Richard Tiffany Gere (
/ɡɪər/ GEER; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in
Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and a starring role in
Days of Heaven (1978). He came to prominence with his role in the film
American Gigolo (1980), which established him as a
leading man and a
sex symbol. His other films include
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982),
The Cotton Club (1984),
Pretty Woman (1990),
Sommersby (1993),
Primal Fear (1996),
Runaway Bride (1999),
I'm Not There (2007),
Arbitrage (2012) and
Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer (2016). For portraying
Billy Flynn in the musical
Chicago (2002), he won a
Golden Globe Award and a
Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the cast.