankind from total extinction. Gerard Butler plays the role of Creedy, Quinn’s best friend who aids in leading a group of survivors, including children, at Bamburgh Castle, where he hopes to send the dragons back into hibernation. Reign of Fire was nominated for a number of awards and took home the Festival de Cine de Sitges for Best Visual Effects.

3 The Phantom of the Opera

Gerard Butler is the Phantom and cuddles with Emmy Rossum in the Phantom of the Opera
Warner Bros. Pictures

A retelling of the classic tale, Joel Schumacher’s The Phantom of the Opera stars Gerard Butler as the title character and Emmy Rossum as Christine. This musical romance revolves around the Phantom who lives beneath the Paris opera house and longs to get closer to vocalist Christine. The film was a box-office success and showcases Butler’s vocal skills as well as his ability to act, with critics giving much praise to both Butler and Rossum for their performances. The Phantom of the Opera was nominated for a number of awards, including three Academy Awards and three Golden Globes, none of which the film took home. The Phantom of the Opera is a favorite of many as a tumultuous love story with wonderful music to boot.

Related: Explained: Why Movie Musicals Are So Popular

2 How to Train Your Dragon

Gerard Butler’s native Scottish accent is perfect for his role as Hiccup’s father Stoick the Vast, in How to Train Your Dragon. Stoick is the leader of Berk, a town full of Vikings that gets attacked by dragons who steal their livestock. When Hiccup knocks down a Nightfury, he finds himself unable to kill it and instead learns that perhaps dragons don’t need to be killed and that maybe they could be tamed with a little of patience and kindness. Stoick is the total opposite of Hiccup, using brute force rather than his intelligence to fight off the dragons, forcing Hiccup to hide what he is doing with the Nightfury. The film’s popularity led to two sequels, ending with the How to Train Your Dragon 3.

1 300

Gerard Butler’s most known role is as Leonidas in 300. As the King of Sparta, he leads his small group of 300 warriors into battle with the Persian army. While death seems to be inevitable, nothing stops the Spartans from taking on the Persian army, leading the rest of Greece to unite against a common enemy. 300 was based on the 1998 comic series of the same name and is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae. 300 won a number of accolades, especially for Butler’s performance and Zack Snyder’s direction. That said, the film was also subject to a great deal of controversy over the historical inaccuracies and the portrayal of Persians in the film.