Richard Gere facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richard Gere
Richard Gere at the 2024 Venice Film Festival
Born	(1949-08-31) August 31, 1949 (age 75) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1969–present
Spouse(s)	Cindy Crawford ​ ​ (m. 1991; div. 1995)​ Carey Lowell ​ ​ (m. 2002; div. 2016)​ Alejandra Silva ​ ​ (m. 2018)​
Children	3

Richard Tiffany Gere (/ɡɪər/ geer; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He started acting in movies in the 1970s. He became very well-known for his role in the film American ... (1980). This movie helped him become a popular leading man. Richard Gere has starred in many other famous films like An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), Pretty Woman (1990), and Runaway Bride (1999). He also won a Golden Globe Award for his role as Billy Flynn in the musical movie Chicago (2002).

Richard Gere's Early Life and School

Richard Gere was born in Philadelphia on August 31, 1949. He was the second child of Doris Ann and Homer George Gere. His father worked as an insurance agent. Richard grew up in Syracuse, New York.

When he was in high school, Richard was very good at gymnastics and music. He also played the trumpet. After graduating in 1967, he went to the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He studied philosophy there on a gymnastics scholarship. He left college after two years.

Richard Gere's Acting Career

Richard Gere (right) with Lobsang Nyandak in 2016.

Richard Gere began his acting career in theater in 1969. He performed in plays in Seattle and on Cape Cod. His first big role on Broadway was in the musical Soon in 1971. Later, he appeared in the London version of Grease in 1973. He also played a gay Holocaust victim in the Broadway play Bent in 1979. For this role, he won a Theatre World Award.

Richard Gere started acting in Hollywood movies in the mid-1970s. He had a small but important part in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977). He then starred in the drama Days of Heaven (1978).

His career really took off with the crime drama American ... (1980). Then, the romantic drama An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) made him a big star. This movie made almost $130 million and won two Academy Awards. Richard Gere himself received his first Golden Globe Award nomination for his role.

In the 1990s, Richard Gere starred in many successful films. These included Internal Affairs (1990) and the very popular Pretty Woman (1990). Pretty Woman earned him his second Golden Globe nomination. He also appeared in Sommersby (1993) with Jodie Foster, Primal Fear (1996), and Runaway Bride (1999). In Runaway Bride, he reunited with his Pretty Woman co-star Julia Roberts.

In the early 2000s, Richard Gere continued to star in hit movies. These included The Mothman Prophecies (2002) and Unfaithful (2002). He also starred in the musical film Chicago (2002), which won an Academy Award. For his performance in Chicago, Richard Gere won his first Golden Globe Award. His dancing movie Shall We Dance? (2004) was also very popular around the world.

Later, Richard Gere started acting in more independent films. He received great reviews for his role as businessman Robert Miller in Arbitrage (2012). He earned his fourth Golden Globe Award nomination for this movie. In 2016, he played a different kind of character, Norman Oppenheimer, in the political drama Norman. Critics praised his performance in this film.

Richard Gere is also a talented musician. He composed and played the piano theme for Pretty Woman. He also played a guitar solo in Runaway Bride. For his role in Chicago, he learned tap dancing for three months. He also studied karate for An Officer and a Gentleman.

Many film critics say that Richard Gere is one of the best actors who has never been nominated for an Academy Award.

Richard Gere's Political Views and Activism

Richard Gere visiting the USAID "Operation Lighthouse" Project in Mumbai.

Richard Gere is well-known for his work as an activist. He often visits Dharamshala, which is the home of the Tibetan government-in-exile. He strongly supports human rights in Tibet. He helped start the Tibet House US and is the Chairman of the Board for the International Campaign for Tibet. Because he supports the Tibetan Independence Movement, he is not allowed to enter China.

In 1993, Richard Gere was not allowed to present an Academy Award. This happened after he spoke out against the Chinese government during the awards show. In 2007, he asked people to boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He wanted to put pressure on China to make Tibet independent.

Richard Gere also works for environmental causes and to raise awareness about AIDS. He is on the board of Healing the Divide, an organization that works for peace and understanding. He helped create the AIDS Care Home in India, which is a place for women and children with AIDS. He also supports AIDS education in India. In 1999, he started the Gere Foundation India Trust to help with humanitarian projects in India.

Richard Gere with Narendra Modi in 2015.

He has written for books about protecting the rights of tribal peoples. He talked about how the Jumma people lost their land. He believes this shows how important it is to respect different cultures and nature.

In 2010, Richard Gere said that the war in Iraq was a "tragedy for everyone." He also said that George W. Bush was a "very poor president." In 2016, he supported Hillary Clinton for president. In 2017, he criticized Benjamin Netanyahu's policies on Palestinians and Israeli settlements. In 2023, he signed a statement supporting the Mahsa Amini protesters in Iran.

Richard Gere's Personal Life

Richard Gere with his third wife Alejandra Silva in 2024.

Richard Gere has been married three times. He was married to model Cindy Crawford from 1991 to 1995.

In 2002, he married model and actress Carey Lowell. They have a son named Homer James Jigme Gere, who was born in 2000. They separated in 2013 and their divorce was finalized in 2016.

In 2018, Richard Gere married Spanish activist Alejandra Silva. They announced they were expecting their first child together in August 2018. Their son was born in February 2019. In April 2020, they welcomed their second son.

Richard Gere became interested in Buddhism when he was in his 20s. He studied Zen Buddhism for several years. In 1978, he traveled to Nepal and met many Tibetan monks. He later met the 14th Dalai Lama in India. He became a practicing Tibetan Buddhist and a strong supporter of the Dalai Lama.

In February 2023, Richard Gere was diagnosed with pneumonia while on vacation in Mexico. His wife reported that he fully recovered from his illness.

Awards and Honors for Richard Gere

Richard Gere has received many awards and honors for his acting and his humanitarian work.

In 1995, he was the president of the jury at the 19th Moscow International Film Festival. In 2012, the Albanian President gave him the Medal of Gratitude. This award recognized him as a great humanist and activist for human rights. Also in 2012, the George Eastman Museum honored him with the George Eastman Award for his important contributions to film.

Here are some of the awards Richard Gere has won or been nominated for:

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See also

In Spanish: Richard Gere para niños