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Richard Gere

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Biography

More coolly charismatic than drop-dead handsome, Richard Gere was one of the most successful sex symbols of the 1980s and early '90s. Possessing something of an actual talent in addition to his good looks, Gere has proven himself to be a versatile actor since first starring as the pick-up artist who creeps out Diane Keaton in Looking For Mr. Goodbar. Capable of playing everything from romantic leads and action heroes to medieval knights and ruthless villains, Gere has moved beyond his role as cinematic eye candy to become one of the more enduring actors of his generation.

Born in Philadelphia on August 31, 1949, Gere had a strict Methodist upbringing in upstate New York. Following his 1967 high school graduation, he studied philosophy and film at the University of Massachusetts -- only to leave school to pursue an acting career two years later. Gere became a professional actor and sometime musician, performing theatrically in Seattle and New York and attempting unsuccessfully to form a rock band. In 1973 the young actor landed in London, where he gained prominence playing Danny Zuko in Grease, a role he would later reprise on Broadway. While in London, Gere gained the privilege of becoming one of the few Americans ever to work with Britain's Young Vic Theater, where he appeared in The Taming of the Shrew.

Back in the U.S., Gere made his feature film debut in 1974 with a tiny part in Report to the Commissioner. He returned to the stage the following year as part of the cast of an off-Broadway production of Sam Shepard's Killer's Head; following Gere's turn in the 1977 Looking for Mr. Goodbar, he and Shepard would again collaborate in Terrence Malick's breathtaking Days of Heaven (1978). In 1979, Gere won considerable theatrical acclaim for his performance in the Broadway production of Martin Sherman's Bent, and the next year enjoyed his first shot at screen stardom with the title role in Paul Schrader's American Gigolo. Though the film was not a major critical or box-office success, it did earn recognition for the actor, who had taken the role after John Travolta turned it down. Gere did not become a real star until he appeared opposite Deborah Winger in An Officer and a Gentleman in 1982, but his bonafide celebrity was jeopardized with roles in several poorly received films, including King David (1985). A lead role in Francis Ford Coppola's 1984 The Cotton Club also failed to perk up the actor's career; despite a legendary director and stellar cast, the film received mixed reviews and poor box office.

With no recent major successes behind him by the end of the decade, it looked as if Gere's career was in a tailspin. Fortunately, he abruptly pulled out of the dive in 1990, first as a cop/crime lord in Mike Figgis' Internal Affairs and then as a ruthless businessman who finds true love in the arms of prostitute Julia Roberts in the smash romantic comedy Pretty Woman. Back in the saddle again, Gere continued to star in a number of films, including Sommersby (1993), Intersection (1994) and First Knight (1995). In 1996, he was highly praised for his portrayal of an arrogant hot-shot attorney in Primal Fear, and in 1999 found further financial, if not critical, success starring opposite Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride. The following year the actor enjoyed some of his best reviews to date as a gynecologist at once devoted to and bewildered by all of the women in his life in Robert Altman's aptly titled Dr. T and the Women: many critics noted that Gere seemed to have finally come into his own as an actor, having matured amiably with both years and experience.
When not on screen, Gere uses his stardom to promote his causes. A devout Buddhist, he has been deeply involved with the struggles surrounding the Dalai Lama. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Without Apparent Motive (2003)
Shabana (2002) .... Himself
... aka Shabana! Actor, Activist, Woman (2002) (USA)
Chicago (2002) .... Billy Flynn
Unfaithful (2002) .... Edward Sumner
Mothman Prophecies, The (2002) .... John Klein
Concert for New York City (2001) (TV) .... Himself
Dr. T & the Women (2000) .... Dr. Sullivan Travis
... aka Dr. T and the Women (2000) (Germany) (USA: alternative spelling)
Autumn in New York (2000) .... Will Keane
Runaway Bride (1999) .... Ike Graham
Junket Whore (1998) .... Himself
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (1998) (TV) .... Host
Jackal, The (1997) .... Declan Mulqueen
... aka Chacal, Le (1998) (France: dubbed version)
... aka Schakal, Der (1998) (Germany)
Red Corner (1997) .... Jack Moore
Primal Fear (1996) .... Martin 'Marty' Vail
Shadow Over Tibet: Stories in Exile (1995) (TV) .... Narrator
First Knight (1995) .... Lancelot
Intersection (1994) .... Vincent Eastman
Mr. Jones (1993) .... Mr. Jones
And the Band Played On (1993) (TV) .... The Choreographer
65th Annual Academy Awards, The (1993) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
Sommersby (1993) .... John Robert 'Jack' Sommersby
64th Annual Academy Awards, The (1992) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
Final Analysis (1992) .... Isaac Barr
Voices that Care (1991) (TV) .... Choir Member
Hachigatsu no rapusodî (1991) (as Richado Gia) .... Clark
... aka Hachi-gatsu no rapusodî (1991) (Japan: alternative transliteration)
... aka Hachigatsu no kyoshikyoku (1991)
... aka Rhapsody in August (1991) (USA)
63rd Annual Academy Awards, The (1991) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
Pretty Woman (1990) .... Edward Lewis
Internal Affairs (1990) .... Dennis Peck
Miles from Home (1988) .... Frank Roberts
... aka Farm of the Year (1988)
No Mercy (1986) .... Eddie Jillette
Power (1986) .... Pete St. John
King David (1985) .... David
Cotton Club, The (1984) .... Dixie Dwyer
Honorary Consul, The (1983) .... Dr. Eduardo Plarr
... aka Beyond the Limit (1983) (USA)
Breathless (1983) .... Jesse Lujack
... aka A Bout de Souffle Made in USA (1983)
Officer and a Gentleman, An (1982) .... Zack Mayo
Reporters (1981/I) .... himself
American Gigolo (1980) .... Julian Kaye
Yanks (1979) .... Matt
... aka Yanks - Gestern waren wir noch Freunde (1979) (West Germany)
Bloodbrothers (1978) .... Thomas Stony De Coco
... aka Father's Love, A (1978) (USA: TV title)
Days of Heaven (1978) .... Bill
Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) .... Tony
Baby Blue Marine (1976) .... Raider
Report to the Commissioner (1975) .... Billy
... aka Operation Undercover (1975) (UK)
Strike Force (1975) (TV) .... Trooper Walter Spenser
... aka Crack (1975) (TV)
... aka Crackdown (1975) (TV)

Links

Contact

9696 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
USA