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MUMBAI:
Humanitarian and actor, Richard Gere was born on August 31, 1949,
in Philadelphia. The second of five children, Richard started early
as a musician, playing a number of instruments in high school and
writing music for high school productions. He left college after
two years to pursue acting, landing a lead role in the London production
of the rock musical "Grease" in 1973.
Onscreen,
he had a few roles, and gained recognition in Looking for Mr. Goodbar
(1977). Off-screen, he spent the year 1978 meeting Tibetans when
he traveled to Nepal, where he spoke to many monks and lamas and
was first influenced by Buddhism. Returning to the US, on Broadway
he portrayed a concentration-camp prisoner in "Bent,"
for which he received the 1980 Theatre World Award. Back in Hollywood,
he played the title role in American Gigolo (1980), thus establishing
himself as a major star; this status was reaffirmed by An Officer
and a Gentleman (1982).
In
1990 Richard teamed up with Julia Roberts to star in the blockbuster
Pretty Woman (1990); his cool reserve was the perfect complement
to Julia's bubbling enthusiasm. The film captured the nation's heart,
and had fans clamoring for a sequel. They got their wish with Runaway
Bride (1999), which was a runaway success.
Richard has also been picked by People magazine as one of the 50
Most Beautiful People in the world in 1991 and as their Sexiest
Man Alive in 1999 and is an accomplished pianist and music writer.
But above all, Richard is a humanitarian. He's a founding member
of "Tibet House," a nonprofit organization dedicated to
the preservation of Tibetan culture. He has been an active supporter
of "Survival International" for several years, a worldwide
organization supporting tribal people, affirming their right to
decide their own future and helping them protect their lives, lands
and human rights.
On May 27, 2000, he received a Man of Conscience award from India's
film industry, or "Bollywood." The honor cited his efforts
to promote Tibet's freedom from Chinese rule. In October of 2000,
he accepted a humanitarian award named for former first lady Eleanor
Roosevelt for his work with Tibet.
Some
intresting Trivia about Richard Gere:
In
April 2007, an arrest warrant was issued in India for Richard's
arrest, after he kissed actress Shilpa Shetty at an AIDS awareness
event in New Delhi. By Indian law, the display was classed as an
obscene act in a public place. The punishment for such a crime is
imprisonment for three months, or a fine or both. Richard apologised
for the on stage antics, a day after the arrest warrant was issued.
In
March/April 2007, Richard auctioned himself off for the Robert F.
Kennedy Memorial, a human rights organisation founded in 1968. The
organisation aims to continue the legacy of Senator Robert F. Kennedy,
who was assassinated. People can bid to have lunch with Richard
in New York. As at March 21st, 2007, the current bid was $US13,500.
Richard
and his wife Carey Lowell currently live in Greenwich Village with
their son and her daughter from a previous marriage.
Richard was also married to supermodel Cindy Crawford;After countless
rumors of their marriage being a sham and a cover-up for the both
of them being homosexuals, both Richard and Cindy Crawford took
out a full page ad in the London Times announcing that they were
heterosexual, monogamous and in love.
Richard
can play the piano, bass, guitar, and trumpet. So perhaps it's only
apt that he shares his birthday with teenage rock impresario Debbie
Gibson. (Their age difference is 21 years).
He
was the first man ever to appear on the cover of Vogue magazine.
He
trained for five months for the tap dance scene in the 2002 film
Chicago.
He
actually composed and performed the piano solo in the 1991 film,
Pretty Woman.
For
many years, Richard has been both a practicing Buddhist and a vegetarian
In
1973, Richard played Danny Zuko in the London production of Grease.
He
got his lead roles in American Gigolo, An Officer and a Gentlemen
and Chicago after they all were turned down by John Travolta.
He
fired his press agent after American Gigolo came out because he
let People magazine have pictures of him without a shirt on after
being told not to sell them.
Richard
is the co-founder of Tibet House which is an organization that is
dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan culture.
He
received a Golden Globe nomination in 1981 for his work in American
Gigolo.
In
2003, he won his first Golden Globe portraying Billy Flynn in the
movie musical Chicago.
So
set your date with the dshing actor as he shares his expeiences
as an actor and talks about his passions, work and life on Inside
the Actors Studio this Sunday November 4, at 7:00 pm only on PIX.
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