Richard Gere, an American actor who is 72 years old, has been a leading man
in Hollywood ever since he started acting in movies in the 1970s. Despite
appearing in a number of noteworthy movies over the years, two of his most
well-known performances were as Edward Lewis in "Pretty Woman," where he
played a wealthy New York playboy who falls in love with a Hollywood
prostitute played by Julia Roberts, and as Billy Flynn, a lawyer, in the
smash hit musical "Chicago."
In 2003, Gere won the Best Actor Golden Globe for the film "Chicago,"
despite being nominated for both roles and missing out on the prize for
"Pretty Woman."
There is no denying that Gere made a significant impact on Hollywood, even
if he isn't as well-known in Hollywood today as he once was.
The actor has also always been a vocal campaigner in addition to receiving
plaudits for his lengthy line of highly praised films. He has openly
discussed the abuse of human rights in Tibet and dissented from the 2008
Summer Olympics in Beijing. He was also given the Medal of Gratitude by the
president of Albania in 2012 in recognition of his efforts to expose the
ethnic cleansing that took place in Kosovo in 1999.
.jpg)
Despite spending the most of his long career playing main males in dramas,
Gere has avoided controversy in his personal life. He has demonstrated that
he is an honest individual who will speak up for causes that he
supports.
Alejandra Silva, a Spanish publicist 33 years younger than Gere, has been
his wife since 2018. Silva, though, has stated that she is not disturbed by
their more than three decades of age difference. To learn more about their
connection, continue reading.
Gere started his career in the late 1960s, not long after quitting college
where he was majoring in philosophy and competing in gymnastics. He became
active in theater not long after graduating from college. He first appeared
in plays in the late 1960s and early 1970s in both Seattle and Cape Cod, but
it wasn't until Gere was cast as Danny Zuko in the original London stage
production of the hit musical "Grease" in 1973 that he made a name for
himself.
The actor relocated to Hollywood immediately after making a name for
himself in theater, and after making an appearance in the 1980 movie
"American Gigolo," his career only grew. Gere appeared in some of the finest
love stories of the 1980s and 1990s, such as "An Officer and a Gentleman,"
"Internal Affairs," and of course, the timeless "Pretty Woman."
"Pretty Woman," a pivotal film in 1990s pop culture, launched Julia Roberts
to prominence. Gere was nominated for an Oscar, but the actress who played
Vivian Ward won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Oscar.
However, Gere said to Today in 2015 that he nearly decided against doing the
movie and that Roberts ultimately persuaded him to do so:
"To be really honest, I wasn't sure I was going to do this movie yet. We're
getting to know one other, she's across the desk, and we're flirty-flirty
and nice-nice. And when (director Garry Marshall) phones, he asks, "How's it
going?" She takes a piece of paper as I say, "Yeah, yeah." She flips it over
and pushes it toward me. Please answer yes, it pleaded. It was really
lovely. I just replied "yes" while miming conversing on the phone.
We have little doubt that Gere is overjoyed that Roberts was able to
persuade him to appear in "Pretty Woman." Gere had Hollywood at his fingers
and two Golden Globe nominations by that time. He had appearances in the
1990s movies "Primal Fear" and "The Jackal," and he even worked with Roberts
again in "Runaway Bride." He appeared in the musical "Chicago" in 2002, and
it was then that he finally took home the Best Actor Golden Globe.
Even though Gere kept acting, his popularity was far from what it had been
in the 1980s and early 1990s, when he was at the height of his career. If
you ask the actor, there's a very good explanation for it, and it has to do
with the fact that he started being vocal about a number of China-related
topics in 1993. Years later, in 2017, Gere talked openly about how his
advocacy led to him being blacklisted by mainstream Hollywood, which
encouraged him to concentrate more on indie projects.
Some people might not be aware that the actor practices Tibetan Buddhism in
addition to his glitzy profession. He has already discussed his meditation
practice, and he even considers the Dalai Lama to be a friend.
Gere's passion in Tibet led him to speak out more in favor of the nation
and to openly criticize China's involvement in Tibet. When he was going to
deliver the Art Direction prize at the 1993 Academy Awards, this prompted
him to make an unexpected speech. The actor criticized China's "awful,
horrendous human rights condition, not just toward their own people but also
to Tibet" in his address.
Despite the cheers from the audience during his address, Gil Cates, the
show's producer, was unimpressed and swore to permanently bar Gere from the
Oscars.
But only a few years later, Gere played an American lawyer who was falsely
convicted of murder in China in the film "Red Corner" (1997). In a 2017
interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he stated that "everyone was thrilled
with the picture" once he began to promote it. However, he subsequently
received a call from the MGM executives informing him that they did not want
him to continue doing promotion for the film. "MGM wants to do a
comprehensive agreement with the Chinese," he said. China warned them,
saying, "If you release this movie, we won't buy it." So they disposed of
it.
Despite the uproar, the movie was nevertheless released, although it fared
poorly. These are just a few instances where Gere stood up for what he
thought was right, even though it cost him his career.
The Gere Foundation and the International Campaign for Tibet, two charities
he founded, have resulted in his permanent travel ban from China. He also
urged for a boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In the same THR interview,
Gere discussed the subject in detail. He stated:
There are movies that I can't participate in without the Chinese saying,
"Not with him. Someone recently told me they could not finance a movie with
me because it would enrage the Chinese.
The final conclusion appears to be that Gere doesn't sell well in China
because of his open criticism of the nation and its authorities. China is a
significant market for Hollywood.
In another instance, Gere spoke to THR about getting fired from an
unaffiliated film that wasn't even supported by the major studios. He
clarified:
.jpg)
Two weeks before our scheduled shoot, a Chinese director who I was supposed
to work with contacted to say, "Sorry, I can't do it. On a secure
connection, we had a private phone conversation. The filmmaker and his
family would never have been permitted to leave the country again, and he
would never have worked, if I had collaborated with him.
However, Gere doesn't appear phased by becoming a persona not grata at both
Chinese and Hollywood award ceremonies, and he has stated that he still
likes to make independent films. In the same interview, he stated:
"The studios are intrigued by the potential for enormous revenues. But I'm
still producing the same movies that I did when I first started. Short,
intriguing stories with strong characters and compelling narratives. My life
has not been altered in any way.
Gere, though, has also had a full personal life outside of his job. Gere
has been married three times, and a feature of all three marriages is the
significant age gap between Gere and his wives.
Cindy Crawford, a supermodel, served as Gere's first wife from 1991 to
1995. He was 42 at the time, while Crawford was only 25, and their 17-year
age difference was one of the factors in their separation. In an interview
with People years later, Crawford discussed some of the reasons their
relationship didn't work:
We were many other things, but I don't think we were ever friends — like
peers, because I was young and he was Richard Gere, and I think that was
part of the issue in our relationship.
Crawford continued by saying that instead of spending enough time getting
to know each other as a pair, they convinced themselves they could fly in
from different parts of the world to visit each other. Ultimately, their
relationship suffered as a result of their distance connection.
In 2002, when he was 53 and Carey Lowell was 41, Gere wed his second wife,
a model and actress. They conceived a boy they called Homer. However, after
11 years of marriage, they eventually split in 2016 following some pretty
contentious legal disputes that were rumored to be mostly financial in
nature.
After they divorced, Gere met Alejandra Silva, his third wife, with whom he
is still married today. Silva and Gere originally connected at a film
festival in 2014 and began dating, despite the fact that Silva was going
through a divorce with her first husband at the time. Prior to getting
engaged and getting married in 2018, they publicly came out as a couple in
2015. Gere was 68 years old at the time, and Silva was only 35, making a
33-year age difference between them. Nevertheless, the pair appears to be
immensely content with one another.
Alexander, Gere and Silva's son and their first child together, was born in
February 2019. The couple reportedly had a second kid in April 2020, just
over a year later. However, the identity of the infant's father is still
unknown because the pair has kept their children's identities highly
hidden.
.jpg)
Silva has been quite clear that their 33-year age difference has no bearing
on their relationship and has said as much ever since their relationship
became known. She discussed how they were related to Hola!, as noted by
Closer Weekly. She uttered:
"The instant we saw each other, our karma was drawn to one another... I'm
not dismissing our age gap or what it's like to date a Hollywood celebrity,
but when there's such a potent karmic energy, the issues vanish.
Silva further explained to Hello! Magazine:
It has to be this way in this life. He assured me of at least 20 happy
years! I have to admit that he is far more energetic and active than I am.
It's challenging for me to follow him. He isn't a person!
She also briefly discussed the reasons she believes their partnership is
successful. I believe I provide him stability, she remarked. The fact that I
wasn't a model or actress helped the most. She went on to explain:
I was never interested in that. Our passion to Buddhism, the Tibetan
people, and our desire to assist those in need are what have brought us
together the most. He was able to witness my unwavering devotion to helping
others as a person, a woman, and a humanitarian. The dream is the most
adorable, romantic one I've ever experienced. I've made the decision to stay
because of this.
It is reasonable to assume that the pair still supports each other in
whatever they do and is still madly in love! Hollywood seldom sees love
tales like this, but Gere and Silva make it seem simple.
Tags:
celebrity