Richard Gere: Our 10 Favorite Movies Starring the Silver Fox

Few actors have managed to capture the same charm that Richard Gere has over the years. From the romantic leads that defined his career throughout the 90s to the more serious roles that he's been recognized for, Richard Gere is exceptionally multifaceted, and the 74 year old actor shows no signs of slowing down. Here, get to know the Philadelphia born star and read about some of our favorite movies he's starred in.

Richard Gere's early career

Prior to making it big as as Hollywood star, Richard Gere was cultivating a different set of talents and skills: he actually attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst on a gymnastic scholarship, and while he was attending school prior to college, he had a talent for music, specifically the trumpet.

Before his first credited on screen role in 1973's Chelsea D.H.O., Richard Gere put his skills to the test on the stage, performing with the Seattle Repertory Theatre and the Provincetown Playhouse and in works such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Grease and Bent.

Soon after came roles in films like Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and Days of Heaven (1978) before his breakout role came in American Gigolo (1980), where he played a male escort framed for murder.

The year of 1982 brought him additional fame and recognition when he starred in An Officer and a Gentleman, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for.

Richard Gere the romantic

In 1990, Richard Gere starred in one of his most iconic roles opposite Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman as a successful businessman who hires Roberts' character, a prostitute, to join him in a series of business events.

Runaway Bride (1999) was another one of his romantic roles — and in 1999, he won the coveted title of PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive, cementing his status as a heartthrob.

MUST-READ: See the Cast of ‘Mystic Pizza’ Then and Now!

Richard Gere in the 2000s and beyond

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Gere continued to have success on the screen, recognized for his work in films such as Chicago (2002), The Hunting Party (2007) and Arbitrage (2012) to name a few. Today, he can be seen most recently in Maybe I Do (2023).

Richard Gere movies, ranked

Here, check out some of the most iconic films Richard Gere has starred in — do your favorites make the list?

10. Nights in Rodanthe (2008)

Nights in Rodanthe stars Richard Gere as Dr. Paul Flanner, opposite Diane Lane's character of Adrienne, a woman who has recently separated from her husband after he left her for another woman.

Traveling to the North Carolina town of Rodanthe to look after the bed and breakfast of her friend, she meets Paul, who is staying at the inn. The two begin to get to know one another as they are both enduring personal troubles within their lives.

9. Sommersby (1993)

Jodie Foster and Richard Gere star opposite one another in Sommersby. Gere stars as Jack Sommersby, a man who returns home after serving in the Civil War who was presumed dead. Jodie Foster plays his wife Laurel, who is wary of his arrival, as the Jack who has returned to her is far gentler than the abusive man he was when he left. As time goes on, Laurel and the townspeople begin to suspect that Jack may be an imposter.

MUST-READ: Jodie Foster Reflects on Her Storied Career and Teases ‘True Detective: Night Country’

8. The Jackal (1997)

When the brother of a Russian mobster is killed, he enlists the help of an assassin known as "the jackal" (played by Bruce Willis) to kill the deputy director of the FBI in retaliation. To put a stop to this attack, Declan Mulqueen (Richard Gere), an IRA sniper in prison, is brought on board, as he's the only person to have ties to "the jackal."

7. Days of Heaven (1978)

Richard Gere stars as a man named Bill who, after killing his boss at the steel mill he works at, flees with his girlfriend, Abby, and sister to the Texas panhandle where they're employed by a wealthy farmer. When Bill learns that the farmer is in poor health and he develops feelings for Abby, unaware that she and Bill are together, Bill urges her to marry him so she can inherit his fortune when he dies. However, things get complicated when Abby's fake feelings turn true and the farmer learns of her and Bill's real relationship.

6. Primal Fear (1996)

Gere stars as Martin Vail, a defense attorney who is representing an altar boy accused of killing the archbishop in Chicago. As the case progresses, Vail learns that the layers to this case go far deeper than he initially imagined.

5. Chicago (2002)

This film adaptation of the stage musical stars Renee Zellweger as Roxie, a housewife who shoots and kills the man she was having an affair with, who lied to her about having connections at a Chicago nightclub where she had admired the stardom of a vaudeville performer.

When she arrives in jail, she meets Velma (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a woman who murdered her husband, and Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), her lawyer. Flynn decides to take on Roxie's case as well, turning her into a media sensation — but not without some competition between the two women.

4. An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)

Richard Gere stars as a member of the U.S. Navy who joins the Aviation Academy, but his poor attitude meets its match with his new sergeant. Meanwhile, he strikes up an unexpected romance with a local girl.

3. Runaway Bride (1999) Richard Gere movies

Runaway Bride brings back the dynamic duo of Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. Roberts plays Maggie, a young woman who has left three separate fiancées at the altar over the years. When Ike, played by Gere, overhears this from a jilted ex of hers in a bar, he pens a story about her in the newspaper he works for.

When Maggie sees the inaccuracies reflected in the story, she writes a rebuttal to the paper and Ike's journalistic integrity is now up for debate. To restore his reputation, he sets out to get to know the real Maggie to set the record straight, and the two learn from each other more than they imagined they would in the process.

2. American Gigolo (1980) Richard Gere movies

Richard Gere plays a male escort in American Gigolo, who caters largely to older, upper-class women. When one of his previous clients is found dead, he is looked at as the prime suspect and finds himself being framed.

1. Pretty Woman (1990) Richard Gere movies

Richard Gere plays a wealthy businessman who recruits Vivian (Julia Roberts), a prostitute, to accompany him on a series of business events. However, the pair, who come from entirely different worlds, start to catch feelings for one another.

Want more of your favorite actors? Click through below!

John McCook Dishes on His Near-Death Experience as Eric Forrester on ‘The Bold & The Beautiful’

Robin Williams Movies and TV Shows: Reflecting on the Comedy Icon’s Remarkable Career

David Hasselhoff Movies and TV Shows: How ‘The Hoff’ Became a Cultural Icon