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Gerard Butler wins battle of online ratings
Gerard Butler was the world’s favourite celebrity Scot in 2022, it has been revealed.
The actor and producer, 53, edged out Ewan McGregor as the most googled living tartan celebrity, according to global online search trends throughout last year.
Last year’s top Scot Karen Gillan was third, ahead of Eternals star Richard Madden, tennis legend Andy Murray and chef Gordon Ramsay.
Actors James McAvoy and Sam Heughan, Rod Stewart and former Game Of Thrones actress Rose Leslie made up the top 10.
Data provider Semrush looked at more than 400 famous Scots f rom the worlds of f i lm and television, music and sport, between January 1 and December 31.
Olga Andrienko, head of global marketing for Semrush, said: “Last year was a standout one for Scots around the globe, on the silver screen, on the stage and in the field of sports.”
The research revealed the top Scots worldwide and also in Scotland and around the UK.
Paisley-born Butler averaged
1.485million global searches per month last year, peaking at 1.83million in October when his movie Last Seen Al ive became Netflix’s most-watched film after its release in the US.
Butler, who studied to be a lawyer before taking up acting in the 90s, gained worldwide fame for his portrayal of King Leonidas in fantasy war film 300 and has since starred in and produced a string of blockbusters.
McGregor averaged more than 1.418million searches, including 3.35million in June fol lowing the release of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+.
Gillan was the leading female and in third place overal l after averaging 1.233million
searches. Madden climbed from eighth place in 2021 to fourth last year after playing Ikaris in the superhero film Eternals, while Murray (1.117million) was fifth as he returned to the world tennis top 50 after hip surgery.
Ramsay saw a worldwide boost from his TV show Next Level Chef and McAvoy starred in His Dark Materials.
Heughan starred in the sixth season of Outlander while rocker Stewart continued to make headl ines . Les l ie appeared in Death On the Nile and on TV in the science fiction series The Time Traveller’s Wife.
Dunblane star Murray aced the list of top Scots in Scotland and across the UK. He was the most-searched celebrity north
of the Border, ahead of rising ing tennis star Cameron Norrie. e.
Norrie, 27, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals and achieved a career-high world orld ranking of eight, pushed singergersongwriter Lewis Capaldi into nto third place in Scotland.
Paolo Nutini was fourth, rth, aheadd of Billy Connolly, ly, Davidid Tennant , Martintin Compston, Gerryy Cinnamon and footbal ler Bil lyy Gilmour, with boxer Josh Tayloror completing the topop 10.