Richard Gere

NAME Richard Tiffany Gere

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Richard Gere is a celebrated American actor known for his leading roles in romantic dramas such as Pretty Woman (1990), An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), and Chicago (2002), as well as his humanitarian work and commitment to Tibetan Buddhism.

BIRTH August 31, 1949, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Richard Gere is the second of five children born to Homer George Gere and Doris Anna (née Tiffany). His father was an agent for the National Farmers Union Insurance Co., and his mother was a homemaker. He has three sisters, Susan, Laura, and Joanne, and one brother, David. His ancestry includes English, and smaller amounts of Scots-Irish (Northern Irish), Welsh, Dutch, Scottish, and French.

CHILDHOOD Gere grew up in Syracuse, New York, after his family settled there. During his high school years, he was actively involved in various activities, including playing the trumpet, participating in musicals, and gymnastics.

EDUCATION Richard Gere attended North Syracuse Central High School (now Cicero-North Syracuse High School), graduating in 1967. He was voted “Most Musical” and lettered in gymnastics. 

Gere went on to the University of Massachusetts Amherst on a gymnastics scholarship, where he majored in philosophy. However, he did not complete his university education, dropping out after two years to pursue acting.

CAREER RECORD Gere’s film career began in the 1970s and rose to prominence with American Gigolo (1980). He solidified his leading-man status in An Officer and a Gentleman and Pretty Woman, in which he beat out Sam Neill, Tom Conti, and Charles Grodin for the role of Edward Lewis. He later starred in Chicago, which earned him a Golden Globe.

APPEARANCE Richard Gere is 5′ 10″/1.77 m with an athletic build and expressive eyes. He is known for his distinctive silver hair, which became a signature part of his mature leading man image. Gere possesses a poised and appealing screen presence, often noted for his "silky walk and fluid gestures." . In 1991, he was voted "Sexiest Man Alive" by People Magazine. (1)

Gere at the 2024 Venice Film Festival by Harald Krichel 

FASHION Gere’s Armani wardrobe in American Gigolo helped globalize unstructured Italian tailoring, spawning the modern power-suit trend and cementing the actor as a menswear icon. Off-screen he favors understated linen jackets and washed denim, befitting his Buddhist minimalism. (2)

CHARACTER Often described as introspective and deeply spiritual, Gere is known for his humility, political engagement, and quiet charisma off-screen.

Colleagues describe him as disciplined, curious and wryly self-deprecating. Longtime director Oren Moverman calls him “fearless yet endlessly patient” on set. 

SPEAKING VOICE Gere’s voice is a warm, mid-range baritone—smooth, calming, and slightly husky—well-suited to his roles as romantic leads and introspective protagonists. Vocal coaches describe it as “distinctive but not operatic,” though it sometimes slips regionally, as noted in critiques of his Northern Irish accent in The Jackal. 

SENSE OF HUMOUR Dry and sardonic, Gere has a sharp wit and a flair for improvisation—most famously ad-libbing the iconic jewelry-box snap in Pretty Woman. His frequent on-air jokes about his own movie lines show a relaxed sense of humor and an ease with self-parody.

RELATIONSHIPS Richard Gere has been married three times. He was famously married to supermodel Cindy Crawford. They wed on December 12, 1991, at the Little Church of the West in Las Vegas, in a ceremony officiated by Rev. Wes McPherson. The marriage ended in divorce in 1995/

He tied the knot with actress Carey Lowell in November 2002 in a private outdoor ceremony at their weekend home in Pound Ridge, New York. The only guests were reportedly their two-year-old son Homer and Lowell's daughter from a previous marriage. Their marriage ended in divorce in 2016.

His third marriage is to Spanish publicist and activist Alejandra Silva. The ceremony took place at Richard Gere’s estate in Pound Ridge, New York in April 2018. They later celebrated with family and friends the following month. They have two children. 

Gere with Alejandra Silva in 2024 by Harald Krichel 

MONEY AND FAME Gere has achieved significant financial success through his prolific acting career. His net worth is estimated to be in the tens of millions, largely from acting and real estate.

While never drawn to fame, Gere became one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars in the 1980s and 1990s. He has also leveraged his fame for various philanthropic and activist causes. He is a strong advocate for issues like HIV/AIDS and the human rights crisis in Tibet, establishing the Gere Foundation to support global humanitarian issues.

FOOD AND DRINK Richard Gere isn’t strictly vegetarian but follows a largely plant-based diet, occasionally eating fish and chicken while avoiding red meat. He’s expressed a desire to eventually cut out all animal products, favoring high-fiber, low-cholesterol meals. One favorite: chef Joe Monnich’s brown-butter Scottish salmon with spaghetti squash, featured in People magazine. He also enjoys the occasional gourmet cake, courtesy of neighbor Martha Stewart. (3)

ACTING CAREER Richard Gere has had the sort of acting career most people only daydream about while stuck in traffic or doing the dishes. It has now merrily stretched over five decades, hopping from Broadway to blockbuster and occasionally pausing to win awards or charm the French. Along the way, he's played everything from a high-powered corporate tycoon to a tap-dancing lawyer, to a man romantically entangled with a dog. (Sort of.)

Gere began his career in the early 1970s, when people still used typewriters and thought disco was a reasonable lifestyle choice. He took to the stage first, of course—as all proper actors are supposed to do—before easing into film roles like Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and Days of Heaven (1978), where he showed off a kind of smoldering intensity that suggested he might either recite Shakespeare or steal your girlfriend.

Then came American Gigolo (1980), which did for Gere what Saturday Night Fever did for Travolta—made him a style icon and a bit of a sex symbol, all while wearing truly alarming suits. By the time An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) rolled around, he was firmly entrenched in the public imagination as the sort of man who could carry Debra Winger out of a factory and look good doing it.

The 1990s were very good to Richard Gere. Pretty Woman (1990) arrived and turned him into something even bigger than a movie star: a rom-com legend. Paired with Julia Roberts, he managed to make playing a billionaire with commitment issues seem strangely noble. He also famously improvised the jewelry-box snap, proving he could be funny even in Armani.

The rest of the decade saw a string of varied performances in Sommersby (1993), Primal Fear (1996), The Jackal (1997), and Runaway Bride (1999). These roles often cast him as intelligent, tortured, or both—sometimes while wearing glasses, which in Hollywood means the character reads books.

Gere kicked off the new millennium with Unfaithful (2002) and The Mothman Prophecies (2002), films that reminded audiences he could still seethe and brood with the best of them. Then came Chicago (also 2002), a film that allowed him to sing, dance, and twirl a cane like a vaudeville Houdini. It won Best Picture, and Gere took home a Golden Globe, proving that yes, sometimes justice is real.

He followed with Shall We Dance? (2004), The Hoax (2006), I'm Not There (2007), and Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)—a film so emotionally effective it should come with tissues printed directly onto the DVD case. Critics took renewed notice with Arbitrage (2012) and Norman (2016), both of which showcased his ability to play morally ambiguous men with unsettling grace.

Gere continued to be film-active in the 2020s. Projects include Maybe I Do (2023), Oh, Canada (2024), and Longing (2024), proving that audiences are still quite happy to watch him do, well, anything.

He’s also ventured back into television, starring in and producing the BBC’s MotherFatherSon (2019) and the espionage thriller The Agency (2024), which may or may not have included him looking thoughtfully into the distance while wearing a trench coat.

Before all the film glory, Gere made his bones on stage, most notably in the 1979 production of Bent, and has occasionally returned to theatrical roots with the sort of intensity that makes you sit up straighter in your seat. He is, quite simply, a man who takes his craft seriously, even when he’s doing it while wearing tap shoes.

Over the years, Gere has collected a Golden Globe for Chicago, numerous nominations, and several lifetime achievement and humanitarian honors. He’s known nearly as much for his work off-screen as on it—an actor, yes, but also an advocate, activist, and surprisingly good piano player (he wrote and performed the solo in Pretty Woman, a fact that deserves to be on his business card).

MUSIC AND ARTS Music has been a significant part of Richard Gere's life since his youth. In high school, he was an avid musician, playing four instruments (including the trumpet) and composing scores for amateur musical shows. He has showcased his musical talents in several films, notably playing his own music compositions in Pretty Woman, The Cotton Club, and Runaway Bride. His role in Chicago also demonstrated his singing and dancing abilities. He has a deep appreciation for jazz music.

Gere is a passionate photographer; he's published Tibetan photo-essays donated to charity. 

He’s a passionate collector of Tibetan art.

He produces independent films and Broadway revivals; Gere executive-produced Time Out of Mind (2014) and Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (2009).

LITERATURE Gere is widely read in philosophy and spiritual literature, particularly Tibetan Buddhist texts. He has spoken about how books have guided his humanitarian path.

Richard Gere has contributed to literature, including forewords or contributions to books related to Buddhism and humanitarian causes. For example, he has contributed to works like Sadness, Love, Openness and A Profound Mind.

NATURE  A devoted environmentalist, Gere treasures natural spaces and often retreats to peaceful, rural settings far from the glare of Hollywood. On his North Salem estate, he cultivates organic gardens and wildflower meadows, creating a private sanctuary that reflects his ecological values. He actively campaigns against deforestation through Survival International and regularly journeys to Bodh Gaya, India, where he joins outdoor teachings with the Dalai Lama beneath the Bodhi tree.

PETS Richard Gere starred in and co-produced the heartwarming Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, a film celebrating the deep bond between man and dog. He called the three Akitas who played the title role “the real stars.”

HOBBIES AND SPORTS As a teenager, Richard Gere was a state champion gymnast and played the trumpet. 

He practices Iyengar yoga and daily 60-minute meditation sits. 

Gere enjoys horseback riding on his estate trails.

SCIENCE AND MATHS Gere's philosophical pursuits, particularly in Buddhism, often intersect with concepts of the mind and reality that can be explored through a scientific lens. He has been involved in discussions about how meditation changes the mind, brain, and body, aligning with scientific inquiry into consciousness.

Gere advocates neuroplasticity research and funds contemplative-science studies through Healing the Divide. 

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY A Zen student since the early 1970s, Gere embraced Tibetan Buddhism after a 1978 Nepal journey and has been a dedicated follower and student of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, since the early 1980s. His faith is a central pillar of his life, influencing his worldview, activism, and daily practices, including meditation.  He often discusses the Buddhist concept of illusion and the nature of self.

Gere espouses inter-faith dialogue and nonviolent ethics in global forums.

Gere with Lobsang Nyandak during the Tibet Fund annual gala in 2016, by Timofeytv 

POLITICS Richard Gere is a prominent political activist, particularly known for his advocacy for human rights in Tibet and his strong criticism of China's occupation of the region. He is a co-founder of the Tibet House US and chairman of the Gere Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting Tibetan culture and supporting the Tibetan people. His outspoken political views have sometimes led to professional repercussions, such as being banned from the 1993 Academy Awards after speaking out against China's policies. 

He also advocates for global humanitarian issues and HIV/AIDS awareness.

Gere frequently endorses Democratic initiatives and AIDS funding bills.

SCANDAL Despite some media curiosity in his private life and tabloid rumors, Gere has largely avoided major scandals. His outspokenness on Tibet has led to political backlash but not personal controversy. Hollywood’s reticence to cast him in China-funded blockbusters is more tangible, stemming from his political stance.

MILITARY RECORD Gere’s naval-aviator portrayal in An Officer and a Gentleman remains one of cinema’s definitive uniformed roles.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Richard Gere maintains his health and physical fitness through practices like meditation. He has spoken about how meditation has positively impacted his mind, brain, and body, helping him manage emotions like anger. 

HOMES Richard Gere has owned various properties. His current primary residence is a 35-acre horse farm, North Salem, New York,

He has been the4 co-owner since 2007 of the Bedford Post Inn, an eight-room boutique hotel and yoga center.

He reportedly acquired an €11 million mansion in the La Moraleja region of Madrid, Spain, a beautiful residential area. This three-story property boasts 1,000 square meters of space, a luxury heated pool, and a wine cellar. 

He previously owned a significant estate in Pound Ridge, New York, which he sold in 2022.

TRAVEL Richard Gere's travel is often linked to his activism and spiritual pursuits. He makes regular pilgrimages to Dharamshala, Bodh Gaya and Kathmandu for Buddhist teachings, to meet with the Dalai Lama and engage with Tibetan Buddhist communities. 

In the early 1980s he made medical-aid trips to Central America war zones.

Gere claimed in a 1973 London Evening Standard interview to promote Chicago, that he brought a 750cc Triumph T140V Bonneville from the Triumph's Meriden factory with his first pay check while touring with the stage production of Grease. (4)

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Beyond his film career, Richard Gere has been a frequent presence on programs like TODAY, CNN, and the BBC, and has been profiled in People magazine’s “Life in Photos” features. In 2001, he appeared as himself—in animated form—on The Simpsons, guiding Lisa on her spiritual journey. In 2023, Conan O’Brien jokingly revived the long-debunked gerbil myth on his podcast, poking fun at tabloid absurdity with Gere’s public image as the straight-faced counterpoint.

ACHIEVEMENTS Gere has received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe for Chicago, humanitarian awards, and lifetime achievement honors. His work for Tibet and human rights has earned him global respect.

Sources: (1) The Sheila Variations (2) GQ Magazine (3) CelebWell (4)  Encyclopaedia of Trivia