Gerard Butler is an A-list actor who has appeared both in big-budget movies and action films with more modest budgets. Collider, an entertainment news website, referred to him as the last great B-movie action hero — the 2.0 version of Steven Seagal, who made a name for himself with action roles in the 1980s and 90s.
In a more than three-decade career on stage and film, Butler still commands a large following who are drawn to his varied roles — from his 2004 portrayal of a pained musician in the catacombs of Paris to his 2018 performance as a detective chasing thieves. All told, his movies have taken in billions of dollars in ticket sales at the box office.
Butler returned to one of his iconic roles, Stoick the Vast, in the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon, which made its Hollywood premiere in mid-June 2025. Like its animated counterpart, the new live-action film will likely spawn sequels in the years to come.
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Butler continues to entertain audiences and has other film projects in the works, with at least one more to be released later in 2025.
Here’s how much Butler is worth in 2025 and how he makes his money.
Gerard Butler returns to one of his most popular roles as Viking chief Stoick in the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon.
What is Gerard Butler’s net worth in 2025?
Most sources estimate Butler’s net worth at around $80 million. Much of that wealth is derived from his earnings as an actor, but he also has other sources of income.
Related: ‘How to Train Your Dragon’: Which film made the most money?
How does Gerard Butler make his money?
Butler primarily makes his money as an actor in leading roles, sometimes taking a large pay or opting for a percentage of a film’s profits. In a 2018 article, Forbes described Butler as a B-movie action star who could work in the right film with the right budget, particularly if the budget isn’t high. Aside from acting, he also serves as a producer in some of his movies, which provide him with additional income from royalties and distribution.
Among his endorsement deals, Butler serves as a brand ambassador for Festina, a maker of inexpensive watches.
Who is Gerard Butler?
Gerard James Butler was born in Paisley, Scotland, on November 13, 1969. He studied at the University of Glasgow School of Law to be a lawyer. But after being dismissed as a trainee lawyer at a firm in Edinburgh, he pursued a career in acting.
He started on stage in London and eventually found his way to Hollywood in the late 1990s and became an A-list actor.
One of Gerard Butler’s most popular roles has been as Secret Service agent Mike Banning in Olympus Has Fallen and its two sequels.
What are Gerard Butler’s most popular films?
Butler made a name for himself in the 2006 film 300 as King Leonidas I, trying to fend off the Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae with just 300 Spartan soldiers. Before that, he mostly played small parts, though he did have a leading role in the 2004 film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera.
After 300, Butler’s roles vacillated between comedy, drama, and action. In 2010, he got his first franchise role as the voice of Viking leader Stoick in How to Train Your Dragon. (Aside from the How to Train Your Dragon series, Butler had also appeared in another dragon-themed movie titled Reign of Fire opposite Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey in 2002.) That was followed in 2013 with the Antoine Fuqua film Olympus Has Fallen, in which he played Secret Service agent Mike Banning. Both franchises were followed by two sequels.
In 2018, Butler played a detective in Den of Thieves, which spawned a sequel in 2025. In 2020, he played structural engineer John Garrity, who leads his family to safety from a comet striking Earth, in the film Greenland. A post-apocalyptic follow-up is due out later in 2025.
Some of Butler’s films that are considered B-movies include Plane, in which he plays a pilot who fends off terrorists after making an emergency landing; Kandahar, in which he portrays a CIA agent attempting to flee Afghanistan with his translator; and Last Seen Alive, in which he stars as a husband trying to find his missing wife.
More on net worth:
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How does Gerard Butler spend his money?
Butler’s assets include multiple real estate holdings. One of his homes is in Los Feliz, California, and Trulia, a real estate marketplace, lists it as a Spanish-style four-bedroom, four-bathroom rental property valued at around $4.4 million. He reportedly also has homes in Malibu and New York City.
Butler is also an entrepreneur and an investor in Caliwater, which makes beverages from cacti. Past investments include a stake in Jamaica Tallawahs, a former cricket franchise in the Caribbean Premier League.
In the entertainment industry, Butler owns G-Base Productions, which has produced some of his films, including the two Den of Thieves movies, Olympus Has Fallen and its two sequels, and the two Greenland films. The Fallen franchise has crossed over into television, with the eight-episode Paris Has Fallen series in 2024, for which G-Base was part of the production team.
