Richard Tiffany Gere (born August 31, 1949, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) is an American actor.
Gere was born in Philadelphia to Anglo-Irish parents who were devout Methodists. In high school he excelled in gymnastics and music (he played the trumpet). He graduated in 1967 from North Syracuse Central High School. Gere attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, but he left college after two years to pursue acting. He also pursued a professional trumpet career. He continued to perform in television, movies and theater throughout the 1970s. He made his first impression in the original London stage version of Grease in 1973. His movie acting career took off in 1980 with the film American Gigolo.
He was formerly married to supermodel Cindy Crawford from 1991 to 1995. He married Carey Lowell in 2002 after dating for several years. They have a son, Homer James Jigme Gere, who was born in 2000.
Gere is a well known Buddhist and an active supporter of the Dalai Lama. He has also been an advocate for better human rights in Tibet, and was a co-founder of the Tibet House. He also campaigns for ecological causes and AIDS awareness.
He was the first man ever to appear on the cover of Vogue magazine.
For years, Gere has been the subject of a baseless rumor of deviant sexuality involving a gerbil, which has been dispelled.
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