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Richard Tiffany Gere (born August 31, 1949) is an American Golden Globe Award winning actor. Gere was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Jewish parents of Anglo-Irish descent. His father, Homer George Gere, was an insurance agent for Nationwide Insurance Company. His mother, Doris Anna Tiffany, is a housewife; he has three sisters and a brother.

He’s 57!

In 1967, Gere graduated from North Syracuse Central High School, where he excelled at gymnastics and music (he played the trumpet). He attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, but left college after two years to pursue acting and a professional trumpet career.

Gere’s first major acting role was in the original London stage version of Grease in 1973. He began appearing in Hollywood films in the mid 1970s, co-starring in the sexual thriller, Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), and playing the leading role in director Terrence Malick’s well-reviewed 1978 film, Days of Heaven. His acting career took off in 1980, with the successful film American Gigolo, followed by the popular romantic drama An Officer and a Gentleman, which had grossed over $100 million in 1982. Subsequently, he was the first man ever to appear on the cover of Vogue magazine.

Gere was married to supermodel Cindy Crawford from 1991 to 1995. During their marriage there were numerous rumors in the press that the relationship was a cover-up for the alleged homosexuality of both partners, something each denied. Also, during the 1980s, a rumor surfaced claiming Gere was admitted into a Los Angeles hospital because he had participated in a practice called gerbilling. There is no evidence for this claim, but the rumor has dogged his public image ever since, and there have been several references to it in film, television and literature. He married actress Carey Lowell in 2002, after dating her for several years. They have a son, Homer James Jigme Gere, who was born in 2000, and is named after Gere’s father.

Gere is a well known Buddhist and an active supporter of the Dalai Lama. He has also been a persistent advocate for better human rights in Tibet, and was a co-founder of the Tibet House and served on the Board of Directors for the International Campaign For Tibet. He also campaigns for ecological causes and for AIDS awareness, and has expressed his concern for AIDS problems in India.

Gere was banned as an Academy Award presenter in 1993 after he used the opportunity to condemn the Chinese government.

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