Richard Gere biography, net worth, wife, son, age, children, now 2025

Richard Gere's biography

Richard Tiffany Gere is a legendary American actor who became the ultimate sex symbol of the 80s and 90s, Golden Globe winner, and humanitarian activist, beloved by audiences worldwide for iconic films like American Gigolo, An Officer and a Gentleman, Pretty Woman, Final Analysis, Runaway Bride, Autumn in New York, Chicago, Shall We Dance, and Hachi: A Dog's Tale. Net worth: $120 million.

Richard Gere – a Hollywood actor and 80's sex symbol

Childhood and Youth

Born August 31, 1949, in Philadelphia, Richard Gere grew up on a farm in New York's suburbs. His father, Homer George Gere (born 1922), worked as an insurance agent at National Insurance Company, while his mother, Doris Ann Tiffany (1924-2016), was a housewife.

The large family lived modestly but peacefully, with a warm, close-knit atmosphere. From an early age, the children helped tend the garden and care for livestock. His parents believed in well-rounded development, so Richard immersed himself in music—learning guitar, piano, and double bass basics while mastering the trumpet at a professional level. He also joined the gymnastics team and performed in the school drama club.

Richard graduated high school in 1967 and earned a gymnastics scholarship to college. He enrolled at the University of Massachusetts to study philosophy and stage direction, but left after his sophomore year to pursue his dream of becoming a professional trumpeter. He joined a music commune in Vermont but quickly realized the bohemian lifestyle wasn't for him and began seeking theater work instead.

Between 1969 and 1973 Gere played in several performances at the Seattle Repertory Theater and the Provincetown Playhouse in New York. Friends noted that even then, the young actor displayed brilliant stage presence and tremendous charisma, but offstage he was quite introverted and had no idea how to promote himself. This may explain why directors initially overlooked the future star, dismissing him as expressionless and moody.

In youth Richard Gere was very introverted

Richard's first major stage breakthrough came in 1974 when he delivered a powerful dramatic performance in Sam Shepard's Killer's Head. The production became an instant hit, leading to Broadway opportunities and eventually his film career.

Richard Gere in the Killer's Head production (1974)

Cinema Career

Richard Gere made his film debut in 1977 with Richard Brooks's Looking for Mr. Goodbar, playing a supporting role alongside Diane Keaton, who earned a Golden Globe for her lead performance.

Richard Gere's first serious role (Looking for Mr. Goodbar)

The following year, Gere landed his first major role in Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven. The film won numerous awards, including the Oscar for Best Cinematography and the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director, but audiences didn't yet see Gere as a major star.

His breakthrough came with Paul Schrader's crime drama American Gigolo (1980) - a role that John Travolta had turned down.

Richard Gere in the American Gigolo

The film was considered groundbreaking for its time, tackling the subject of male prostitution and featuring a scene where Gere appears fully nude, facing the camera head-on. According to Gere, that angle was not written in the script

It happened quite naturally in the process of creating the movie. Of course, I felt defenseless, but I think women feel it differently.

His performance in the film established the young actor as America's new sex symbol. Gere's next starring role in Taylor Hackford's An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) proved even more successful, cementing his place in Hollywood's A-list. Like his previous hit, this role came to Gere after Travolta passed on it - a decision Travolta would later regret.

Young Richard Gere on the set of An Officer and a Gentleman

The film earned six Oscar nominations, winning two, and the American Film Institute later ranked it among the greatest romantic films ever made. Made on a modest $6 million budget, the film earned over $130 million at the box office.

Ironically, Gere's real-life relationship with actress Debra Winger, who played his love interest, was anything but romantic. In a post-production interview, she famously called him "a brick wall" and admitted she constantly felt tension when working with him.

Debra Winger and Richard Gere didn't get along

To prepare for their fight scenes, Richard Gere and Louis Gossett Jr. took karate lessons, but during one staged battle sequence, Gere accidentally landed a blow to Gossett's groin. The injured Gossett couldn't work for several days, so a stunt double finished the scene. Fortunately, the actors' friendship wasn't affected.

On the set Gere accidentally hit Gossett in the groin

In 1983, Gere starred in the action-drama Breathless, a remake of legendary director Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 film of the same name. Gere's vibrant, rebellious character transported audiences into a world of passion and reckless danger - the film achieved cult status, albeit briefly. Genre master Quentin Tarantino raved about it: "This film completely indulges all my passions: comics, rockabilly, and cinema."

Gere later delivered a stellar performance in Francis Ford Coppola's gangster epic The Cotton Club (1984), joining an impressive ensemble cast that included Diane Lane, Nicolas Cage, and musician Tom Waits. The film received mixed critical reception: while it earned several prestigious nominations, including two Oscar nods and Golden Globe nominations for Best Film and Best Director, it bombed at the box office, failing to recoup even half its budget.

In the late '80s, Gere appeared in several lesser-known films: the biblical epic King David (1985) - which earned him a Razzie nomination for Worst Actor, though he lost to Sylvester Stallone for Rambo: First Blood Part II - the political drama Power (1986), crime thriller No Mercy (1986) with Kim Basinger, family drama Miles from Home (1988), and the cop thriller Internal Affairs (1990). Unfortunately, none of these projects boosted his career or brought significant box office success.

King David brought the actor his first nomination for the Golden Raspberry

Gere's career had hit a rough patch when he was offered the Pretty Woman script. Several A-list actors had been approached for the role of businessman Edward Lewis, including Denzel Washington and Al Pacino, but all had passed. Gere initially planned to turn it down too, finding the character shallow and the plot too simple. However, he changed his mind at the last minute and took the role purely for the paycheck.

Richard Gere and Julia Roberts on the set of the Pretty Woman

Casting the role of spirited prostitute Vivian wasn't without its challenges: Winona Ryder, Meg Ryan, Diane Lane, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sarah Jessica Parker and other famous actresses were considered for the role. Ultimately, the studio and director Garry Marshall gave Julia Roberts the green light, and in 1990 Pretty Woman hit theaters worldwide to massive success.

While critics gave the film a lukewarm reception, noting it appeared to be about love but was really about money and status, the box office told a different story with a record-breaking $463 million worldwide. Richard Gere earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor and was instantly catapulted to A-list status. For the next few years, tabloids couldn't mention his name without adding the label 'sex symbol.'

Despite the success of Pretty Woman, he now calls the film his least favorite of all his movie roles, adding: Thankfully, we're more critical of these kinds of stories now.

In 1991, Gere took on a small role in the drama Rhapsody in August—one of the final works by legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, dedicated to the memory of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Some newspapers criticized the film as anti-American, since Kurosawa openly sympathized with the Japanese without acknowledging Japanese aggression in World War II. But the maestro disagreed: "Governments, not people, wage wars against each other." In the film, Richard speaks Japanese—a language he doesn't actually know—so he had to memorize all his lines phonetically.

Richard Gere and Akira Kurosawa (from the left)

Richard Gere was incredibly in demand throughout the '90s: even after turning 40, he didn't lose an ounce of his charisma or sex appeal, and his early gray hair appeared as a distinguished accent on screen, though it was sometimes digitally touched up on movie posters.

The actor didn't lose attractiveness and charm over the years

In 1992, Phil Joanou's psychological thriller The Final Analysis was released, featuring Gere alongside the stunning Kim Basinger and a then-young Uma Thurman. Soon after, the actor landed the lead role in the romantic drama Sommersby (1993), playing a man returning home after the American Civil War opposite Jodie Foster.

His films from this period included the melodrama Mr. Jones (1993), the drama Intersection (1994, with Sharon Stone), the Arthurian adventure First Knight (1995, with Sean Connery), the thriller Primal Fear (1996), the drama Red Corner (1997), and the action film The Jackal (1997, based on Frederick Forsyth's novel The Day of the Jackal and its 1973 film adaptation).

Another romantic comedy by Garry Marshall, this time reuniting Gere with Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride (1999)—which brought together many cast and crew members from Pretty Woman—launched a new phase in his career.

Richard Gere, Sharon Stone and Jennifer Morrison (Intersection).

Though the film didn't aspire to be a masterpiece, it earned an impressive $300 million at the box office and once again elevated the now-50-year-old Gere to sex symbol status.

Gere's next project was completely different—the drama Autumn in New York (2000), where he played the challenging role of a successful man rendered powerless by his beloved's illness and impending death, with Winona Ryder as his co-star. The film received a lukewarm reception, with critics finding it not as terrible as expected but not compelling enough, citing a lack of romantic chemistry between Gere and Ryder. Nevertheless, it performed well at the box office and was appreciated by many viewers for its unique sense of fragile, fleeting beauty.

In the photo: Richard Gere and Winona Ryder

Following two underwhelming films - the romantic comedy Dr. T & the Women (2000, co-starring Helen Hunt) and the mystical thriller The Mothman Prophecies (2002) - Richard Gere starred in Adrian Lyne's action-drama Unfaithful (2002) alongside his frequent collaborator Diane Lane.

Richard Gere and Diane Lane often shot together

According to Gere, he wanted to explore the complex issues his character faced and share them with audiences.

What are relationships in a couple? How do you keep them alive and honest? Maybe they should always be in motion, like sharks? Maybe, in order not to die, you need to dive to greater and greater depths? I think that's right.

His next - and even bigger - success wasn't long in coming. Rob Marshall's criminal musical Chicago was released in the same 2002, where Richard Gere starred alongside Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The film received thirteen (!) Oscar nominations and won six, including the most prestigious category, Best Picture. Critics were unanimous: the film was visually stunning while also demonstrating incredible plot depth and brilliant humor. The film's box office earnings exceeded three hundred million dollars.

Richard Gere – I'll give everything for love (Chicago Musical)

In 2004, Gere starred in another standout film - Peter Chelsom's romantic drama Shall We Dance, where Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon became his partners. Critics admitted:

55-year-old Gere still handled the romantic hero role beautifully - strong yet gentle, decisive while standing at a crossroads, somewhat tough but still full of love.

One of mature Gere's most powerful performances was in director Lasse Hallström's heartbreaking drama Hachi: A Dog's Tale, about a faithful dog who waited desperately for its deceased owner for nine years. The story deeply moved the actor: "When I first read the script, I cried. Then I read it again and cried again... We tried to shoot this film truthfully and sincerely."

Richard Gere made friends with the puppy playing little Hachi

He considered his role secondary: "Sometimes we shot 10 hours a day focused on the dog, and then I'd quickly play my part in 10 minutes. So I definitely had a supporting role in the film."

In 2013, the actor appeared in the black comedy Movie 43. The film was notable for all the wrong reasons, winning three Golden Raspberry awards: Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. Even with a star-studded cast including Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Emma Stone, Uma Thurman, Chloe Moretz and many others - all of whom, like Richard Gere, performed in small episodes.

He then played the lead role in the Time Out of Mind (2014) social drama, which brought homelessness issues into the spotlight. In 2015 another comedy The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (the sequel of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) was released, where Gere plays one of the many roles along with Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and others. Gere then appeared in The Benefactor (2015), Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer (2016, previously titled Oppenheimer Strategies), The Dinner (2017) and the Three Christs (2017). Richard Gere is a devoted Buddhist. He embraced Buddhism in 1972 in Los Angeles and in 1978 he first traveled to Nepal and Tibet to learn from monks and lamas.

Richard Gere is familiar with the Dalai Lama

During a later visit, Gere met the Dalai Lama, who became his mentor. Since then, the actor has made repeated visits to Tibet and Dharmsala, the Indian city where Tibet's government-in-exile is based.

Richard Gere tells about Buddhism

Gere passionately supports Tibet's independence movement, following China's 1950 occupation. He's also actively involved with the movement For Human Rights in Tibet and is one of the founders of the Dalai Lama Cultural Center House of Tibet at Columbia University in the USA. In addition, he established the personal Richard Gere Foundation and also serves as chairman of the board of directors of the International Campaign for Tibet group, which advocates for democratic freedoms, human rights, and the preservation of Tibet's culture and environment.

Since Gere openly stands for the independence of Tibet, he is banned for life from entering China.

Richard Gere also champions indigenous peoples' rights worldwide, participates in environmental causes, and fights against AIDS. He supports the US Democratic Party and criticizes the war in Iraq: This war has been a tragedy for everyone. I really hope the Iraqi people can rebuild their country.

Richard Gere's personal life

Richard Gere keeps his personal life private, and little is known about his early interests. In 1971-1978 he was in a relationship with actress Penelope Milford, and later with Brazilian artist Sylvia Martins, with whom he lived for 5 years. He also had relationships with Priscilla Presley in 1983 and Kim Basinger in 1986, when they starred together in No Mercy.

Richard Gere and Kim Basinger (No Mercy)

In 1991, at age 42, the actor married 25-year-old supermodel Cindy Crawford, whose relationship with him began during the filming of Pretty Woman. The marriage lasted just four years, though Cindy later expressed gratitude for Richard: "He taught me a lot." However, there is not a word about their life together in her autobiographical book, published in 2015. According to the former model, Richard Gere is now a complete stranger to her.

Richard Gere was married to Cindy Crawford

In 1996 Gere met actress Cary Lowell (born 1961), who played a Bond Girl in the hit film License to Kill. The couple didn't officially marry until November 2002, though Carey and Richard had been together for almost seven years by then, living together for three of those years.

Richard Gere and his ex-wife Cary Lowell

Son Homer James Jigme Gere was born into the family in 2000. It came as a complete surprise when the couple broke up in 2013 and officially divorced in October 2016. The reasons for the separation were concealed behind the vague phrase "differences in lifestyle."

Alejandra Silva (born 1984), the daughter of Ignacio Silva, the Vice President of Real Madrid, became Gere's new girlfriend. The couple officially married in April 2018.

Richard Gere nowadays

Recently, Richard Gere has appeared less frequently in films and TV shows, but in 2020 he starred in the BBC's MotherFatherSon. In this series, he played the role of Maximillian Finch. Its plot tells the story of a powerful family going through difficult times.

MotherFatherSon: Trailer

Richard Gere: latest news and articles

Actor Richard Gere will permanently leave America and move to his wife`s homeland

7 Nov 2024

Sharon Roberts

The most charming actor in Hollywood is definitely Richard Gere! And on the film «Hachiko» with him, I could not stop my tears... Very touching!

2021-04-18 21:17:33
Deborah Salazar

One of Gere`s favorite films is of course Pretty Woman! A legendary film that will be remembered for many, many years!

2021-04-17 23:01:22
Jeffrey Underwood

A very talented actor and a favorite of all women. His purposefulness and inner strength are striking.

2021-04-17 10:10:03
Gail Oliver

I loved Richard Gere when I was young! Well, what a handsome man... Now I am happy to watch my favorite films with him.

2021-04-02 08:12:27
Glenn Price

The greatest actor of our time. How many wonderful films he starred in.. And as a person, Richard Gere is wonderful. Will not leave anyone in trouble.

2021-02-19 14:21:38

Photos: Richard Gere