Richard Gere's Story

Richard Gere is internationally known both as a leading film actor and an involved, dedicated social activist and philanthropist. For more than 25 years, he has used his success and resources to bring attention to a number of important global issues.

Mr. Gere is a longtime supporter of humanitarian aid, human rights, and cultural preservation organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. In 2002, he established the Initiatives Foundation to raise funds and funnel resources to disadvantaged communities worldwide

Mr. Gere has been a longtime sponsor of amfAR, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and Aids Research Alliance. He hosted the 1992 World AIDS Day event at the United Nations and received important awards from the Harvard AIDS Institute, amfAR, Amnesty International, plus the prestigious Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award.

Mr. Gere is committed to the ongoing search for a cure for AIDS and is especially concerned about the spread of AIDS in India and the lack of care facilities for Indian people living with HIV/AIDS. Mr. Gere has worked closely with the Naz Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in New Delhi. He helped the Foundation establish and expand The AIDS Care Home, the first residential facility in India dedicated to serving women and orphaned children with AIDS, and for the past few years, he has helped the Foundation raise HIV/AIDS awareness, providing support to AIDS patients. Mr. Gere is also engaged in a broader effort to help galvanize action to address the AIDS epidemic in India. He established the Delhi-based Gere Foundation India Trust in 1999 to support various humanitarian programs in India. The Trust recently collaborated with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and Parmeshwar Godrej to produce a landmark AIDS awareness and fund-raising event in Mumbai, India. Mr. Gere is also a prime mover in creating a coalition of government, business, entertainment, healthcare and NGO leaders to fight the AIDS epidemic in India.

Since his film career began in 1975, Mr. Gere has starred in over 40 movies. His best known include An Officer and a Gentleman, Days of Heaven, American Gigolo, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Pretty Woman, Primal Fear and Unfaithful. A recent film, Chicago, won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. Mr. Gere attended the University of Massachusetts where he was a philosophy and theater major.