Gerard Butler's interpretation of the Prince of Transylvania will surely be remembered among vampire fans as one ot the most multifaceted depictions on record. He infused his Dracula with deep passion without falling into the kind of over-the-top scenery chewing that Gary Oldman relied on. At the same time, he gave the count the same intensity that marked Christopher Lee's interpretation yet mingled it with singular animation.
Born in Scotland in 1969, Butler studied law and practiced in for several years in Canada before returning to the UK. His entry into the world of professional acting sounds like the old publicity stories they used to pass out about Hollywood stars' being "discovered." He was sitting in a London coffee shop when he caught the eye of actor Stephen Berkoff, who offered him a role in an upcoming production of Shakespeare's Coriolanus. After a bit more experience on the boards, Butler made his wide-screen debut in Mrs. Brown, the movie about Queen Victoria that won Judi Dench an Oscar.
He came to the attention of US audiences in 2000 when he played the lead role in the USA made-for-TV bioflick Attila. About the time he was filming the Hun, Wes Craven and director Patrick Lussier were looking for a Dracula, and Butler applied for the job. At first, it appeared he had no chance, since Lussier planned to begin filming before Attila was wrapped. With a little help from his friends, however, Butler obtained some footage from the TV movie and sent it off to Lussier. It was enough, and the result may well qualify as one of the best performances of the role ever.
Gerard Butler isn't done with fantasy. His next outing in the genre will be Reign of Fire, with Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale and Isabella Scorupco, in which a brood of dragons nested in the center of the earth hatches and decides to make themselves at home. And if that list of masculine pulchritude isn't enough to draw you to the theaters, ladies, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Alexander Siddig is also on the cast list.
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