(1949-)

Who Is Richard Gere?

After studying at the University of Massachusetts, actor Richard Gere went on to gain extensive experience as a stage actor. Gere received acclaim for an off-Broadway appearance in Killer's Head, then made his big-screen debut with a small role in Report to the Commissioner. His other films include Yanks, American Gigolo, An Officer and a Gentleman, Pretty Woman, Chicago and Shall We Dance?

Early Life and Career

Born on August 31, 1949, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, actor Richard Tiffany Gere has made a name for himself with such films as An Officer and a Gentleman, Pretty Woman, Chicago and Arbitrage. He grew up in a large Methodist family, one of five children born to Homer and Doris Ann Gere. A musical child, Gere became quite skilled at playing the trumpet.

After graduating from North Syracuse Central High School in 1967, Richard Gere studied philosophy at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst on a gymnastics scholarship. He left school after two years to explore his interest in theater. In the early 1970s, Gere landed the role of Danny Zuko in the musical Grease in London.

Richard Gere Films

'Looking for Mr. Goodbar,' 'Days of Heaven'

Gere had a career breakthrough in 1977 with the dramatic thriller Looking for Mr. Goodbar, starring Diane Keaton. In the film, he plays a rough-and-tumble lothario who meets a schoolteacher (Keaton). The following year, Gere landed a starring role in Terrence Malick's epic Days of Heaven.

'American Gigolo,' 'An Officer and a Gentleman'

Gere became an actor on the rise in the 1980s. In 1980, he had the title role in American Gigolo. Gere's character in the film is the personification of smooth and cool with his distinctive fashion style and swagger. Two years later, he came to embody the romantic lead in An Officer and a Gentleman opposite Debra Winger. Gere plays a troubled military recruit who gets involved with a local girl near his basic training camp. The drama proved to be a box office hit.

'Pretty Woman,' 'Internal Affairs,' 'Primal Fear'

In 1990, Gere enjoyed another wave of success with the romantic comedy Pretty Woman. The film follows the unlikely relationship that develops between a prostitute, played by Julia Roberts, and her client (Gere). He also showed himself capable of handling more weighty roles, such as the dirty cop in 1990's Internal Affairs and a defense attorney in Primal Fear (1996).

'Unfaithful,' 'Chicago'

Known for his charisma, charm and good looks, Gere earned People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" honor in 1999. He played against type for 2002's Unfaithful as Diane Lane's cuckolded husband. That same year, Gere returned to his musical theater roots with the film adaptation of the Broadway hit Chicago. He won a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of slick lawyer Billy Flynn.

'The Hoax,' 'I'm Not There,' 'Nights in Rodanthe'

Gere starred in 2006's The Hoax as the infamous writer Clifford Irving. Irving conned the world into believing he wrote a biography of famed reclusive business mogul Howard Hughes in the 1970s. The following year, Gere appeared in I'm Not There, an experimental film about music legend Bob Dylan. He also reunited with Diane Lane for the romantic drama Nights in Rodanthe (2008) around this time.

'Amelia,' 'Arbitrage'

In 2009, Gere co-starred with Hilary Swank in Amelia, a biopic about groundbreaking aviator Amelia Earhart. While that film proved to be a critical and commercial disappointment, he earned raves for one of his next efforts. Gere starred in 2012's Arbitrage with Susan Sarandon, playing a troubled hedge fund titan; his stunning performance in the film earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination.

'Time Out of Mind,' 'MotherFatherSon'

Gere focused on smaller, character-driven films in subsequent years, starring in dramas like Time Out of Mind (2014), The Benefactor (2015) and The Dinner (2017). In 2019, he made a rare foray into television with the BBC series MotherFatherSon, playing a media mogul who seeks to keep his life in order amid competing forces of family, business and politics.

Activism

Throughout his career, Gere has devoted much of his time to his social and political causes. The longtime Buddhist co-founded the Tibet House in 1987 and has served as the chairman of the board for the International Campaign for Tibet since 1995. He later established the Gere Foundation "to help sponsor human rights in Tibet and support the Dalai Lama," Gere explained to Redbook. He has also supported charities to help those suffering from AIDS, especially in India.

Wives and Children

Gere was married to model Cindy Crawford from 1991 to 1995.

In 2002, he wed actress Carey Lowell; they have one child together, a son named Homer. Gere and Lowell lived together in Bedford, New York, for many years. There they also co-owned the Bedford Post Inn with Russell Hernandez. Gere and Lowell announced that they were separating in 2013, with the divorce finalized three years later.

In 2018, Gere married a third time, to 35-year-old Spanish publicist and activist Alejandra Silva. “I was a little lost, without light, and knowing him gave meaning to my life,” she told the Spanish magazine HOLA!

The couple announced the birth of a son in February 2019 and their second child the following April.

QUICK FACTS

  • Name: Richard Tiffany Gere
  • Birth Year: 1949
  • Birth date: August 31, 1949
  • Birth State: Pennsylvania
  • Birth City: Philadelphia
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Richard Gere is an American actor known for his leading roles in films like 'American Gigolo,' 'An Officer and a Gentleman,' 'Pretty Woman' and 'Chicago.'
  • Industries
    • Civil Rights
    • Film
    • War and Militaries
  • Astrological Sign: Virgo
  • Schools
    • North Syracuse Central High School
    • University of Massachusetts at Amherst

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CITATION INFORMATION

  • Article Title: Richard Gere Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/actor/richard-gere
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: May 12, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

QUOTES

  • There's really one character for every actor. The voyage is to find that one character.
  • All of our energy should be in sacrifice and services. Suffering, at least.