Richard Gere's Kevo

Richard Gere was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 31, 1949. He grew up in a rural farm setting with a family that was very artistically inclined and which greatly encouraged Gere in his artistic endeavors.

In high school, Gere was a superb gymnast and even tried his hand at acting in order to help out in a drama production. He enjoyed acting immensely, but did not pursue an acting career when he graduated high school. Instead, Gere went to college on a gymnastic scholarship and studied philosophy and drama at the University of Massachusetts. He quit college after two years and began acting on stage on both the west and east coasts.

Gere enjoyed some modicum of success as a stage player for a few years, before he decided to become a professional trumpet player. He pursued this vocation for a few years - even living in a rock musician commune in the Vermont countryside before he realized that it wasn't what he wanted. He left for New York to further pursue acting, then took himself over to England where he starred in Grease. From there, Gere returned to the States to reprise the role on Broadway.

After a few other fine stage roles, Gere decided to make the change to film. He landed a few average roles in forgettable movies, finally getting a decent role opposite Diane Keaton in Looking for Mr. Goodbar. After a series of cinematic duds, including American Gigolo, Gere returned to the theatre for a while, playing the role of a homosexual in a concentration camp. Not long after, Gere received his first big film break with An Officer and a Gentleman. (Coincidentally, Officer, American Gigolo, and Days of Heaven had all originally been made for John Travolta, but eventually wound up in Gere's lap.) Gere converted to Buddhism around this time.

Despite the success of Officer, the rest of the '80s did not do much for Gere's film career; film after film bombed at the box office. The '90s, however, returned him to the spotlight with his roles as a workaholic businessman in Pretty Woman and a corrupt cop in Internal Affairs. Although slaughtered in the tabloids, Gere's marriage with Cindy Crawford appeared to be going well for him also, until 1995 when the two divorced. His film career also went on the decline once again with a string of poor quality movies. Due to his large commitment and concentration on other causes - especially that of the Tibetan people - Gere has not been very focused on his career. He has even passed on many parts that went on to become box office hits, including Die Hard. Gere's role in 1996's Primal Fear might have brought him back in the limelight, had it not been for the stellar performance of his supporting actor. His roles in Red Corner and The Jackal received some critically praise.

Gere continues his efforts at activism and currently has a few upcoming film projects, including a re-teaming with his Pretty Woman co-star Julia Roberts. Although Gere loves acting, his biggest passion is the Gere Foundation and Tibet House, which are part of his effort for the Tibetan cause.
Work History
actor; producer; musician
Affiliations
International Campaign for Tibet, Chairman www.savetibet.org

Co-Founder of Tibet House New York

Survival International

Richard Gere Foundation