Richard Gere: From Heartthrob to Hollywood Outsider<\/strong><\/p>\n Richard Gere rose to global fame with Pretty Woman<\/em>, becoming a beloved heartthrob. But his career has been anything but ordinary\u2014at one point, he was nearly blacklisted from major films and turned to independent cinema instead.<\/p>\n Born in 1949 in Philadelphia and raised near Syracuse, NY, Gere had a typical American upbringing. A talented gymnast and musician, he discovered acting later in life. After dropping out of college, he pursued acting full-time, landing early stage roles in Grease<\/em> and eventually moving to Broadway.<\/p>\n His film breakthrough came in the late \u201870s with Looking for Mr. Goodbar<\/em>, Days of Heaven<\/em>, and American Gigolo<\/em>. But it was Pretty Woman<\/em> in 1990 that catapulted him to stardom\u2014thanks in part to Julia Roberts, who convinced him to take the role.<\/p>\n Ironically, Gere nearly turned it down. In a 1993 interview, he admitted he had lost interest in big studio films and felt he had already “screwed up” his career. He took Pretty Woman<\/em> as a business decision, not a passion project\u2014yet it helped him find a freer acting style.<\/p>\n Despite its success, Gere later dismissed Pretty Woman<\/em> as a \u201csilly romantic comedy,\u201d even blaming it for glamorizing Wall Street culture.<\/p>\n Gere has never chased blockbusters or awards\u2014he\u2019s avoided franchises and superhero roles. \u201cMy career has never been thought out,\u201d he said. \u201cI just do what I want.\u201d<\/p>\n His refusal to stay silent on human rights also cost him. A longtime Buddhist and friend of the Dalai Lama, Gere used the 1993 Oscars to protest China\u2019s occupation of Tibet. As a result, he was banned from future broadcasts\u2014and from China altogether. Studios later dropped him from projects to avoid offending the Chinese market.<\/p>\n In Red Corner<\/em> (1997), where he played an American wrongly accused in China, MGM caved to Chinese pressure and shelved the film\u2019s promotion.<\/p>\n Now in his 70s, Gere is focused on indie films, which he prefers. Despite being sidelined by Hollywood, he says it hasn\u2019t affected him. \u201cI\u2019m still making the same kinds of character-driven stories I always loved.\u201d<\/p>\n Married to Alejandra Silva, 33 years his junior, Gere continues to live life on his terms\u2014both on screen and off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Richard Gere: From Heartthrob to Hollywood Outsider Richard Gere rose to global fame with Pretty Woman, becoming a beloved heartthrob. But his career has been anything but ordinary\u2014at one point, he was nearly blacklisted from major films and turned to independent cinema instead. Born in 1949 in Philadelphia and raised near Syracuse, NY, Gere had…<\/p>\n