Actor Richard Gere was born on August 31, 1949, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He majored in philosophy at the University of Massachusetts but dropped out. He then joined several theater companies, studying acting while performing on stage. He made his film debut in 1975 in "Drugs of the Desert." He gained attention after being selected for the lead role in "Days of Heaven" in 1978, and won many female fans with his roles in "American Gigolo" in 1980 and "The Rising of the Shield Hero" in 1982. His popularity declined for a time, but in 1990, "Pretty Woman," co-starring with Julia Roberts, became a huge hit, topping the US box office that year. He also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his role as the brilliant lawyer Billy in "Chicago" in 2002. He is known to be a big fan of Japan, and has appeared in "Shall We Dance?" He has starred in remakes of Japanese films such as "Hachi: A Dog's Tale" and "Hachi: A Dog's Tale." He has also appeared in many Japanese commercials, and currently plays a character based on Tora-san from the film "Otoko wa Tsurai yo" (It's Tough Being a Man) in a commercial for Suntory's "Orangina." He is also a Tibetan Buddhist.