RICHARD GERE is one of our foremost American actors, known for his roles in films such as "An Officer and a Gentleman," "Days of Heaven," "American Gigolo," "Yanks," "Pretty Woman," "First Knight," and in Paramount Pictures highly successful courtroom drama "Primal Fear." He also starred in MGM's political thriller "Red Corner" directed by Jon Avnet and in Michael Caton-Jones' remake of "The Jackal" for Universal Pictures.
Gere starred in Paramount Pictures' blockbuster romantic comedy "Runaway Bride," in which he reunited with his "Pretty Woman" director Garry Marshall, and co-star Julia Roberts.
Gere began acting at the University of Massachusetts, where he was a philosophy major. After spending full sessions with the Provincetown Playhouse and Seattle Repertory Theatre he performed in a number of New York plays, notably the title role in "Richard Farina: Long Time Coming and Long Time Gone," in addition to two plays by Sam Shepard, "Back Bog Beast Bait" and "Killer's Head."
His career was established with performances in the Broadway rock opera "Soon" and the New York production of the British farce "Habeas Corpus," and he won widespread recognition playing Danny Zuko in the Broadway and London productions of the hit musical "Grease."
An accomplished classical actor, Gere's many credits include the Lincoln Center presentation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and London's Young Vic Theatre production of "The Taming of the Shrew."
Gere's motion picture debut came in 1978 with the Oscar® honored "Days of Heaven," for which he received the Italian equivalent of the Academy Award®. He followed this with "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" with Diane Keaton, "Bloodbrothers," John Schlesinger's "Yanks" and "American Gigolo."
Gere returned to the Broadway stage in "Bent," winning the Theatre World Academy Award and rave reviews for his role as a homosexual prisoner at the Dachau concentration camp who loses his life rather than deny his identity.
His next film was the 1982 blockbuster "An Officer and a Gentleman," followed by "Breathless," "Beyond the Limit," "The Cotton Club," "Power," "No Mercy," and "Miles From Home."
In 1990, Gere received box-office acclaim for his portrayal of a corrupt cop in "Internal Affairs" and starred opposite Julia Roberts in the year's top-grossing picture, "Pretty Woman." The following year, he made a guest appearance in Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's "Rhapsody in August."
Gere is actively involved in developing projects and has executive produced "Final Analysis," "Mr. Jones," and "Sommersby."
He was the first actor to agree to appear in "And The Band Played On," the HBO adaptation of Randy Shilts' book about the first five years of AIDS in America. Gere played the role of a fictional choreographer.
He was most recently seen in MGM's "Autumn in New York" directed by Joan Chen, co-starring Winona Ryder and starring in "Dr. T and the Women," directed by Robert Altman, co-starring Helen Hunt and Liv Tyler.
A student and friend of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Gere, for over twenty years, has made numerous journeys throughout India, Nepal, Zanskar and Tibet, Mongolia and China. He is an accomplished photographer who has worked extensively within these regions. His first book, PILGRIM, recently published by Little, Brown and Company, is a collection of images that represent his twenty-five year journey into Buddhism. With a foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the book is Gere's personal vision of this ancient and spiritual world.
An outspoken human rights advocate, Gere has done much to draw attention to the tragedy that has been unfolding in Tibet under Chinese occupation. He is the founder of the Gere Foundation, which contributes to numerous health education and human rights projects and is especially dedicated to promoting awareness of Tibet and her endangered culture. The Foundation contributes directly to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan community-in-exile and to aid in the cultural survival of the Tibetan people. In 1987 Gere was the founding chairman of Tibet House in New York. After leaving Tibet House in New York in 1991, he became an active member of the Board of Directors of the International Campaign for Tibet based in Washington D.C., and in 1996 became Chairman. He has testified on Tibet's behalf before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Congressional Human Rights Caucus, the European Parliament, and House International Operations and Human Rights Subcommittee.
Gere has recently returned from an extensive visit to the Kosovar refugee camps in Macedonia.
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