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celebratedliving.com
FALL 2012
Perhaps theseeds
wereplantedearlywhenGere’s
motherDorismadehimcostumes (SantaClausandDavy
Crockett)duringhissecond-gradeyear inSyracuse,New
York— littledidsheknowheryoungsonwouldenjoyoneof
themostprolificcareers inHollywood. “Shemadea lotof
costumeswhen Iwasakid, and Iwasalways into role-playing
and fantasy,” theacclaimedactornotesofwhatproved tobe
adefiningmoment.
Asayoungadult, theallureof fantasycausedhim to forgo
hisphilosophystudiesat theUniversityofMassachusetts
Amherst (hewas thereonagymnasticsscholarship)and
pursueacting.Thedoors to the theatersoon
opened, andhe landedapart in
Rosencrantzand
GuildensternAreDead
atCapeCod’sprominent
ProvincetownPlayhouse in1971.A role inLon-
don’sEastEndproductionof
Grease
in1973 fol-
lowed, andhewonaTheatreWorldAward for
hisportrayal of aconcentrationcampprisoner in
the1980Broadwayproductionof theplay
Bent
.
Hehasstarred inclose to50filmsand television
shows ranging from theartistic
DaysofHeaven
(1978)and theaction-filled
TheJackal
(1997) to
the romantic
Nights inRodanthe
(2008)and the
political
And theBandPlayedOn
(1993).
Thoughhe receivedaGoldenGlobeaward
(BestActor) forhis roleasBillyFlynn, the tap-
dancingattorney in theBobFossehit-musical-
turned-film
Chicago
(2003), incrediblyhehas
yet tobenominated foranAcademyAward.
Named
People
magazine’s “SexiestManAlive”
(1999),Gere isalsoknown forhismusical abili-
tiesand canbe seenplaying the cornet and
piano solos for thefilms
TheCottonClub
(1984)
and
PrettyWoman
.Anaccomplishedguitar
player aswell, Gere’s love ofmusic startedat
anearlyage.
Whilesomewhat guarded
abouthisper-
sonal life, heappears tobecontentandhappy,
which cannodoubt be credited tohis quiet
family life far from themovie-star trappingsof
Hollywood.He ismarried toCareyLowell, a for-
mer fashionmodel,Bondgirl, andstarofNBC’s
Law&Order
in2002, and thecouplehavea
12-year-oldson,Homer.Gere isalso famously
known forhisspiritual andphilanthropic inter-
ests that resulted froma trip inhis20s toNepal.
“Ihadaverystrong feeling in theHimalayas in
the ’70swhen IfirstmetTibetans ina refugee
campoutsideNepal,”hedetails, “andacoupleof
years later Imet theDalai Lama.”Since this
time, hehasmadea lifelongcommitment that in-
volvesdailymeditation, regularpilgrimages to India, anda
dedication toBuddhism.Healsowrote thebook
Pilgrim
(Bul-
finchPress, 1997) that featureshisportfolioof strikingphoto-
graphsofhis travels toNepal, India, andTibet.
In1991, he founded theGereFoundation, anonprofit
group that focuses onhumanitarian issues (theyhavedo-
natedseveral hundred thousandsof dollars ingrantsyearly),
and is theco-founderofTibetHouse, that dedicates itself to
thepreservationofTibetanculture.Gere isalsoasupporter
of Survival International, that aids inhuman rightsof global
tribesworldwide.
➤
COVER STORY
Richard Gere
