More coolly charismatic than drop-dead handsome Richard Gere possesses a barely concealed simmering passion that made him one of the hottest sex symbols of the 1980s and early '90s. Since his first major film role as Richard Gere's murderous pick up artist in the disturbing Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Gere has proved himself a versatile actor capable of playing everything from romantic leads, to action heroes, to medieval knights to ruthless villains.

He was born in Philadelphia, but raised in upstate New York near Syracuse, Gere was raised a strict Methodist. In the '60s he studied philosophy and film at the University of Massachusetts. Following graduation in 1967, Gere became a professional actor and worked in theaters on both coasts, including stints in Seattle and New York, and in 1973 landed in London where he gained prominence for playing Danny Zuko in Grease; he also played the role on Broadway. Before going to England, the young actor tried unsuccessfully to organize a rock band. In 1974, Gere was on of the few Americans ever to work with Britain's Young Vic Theater where he appeared in The Taming of the Shrew. Gere made his feature film debut playing a tiny part in Report to the Commissioner (1974). He returned to the stage the following year to staff an off-Broadway production of Sam Shepard's Killer's Head. He and Shepard worked together again in Terrence Malick's breathtaking Days of Heaven (1978). In 1979, Gere won considerable acclaim for he performance in the Broadway production of Martin Sherman's Bent. In film, Gere did not get his first shot at stardom a star until John Travolta decided not to play the title role in Paul Schrader's American Gigolo (1980). Though the film was not a major critical or box-office success, it did earn Gere recognition, but he did not become a star until he headlined An Officer and a Gentleman in 1982 opposite Deborah Winger. But just as it seemed his career might finally take flight, Gere accepted roles in several poorly received films, including King David (1985). As a youth Gere had been interested in music and learned to play the guitar, the trumpet, the piano and the banjo. He drew upon his musical skills in The Cotton Club (1984) and actually played the coronet during performance scenes. With no recent major successes behind him by the end of the decade, it looked as if Gere's career was in a tailspin, but in 1990, he abruptly pulled out of the dive when he played a cop/crime lord in Mike Figgis' Internal Affairs and followed it up playing a ruthless businessman who finds true love in a prostitute's arm in the romantic comedy Pretty Woman, which was an international smash hit. From there, Gere has continued starring in a number of films. In 1996, he was highly praised for his portrayal of an arrogant hot-shot attorney who is duped by a country boy accused of murder in Primal Fear. When not on screen, Gere uses his stardom to promote his causes. A devout Buddhist, he has been deeply involved with the struggles surrounding the Dalai Lama.