Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor and human rights activist, best known for his role in the iconic romantic comedy Pretty Woman (1990) which established him as a popular American sex symbol during the 90's. His extensive career includes hit films such as Runaway Bride (1999), An Officer and a Gentlemen (1982), Arbitrage (2012) and Hachi : A Dogs Tale (2009). For his work in the widely acclaimed musical Chicago (2002), Gere recieved the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and a Screen Actor's Award for part of the Best Cast. His charm and charisma has earned him the People Magazine's 'Sexiest Man Alive' title in 1999.
Early Life
Gere is the son of housewife Doris Ann, and insurance agent, Homer George Gere. Born on August 31, 1948, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; he was raised along with four siblings, as a devout Methodist, and his father once intended to become a minister.
During his youth, the actor excelled at gymnastics and music, his preferred instrument being the trumpet. After graduating from North Syracuse Central High School in 1967, Gere attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst on a gymnastics scholarship. Though he chose Philosophy as his major, he did not complete his education and left after a mere two years.
Personal Life
Gere dated actress Penelope Milford from 1971 to 1978. He was also briefly involved with Priscilla Presley in 1983 and Kim Basinger in 1986.
In 1991, he married supermodel Cindy Crawford but their marriage did not last long, ending in 1995. After remaining single for a few years, Gere proposed to model and actress Carey Lowell in 2002. The couple had a son, Homer James Jigme Gere who was born in February 2000. An avid supporter of Buddhism, Gere named his son Jigme, which is a Tibetan name. After eleven years of marriage, Gere and Lowell separated, in September 2013, following which a series of highly contested divorce proceedings took place in the Manhattan Supreme Court.
The actor has studied Zen Buddhism for six years under Kyozan Joshu Sasaki. Although raised Methodist, Gere became interested in Buddhism during his twenties and has since remained a practicing Tibetan Buddhist.
Theatre Career
In 1971, he starred in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. This inspired him to continue in the field of acting and he was cast in the London stage version of the popular musical Grease (1973). He then travelled to Hollywood and auditioned for a role in The Lords of Flatbrush (1974). Unfortunately, despite being selected for the film, Gere was replaced after an altercation with his co-star Sylvester Stallone.
Gere's next live performance was a gay Holocaust victim in the Broadway production of Bent (1979). He was one of the first Hollywood actors to portray a gay character and as a result earned a Theatre World Award for his work.
Movie Career
In 1974, the actor received a minor role in the movie looking for Mr. Goodbar which was followed by an appearance in Terrance Malick's Days of Heaven (1978); the latter was positively received by critics.This was followed by a lead role in the cult classic American Gigolo (1980), the film was an unexpected success, boosting Gere's image in the media significantly and establishing him as a Hollywood sex symbol.
His performance in the romantic drama An Officer and a Gentlemen (1982) alongside Debra Winter was much appreciated by the audience and the movie was a box office hit. However, what followed were various box office bombs until Gere appeared in two movies in 1990, Internal Affairs (1990) and the romantic comedy Pretty Woman (1990).Both the movies were box office hits. Pretty Woman was a huge commercial success, becoming an iconic film in the romance genre and spanning a cult following. Gere, who essayed the character of Edward Lewis, a rich, corporate raider and womanizer was now an easily recognizable face on the big screen. In the crime thriller Internal Affairs, the actor portrayed Dennis Peck, a manipulative corrupt cop who uses his colleagues as pawns to meet his own ends. The film was included in The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made (2004) with Gere's performance singled out and praised.
During the 90's, the actor appeared in a series of moderately successful films, Sommersby (1993), Primal Fear (1996) and the romantic comedy Runaway Bride (1999). He also starred as a former I.R.A militant, Declan Mulqueen, in the action-suspense flick The Jackal (1997).
After receiving the 1999 title of People's magazine's 'Sexiest Man Alive’, Gere was cast in The Mothman Prophecies (2002) and Unfaithful (2002); both were commercially and critically appreciated.
His next role as Lawyer Billy Flynn in the big-budget film adaptation of the musical Chicago was a momentous milestone in his career. The Academy-Award winning movie won Gere his first Golden Globe for the category of Best Actor-Comedy or Musical.
In 2004, the actor appeared in the dance drama Shall We Dance, which performed well commercially. However, this was followed his role in Bee Season (2005) that was a box office failure. Gere then starred in the thriller The Hunting Party (2007) and was cast alongside actors Heath Ledger and Cate Blanchett in the semi-biopic film I'm not There (2007) about musician Bob Dylan.
The year 2008 saw Gere in the internationally successful romance Nights in Rodanthe. The film was critically panned despite its box office profit and was disgraced with the title #74 on The Times Worst Films of 2008. For his work in Arbitrage (2012), the actor was presented with a prestigious award from the 34th Cairo International Film Festival in December 2010. The film received rave reviews with Gere being singled out as the obvious star. In subsequent years, Gere appeared in movies such as Movie 43 (2013), Henry and Me (2014) and The Second Best Marigold Hotel (2015).
T.V Career
Gere has appeared on Dateline NBC (2003) and has narrated the biopic program The Buddha (2010) directed by Emmy Award Winner David Grubin. He has also hosted 2003's What's Going On? A documentary series examining world issues through the eyes of children.