Actor Gerard Butler truly impressed everyone as King Leonidas of Sparta in 300. It was this film that truly made him stand out as an action hero and ever since, there has been no looking back for the Scottish actor. Butler smoothly transitioned from being the quintessential rom-com hero in P. S I Love You and The Ugly Truth to the Olympus Has Fallen franchise. Angel Has Fallen: Nick Nolte Says Working With Gerard Butler Was a Treat Because He's at the Top of His Game.

As the actor turns 50 on October 13, we celebrate his birthday by looking at some of his toughest and best roles across genres. The actor has played varied characters and we bet some of them have left you thinking who other than Butler could have pulled this off.

1. 300

Gerard Butler as King Leonidas for this epic may not have been an obvious choice but the actor certainly proved to be the best one.  Not many Hollywood leading men could have pulled off this absurd role with such grit. Butler's portrayal of the iron-willed leader whom you can’t help but root for is simply mindbending.

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2. How to Train Your Dragon

This Butler's best piece of voice acting ever. The film revolves around the story of a Viking/Scotland land where dragons are real,  The Island of Berk is constantly under the threat of being raided by dragons, so the young Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) wants to assist the town in fighting them off.  His father, Stoick, (Butler)  who is also the village leader refuses to allow this because Hiccup is too clumsy. Given that Butler himself is a Scotsman, his perfect accent is to die for in this film.

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3. Law Abiding Citizen

Law Abiding Citizen is a great action thriller enjoyed by many. It stars Butler as Clyde Shelton whose wife and daughter are violated and murdered right in front of him. The film traces Shelton's journey of revenge after the law fails to provide him with justice. Gerard Butler is a Different Kind of Action Hero, He’s Not Dwayne Johnson or Schwarzenegger, Says Angel Has Fallen Action Director.

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4. RocknRolla

This is classic Guy Ritchie film deals with a real-estate scam worth millions that grabs the attention of the city's delinquents. A trio called the Wild Bunch try to steal cash and guess who's in this trio? Gerard Butler, Idris Elba and Tom Hardy. Butler plays One-Two in the film and has a rather interesting character.

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5. P. S. I Love You

This one of the most-loved romantic dramas of all time. The film was an adaptation of the Cecelia Ahern book by the same name and no one would have thought that Butler could turn out to be the perfect Gerry for its on-screen adaptation. He's not the necessarily the perfect romantic hero otherwise, but in this film, Gerard Butler stole too many hearts with his portrayal of the amazingly lovable Gerry.

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We hope to see more of the actor on-screen in bigger and better roles ranging from action to romance. We bet many fans would like to see Butler do yet another rom-com and flaunt his charming smile.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 13, 2019 10:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).