american movie actor, born in in 1949 in philadelphia. Richard Gere got early attention from roles in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and Days of Heaven (1978), but it was his title role in American Gigolo (1980) that made him a star. In 1990 he co-starred with Julia Roberts in the 1990 hit Pretty Woman. He has since stayed busy as a leading man in the movies, mostly romantic comedies.

Gere is also known as an offscreen champion for Tibetan independence. he claims to be a personal friend of the Dalai Lama.