She is 33 years younger than him and knows her “from other lives”: Richard Gere and the arrival of true love in adulthood

It is infallible. You just have to look for any ranking of the most iconic romantic scenes on the big screen for Richard Gere to appear. heading that and a thousand other lists. A romance with a tragic end in the fall of New York with Winona Ryder. A version of the legend of King Arthur where Sir Lancelot steals the limelight to exchange furtive glances with Guinevere. The Naval Academy cadet who lifts Debra Winger in her arms, the working girl who yearns for her white uniform in Challenge to Fate. And of course, the sensitive yuppie Edward Lewis leaning out of the roof of his limousine with roses in his hand, in a clumsy and adorable attempt to win back Vivian, the prostitute who lives an unlikely love with a charismatic businessman. The actor with silver hair, slanted eyes and a calm voice came late to fame as a gallant.

After becoming the platonic desire of millions of fans with his leading role in American Gigolo, the 90s consolidated him at the age of 40 as the “sexiest man on the planet” and one of the most eligible bachelors in Hollywood. His romances with supermodels and actresses didn’t escape the tabloid radar either, but It was only in his old age that he met his third wife and definitive love, the Spanish Alejandra Silva. The actor who chose to lower the decibels of his career to dedicate himself to political activism and family life, turns 73 today.

In 1980, a two-and-a-half-minute scene was the hinge that changed Richard Gere’s trajectory forever: his hairless torso moves impudently around the room. In the background a ballad sounds Smokey Robinson & The Miracles while the taxi boy chooses his best suits to seduce the clients.

The actor born in Pennsylvania on August 31, 1949, did not expect that a frontal nude would be his passport to celebrity. When he read Paul Schrader’s script to play the male escort Julian Kaye, he was about to turn 30 and nothing seemed to predict a star with his name on the walk of fame: as a teenager he was outlined as a musician, gymnast and graduate in philosophy. Only at the age of 20 did he take a liking to the stage and it was in London that he debuted on stage with a leading role in the musical comedy, grease. But unlike other aspiring actors, the cameras didn’t seem to interest him much. So much so, that Instead of running through the casting ranks, he preferred to take a gap year to visit Nepal and convert to Buddhism. It was then a surprise when he was cast in the role that catapulted him as a Hollywood sex icon.

“When I accepted the role, it was not clear to me that I wanted to become a sex symbol. But I guess if you want to make it as a movie star or a rock star or whatever, part of it is that you want to be desired. And I guess that’s basically a sexual thing.” Gere was not the producers’ first choice but John Travolta, who declined the offer out of concern for the character’s suggested homosexual leanings. He, on the other hand, embraced the dark areas of the antihero gigolo and inaugurated his own style of virility in the cinema. The handsome man, who displayed serene gestures in front of the camera, became the new face of romantic drama during the 90s.

His name was synonymous with fury at the box office and sighs in the cinema seats, although the stereotype of a heartthrob was not a sought after path. When he got the script Challenge to Fate to play military cadet Zack Mayo, he found the plot too sentimental and the final scene “rescuing” his romantic interest from the factory a little funny. But the sum of clichés did not make a dent in the public and the film was a success. Azaroso was also his role in Pretty Woman. In its original version, the story sank in murkier waters: millionaire Edward Lewis did not fall in love with his co-star; the prostitute ended up struck down by an overdose at the end of the sexual contract and Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino sounded like the protagonists. It was the then unknown Julia Roberts who convinced him to say yes. “Please accept,” she wrote to him on a post-it note when director Garry Marshall called to offer him the new script. The duo that fell in love with the public met again 9 years later in Runaway Bride.

Outside of fiction, Gere collected as many titles as “The most beautiful man” and “The sexiest man” appeared in the rankings that placed him on the podium of the most coveted singles. It was there that he met supermodel Cindy Crawford at a barbecue. She was 22 years old, he was about to say goodbye to 39 and together they appeared on every red carpet like a prodigy of genetics. But not everything was pink: the couple had to face a series of rumors about their homosexuality. At 42, Gere was about to graduate as a confirmed bachelor. It was then that in 1991 they decided to put an end to gossip. “We got married because we love each other and we have decided to share our life. We are heterosexual and monogamous and we take our commitment to each other very seriously.” Against the forecasts of the press, the insurmountable obstacle was the age difference and the couple announced their separation in 1995. For Gere, however, it was not the end of his path to the altar.

In 2002, he joined model and actress Carey Lowell after several years of dating and the birth of their first child, Homer. The marriage lasted until 2013 and culminated in a contentious divorce. A low-profile cultist, the actor continued with a prolific career in more than 30 films, navigating different genres with versatility until a year after his separation, rediscovered love with the Spanish businesswoman Alejandra Silva.

Daughter of the former vice president of Real Madrid, Silva ran a boutique hotel on the Amalfi Coast where her future husband stayed: the crush was instantaneous. Gere, who was an old friend of her family, had known her since childhood, but it was that meeting that ignited the spark of romantic love.. Neither the 33 years of difference, nor the 6 thousand kilometers of distance could weaken the bond. Alejandra, who adopted her husband’s religion, relieved in 2015: “Our karma was attracted from the first moment we saw each other. We have known each other for many lifetimes.” She moved to Gere’s ranch in upstate New York. In 2018 they sealed their relationship at the altar and a year later they had their first child together, Alexander. At age 70, Gere became a father for the third time to another boy.

Over the years, his film career took a backseat to make room for activism. Since he was young, the star changed his Methodist belief to convert to Tibetan Buddhism. That was the beginning of a spiritual path that led him to meet the Dalai Lama and to get involved with the cause of Tibet.

In 1991 he created a philanthropic foundation where he dedicated himself to raising funds for humanitarian purposes. His support for Tibetan independence in an industry increasingly financed by China may have been the cause of his increasingly sporadic appearance on movie theaters, although Gere doesn’t seem worried about the spotlight. It was thus that he auctioned off millions of dollars worth of guitars, took the stage at the Oscars to criticize the Chinese government and made headlines when he appeared handing out food to a hundred refugees who had been shipwrecked in the Mediterranean.

Alejandra Silva became a partner in her causes. At a recent gala, where his wife received an award for her humanitarian work, Gere proudly declared: “I am the happiest man in the universe. I am married to a beautiful, intelligent, funny, great mother and committed woman. Today I am only Alejandra’s husband”. At 73, the movie star chose to get off the sets to walk a more peaceful path.

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