Bios or BIOS may refer to:

English transliteration of the ancient Greek term for life, , giving rise to the common prefix ''bio-'', as in biology

BIOS, the Basic Input/Output System firmware of an IBM PC-compatible computer

Informal abbreviation of Biographies, written accounts of people's lives

Biological Innovation for Open Society (BIOS)

British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS)

British and Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS)

Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS)

''Bios (album)'', the third album by Costa Rican music group Gandhi

BIOS Faction, in the Allegiance (video game)

BIOS, the society journal of the Tri Beta society

BIOS Centre for the Study of Bioscience, Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Society at the London School of Economics, United Kingdom

de:Bios fr:BIOS nl:Bios sk:Bios

name	Sylvester Stallone
birth name	Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone
birth date	July 06, 1946
birth place	New York City, New York, U.S.
alma mater	University of Miami
occupation	Actor, director, screenwriter
years active	1970–present
spouse
children	Sage, Seargeoh, Sophia, Sistine, Scarlet
parents	Frank Stallone Sr.Jackie Stallone
relatives	Frank Stallone (brother)
website	http://www.sylvesterstallone.com }}

Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone (; born July 6, 1946), commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed are boxer Rocky Balboa and soldier John Rambo. The ''Rocky'' and ''Rambo'' franchises, along with several other films, strengthened his reputation as an actor and his box office earnings.

Stallone's film ''Rocky'' was inducted into the National Film Registry as well as having its film props placed in the Smithsonian Museum. Stallone's use of the front entrance to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the ''Rocky'' series led the area to be nicknamed the Rocky Steps. Philadelphia has a statue of his Rocky character placed permanently near the museum, on the right side before the steps. It was announced on December 7, 2010 that Stallone was voted into boxing's Hall of Fame.

Early life

Sylvester Stallone was born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone in New York City, the elder son of Frank Stallone, Sr., a hairdresser, and Jackie Stallone (born Jacqueline Labofish), an astrologer, former dancer, and promoter of women's wrestling. His younger brother is actor and musician Frank Stallone. Stallone's father was born in Gioia del Colle, Apulia, Italy, and emigrated to the United States as a child. Stallone's mother is of half Russian Jewish and half French descent.

Complications his mother suffered during labor forced her obstetricians to use two pairs of forceps during his birth; misuse of these accidentally severed a nerve and caused paralysis in parts of Stallone's face. As a result, the lower left side of his face is paralyzed - including parts of his lip, tongue, and chin - an accident which has given Stallone his snarling look and slightly slurred speech. Stallone was baptized and raised Catholic. He spent his first five years in Hell's Kitchen, bouncing between foster homes while his parents endured a troubled marriage. His father, a beautician, moved the family to Washington, D.C., where he opened a beauty school. His mother opened a women's gymnasium called Barbella's in 1954. His parents divorced when he was nine, and he eventually lived with his mother. He attended Notre Dame Academy and Lincoln High School in Philadelphia. He attended Charlotte Hall Military Academy prior to attending Miami Dade College.

Hollywood career

When Stallone was nearly broke in New York, barely $50 to his name, he sold the script to ''Paradise Alley'' for $100.

''Italian Stallion'' and ''Score''

Stallone had his first starring role in the soft core pornography feature film ''The Party at Kitty and Stud's'' (1970). He was paid US $200 for two days' work. Stallone later explained that he had done the film out of desperation after being evicted from his apartment and finding himself homeless for several days. He has also said that he slept three weeks in the New York City Port Authority bus station prior to seeing a casting notice for the film. In the actor's words, "it was either do that movie or rob someone, because I was at the end – the very end – of my rope". The film was released several years later as ''Italian Stallion'', in order to cash in on Stallone's new found fame (the new title was taken from Stallone's nickname since ''Rocky'' and a line from the film).

Stallone also starred in the erotic off-Broadway stage play ''Score'' which ran for 23 performances at the Martinique Theatre from October 28 – November 15, 1971 and was later made into a film by Radley Metzger.

Early film roles, 1970–1975

In 1970, Stallone appeared in the film ''No Place to Hide,'' which was re-cut and retitled ''Rebel,'' the second version featuring Stallone as its star. After the style of Woody Allen's ''What's Up, Tiger Lily?,'' this film, in 1990, was re-edited from outtakes from the original movie and newly shot matching footage, then redubbed into an award-winning parody of itself titled ''A Man Called... Rainbo.'' Again starring Stallone, this self-parody was directed by David Casci and produced by Jeffrey Hilton. ''A Man Called...Rainbo'' won Silver Awards at the Chicago International Film Festival and Worldfest – Houston, and was featured on ''Entertainment Tonight'' along with its credited star, Sylvester Stallone. It received a Thumbs-Up on ''Siskel & Ebert,'' and was recommended by Michael Medved on the popular movie review show, ''Sneak Previews.''

Stallone's other first few film roles were minor, and included brief uncredited appearances in Woody Allen's ''Bananas'' (1971) as a subway thug, in the psychological thriller ''Klute'' (1971) as an extra dancing in a club, and in the Jack Lemmon film ''The Prisoner of Second Avenue'' (1975) as a youth. In the Lemmon film, Jack Lemmon's character chases, tackles and mugs Stallone, thinking that Stallone's character is a pickpocket. He had his second starring role in ''The Lords of Flatbush,'' in 1974. In 1975, he played supporting roles in ''Farewell, My Lovely''; ''Capone''; and ''Death Race 2000.'' He made guest appearances on the TV series ''Police Story'' and ''Kojak.''

Success with ''Rocky,'' 1976

Stallone gained worldwide fame with his starring role in the smash hit ''Rocky'' (1976). On March 24, 1975, Stallone saw the Muhammad Ali–Chuck Wepner fight, which inspired the foundation idea of ''Rocky.'' That night Stallone went home, and after three days, 20 straight hours he had written the script for ''Rocky''. After that, he tried to sell the script with the intention of playing the lead role. Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler in particular liked the script. Stallone was offered increasingly larger fees to sell the script and allow a different actor to star in the film, but he turned the offers down until the studio agreed to let Stallone himself play the role. ''Rocky'' was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay nominations for Stallone. The film went on to win the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Film Editing.

''Rocky'', ''Rambo'', and new film roles, 1978–1989

Following the success of ''Rocky'', Stallone made his directorial debut and starred in the 1978 film ''Paradise Alley'', a family drama in which he played one of three brothers who enter the world of wrestling. That same year he starred in Norman Jewison's ''F.I.S.T.'', a social drama in which he plays a warehouse worker, very loosely modeled on James Hoffa, who becomes involved in the labor union leadership.

In 1979 he wrote, directed and starred in the sequel to his 1976 hit: ''Rocky II'' (replacing John G. Avildsen, who won an Academy Award for directing the first film), which also became a major success, grossing $200 million.

In 1981 he starred alongside Michael Caine in ''Escape to Victory'', a sports drama in which he plays a prisoner of war involved in a Nazi propaganda soccer game. That same year he starred in the thriller ''Nighthawks'', in which he plays a New York city cop who plays a cat and mouse game with a foreign terrorist, played by Rutger Hauer.

Stallone launched another major franchise success, starring as Vietnam veteran John Rambo, a former Green Beret, in the action-war film ''First Blood'' (1982). The first installment of ''Rambo'' was both a critical and box office success. Critics praised Stallone's performance, saying he made Rambo seem human, as opposed to the way he is portrayed in the book of the same name. Two Rambo sequels, ''Rambo: First Blood Part II'' (1985) and ''Rambo III'' (1988), followed. Although box office hits, they met with much less critical praise than the original. He also continued his box office success with the ''Rocky'' franchise and wrote, directed, and starred in two more sequels to the series: ''Rocky III'' (1982) and ''Rocky IV'' (1985). Stallone has portrayed these two characters in a total of ten films. In preparation for these roles, Stallone embarked upon a vigorous training regimen which often meant six days a week in the gym and further sit ups in the evenings. Stallone claims to have gotten his body fat percentage down to his all time low of 2.8% for ''Rocky III''.

It was during this time period that Stallone's work cultivated a strong overseas following. He also attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, roles in different genres. In 1984 he co-wrote and starred in the comedy film ''Rhinestone'' where he played a wannabe country music singer and in 1987 he starred in the drama film ''Over the Top'' where he played a struggling trucker who, after the death of his wife, tries to make amends with his son who he left behind years earlier. His son does not think too highly of him until he sees him compete in a nation-wide arm wrestling competition. For the ''Rhinestone'' soundtrack, he performed a song. These films did not do well at the box office and were poorly received by critics. It was around 1985 that Stallone was signed to a remake of the 1939 James Cagney classic ''Angels With Dirty Faces.'' The film would form part of his multi-picture deal with Cannon Pictures and was to co-star Christopher Reeve and be directed by Menahem Golan. The re-making of such a beloved classic was met with disapproval by Variety Magazine and horror by top critic Roger Ebert and so Cannon opted to make ''Cobra'' instead. ''Cobra'' (1986) and the buddy cop action film ''Tango and Cash'' (1989) alongside Kurt Russell did solid business domestically but overseas they did blockbuster business grossing over $100 million in foreign markets and over $160 million worldwide.

1990–2002

With the then-recent success of ''Lock Up'' and ''Tango and Cash'' at the start of the 1990s, Stallone starred in the fifth installment of the ''Rocky'' franchise, ''Rocky V'', which was considered a box office disappointment and was also disliked by fans as an unworthy entry in the series.

After starring in the critical and commercial disasters ''Oscar'' (1991) and ''Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot'' (1992) during the early 90s, he made a comeback in 1993 with the hit ''Cliffhanger'', which was a success in the U.S., grossing $84 million, but even more successful worldwide, grossing $171 million, for a total over US$255 million. Later that year, he starred with Wesley Snipes in the futuristic action film ''Demolition Man'', which grossed in excess of $158 million worldwide. His string of hits continued with 1994's ''The Specialist'' (over $170 million worldwide gross).

In 1995, he played the comic book-based title character ''Judge Dredd'', which was taken from the British comic book 2000 AD in the film of the same name. His overseas box office appeal saved the domestic box office disappointment of ''Judge Dredd'', which cost almost $100 million and barely made its budget back, with a worldwide tally of $113 million. He also appeared in the thriller ''Assassins'' (1995), with Julianne Moore and Antonio Banderas. In 1996, he starred in the disaster film ''Daylight'', which was not very successful in the US, but grossed $126 million overseas.

That same year, Stallone, along with an all-star cast of celebrities, appeared in the Trey Parker and Matt Stone short comedy film ''Your Studio and You'' commissioned by the Seagram Company for a party celebrating their acquisition of Universal Studios and the MCA Corporation. Stallone speaks in his Rocky Balboa voice with subtitles translating what he is saying. At one point, Stallone starts yelling about how can they use his Balboa character, that he left it in the past; the narrator calms him with a wine cooler and calling him, "brainiac." In response, Stallone says, "Thank you very much." He then looks at the wine cooler and exclaims, "Stupid cheap studio!"

Following his breakthrough performance in ''Rocky'', critic Roger Ebert had stated that Stallone could become the next Marlon Brando, though he never recaptured the critical acclaim achieved with ''Rocky.'' Stallone did go on to receive much acclaim for his role in the low-budget crime drama ''Cop Land'' (1997), in which he starred alongside Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta, but the film was only a minor success at the box office. His performance led him to win the Stockholm International Film Festival Best Actor Award. In 1998 he did voice-over work for the computer-animated film ''Antz,'' which was a big hit domestically.

In 2000, Stallone starred in the thriller ''Get Carter'' – a remake of the 1971 British Michael Caine film of the same name—but the film was poorly received by both critics and audiences. Stallone's career declined considerably after his subsequent films ''Driven'' (2001), ''Avenging Angelo'' (2002) and ''D-Tox'' (2002) also underachieved expectations to do well at the box office and were poorly received by critics.

2003–2005

In 2003, he played a villainous role in the third installment of the Spy Kids trilogy ''Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over'' which was a huge box office success (almost $200 million worldwide). Stallone also had a cameo appearance in the 2003 French film ''Taxi 3'' as a passenger.

Following several poorly reviewed box office flops, Stallone started to regain prominence for his supporting role in the neo-noir crime drama ''Shade'' (2003) which was only released in a limited fashion but was praised by critics. He was also attached to star and direct a film tentatively titled ''Rampart Scandal,'' which was to be about the murder of rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. and the surrounding Los Angeles Police Department corruption scandal. It was later titled ''Notorious'' but was shelved.

In 2005, he was the co-presenter, alongside Sugar Ray Leonard, of the NBC Reality television boxing series ''The Contender.'' That same year he also made a guest appearance in two episodes of the television series ''Las Vegas.'' In 2005, Stallone also inducted wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, who appeared in ''Rocky III'' as a wrestler named Thunderlips, into the WWE Hall of Fame; Stallone was also the person who offered Hogan the cameo in ''Rocky III.''

Revisiting Rocky and Rambo, 2006–2008

After a three year hiatus from films, Stallone made a comeback in 2006 with the sixth installment of his successful Rocky series, ''Rocky Balboa'', which was a critical and commercial hit. After the critical and box office failure of the previous installment ''Rocky V'', Stallone had decided to write, direct and star in a sixth installment which would be a more appropriate climax to the series. The total domestic box office came to $70.3 million (and $155.7 million worldwide). The budget of the movie was only $24 million. His performance in ''Rocky Balboa'' has been praised and garnered mostly positive reviews.

Stallone's fourth installment of his other successful movie franchise, Rambo, with the sequel being titled simply ''Rambo''. The film opened in 2,751 theaters on January 25, 2008, grossing $6,490,000 on its opening day and $18,200,000 over its opening weekend. Its box office was $113,244,290 worldwide with a budget of $50 million.

Asked in February 2008 which of the icons he would rather be remembered for, Stallone said "it's a tough one, but ''Rocky'' is my first baby, so ''Rocky."''

Other film work

Stallone's debut as a director came in 1978 with ''Paradise Alley,'' which he also wrote and starred in. In addition, he directed ''Staying Alive'', the sequel to ''Saturday Night Fever'', along with ''Rocky II'', ''Rocky III'', ''Rocky IV'', ''Rocky Balboa'', and ''Rambo''. In August 2005, Stallone released his book ''Sly Moves'' which claimed to be a guide to fitness and nutrition as well as a candid insight into his life and works from his own perspective. The book also contained many photographs of Stallone throughout the years as well as pictures of him performing exercises. In addition to writing all six ''Rocky'' films, Stallone also wrote ''Cobra'', ''Driven'', and ''Rambo.'' He has co-written several other films, such as ''F.I.S.T.'', ''Rhinestone'', ''Over the Top'', and the first three ''Rambo'' films. His last major success as a co-writer came with 1993's ''Cliffhanger''. In addition, Stallone has continued to express his passion in directing a film on Edgar Allan Poe's life, a script he has been preparing for years. In July 2009, he appeared in a cameo in the Bollywood movie ''Kambakkht Ishq'' where he played himself. Stallone also provided the voice of a lion in Kevin James's comedy ''Zookeeper.'' Stallone has also mentioned that he would like to adapt a Nelson DeMille novel, ''The Lion's Game'' and James Byron Huggin's novel ''Hunter'', which Stallone had the film rights for several years and originally planned to use the plot from ''Hunter'' for ''Rambo V''. In 2009, Stallone expressed interest in starring in a remake of Charles Bronson's 1974 movie ''Death Wish''.

2010 onwards

''The Expendables'' was Stallone's big success of 2010. The movie, which was filmed during summer/winter 2009, was released on August 13, 2010. Stallone wrote, directed and stars in the movie. Joining him in the film were fellow action stars Jason Statham, Jet Li, and Dolph Lundgren plus Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, Randy Couture, Eric Roberts, and Stone Cold Steve Austin as well as much anticipated cameos for fellow '80s action icons Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Due to the overwhelmingly positive reaction to early test footage and trailers, producer Avi Lerner has reported that there is already talk of making two more sequels, or at least some sort of a longer franchise, based on the members of the team. The movie took $34,825,135 in its opening weekend, going straight in at No.1 in the US box office. The figure marked the biggest opening weekend in Stallone's 35 year career. In summer 2010, Brazilian company O2 Filmes released a statement saying it was still owed more than $2 million US for its work on the film. Stallone stars in the action film ''Bullet to the Head'', directed by Walter Hill based upon Alexis Nolent's French graphic novel ''Du Plomb Dans La Tete''. The sequel to ''The Expendables'', ''The Expendables 2'' is scheduled for release on August 17, 2012. In 2013, he will be starring in the action thriller film ''The Tomb'' along with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Caviezel. Stallone expressed interest in making a remake of the Spanish film ''No Rest for the Wicked'' and to star in a fifth Rambo film.

Tobacco promotion

In 1983, Stallone entered into an agreement with Associated Film Promotions, Inc. representing their client, cigarette manufacturer Brown & Williamson Corp., to use or place B&W; products in five of his feature films. In exchange, Stallone was paid a total of $500,000, disbursed as $250,000 up front and $50,000 "payable at the inception of production of each participating film." In the initial correspondences Stallone guaranteed that he would "use Brown and Williamson tobacco products in no less than five feature films" but later, to be consistent with the character of Rocky Balboa, it was decided that "other leads will have product usage" in ''Rocky IV''. In 2002 documentation of the agreement was made publicly available through the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library at the University of California, San Francisco.

Personal life

Stallone has been married three times. At age 28, on December 28, 1974, he married Sasha Czack. The couple had two sons, Sage Moonblood (b. May 5, 1976) and Seargeoh (b. 1979). His younger son was diagnosed with autism at an early age. The couple divorced on February 14, 1985. He married model and actress Brigitte Nielsen, on December 15, 1985, in Beverly Hills, California. Stallone and Nielsen's marriage, which lasted two years, and their subsequent divorce, were highly publicized by the tabloid press. In May 1997, Stallone married Jennifer Flavin, with whom he has three daughters: Sophia Rose (b. August 27, 1996), Sistine Rose (b. June 27, 1998), and Scarlet Rose (b. May 25, 2002).

In 2007, he was caught in Australia with 48 vials of the synthetic human growth hormone Jintropin.

After Stallone's request that his acting and life experiences be accepted in exchange for his remaining credits, he was granted a Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) degree by the President of the University of Miami in 1999.

Stallone stopped going to church as his acting career progressed. He began to rediscover his childhood faith when his daughter was born ill in 1996, and is now a churchgoing Catholic.

Since his appearance in Escape To Victory, Stallone has been a keen soccer fan, attending games involving the United States at various World Cups. He has also expressed his support for English club Everton, since attending a game in 2007 and then also when Everton played in the United States in 2009. Stallone supported Everton colours on both occasions and also sent the club a good luck message prior to the 2009 FA Cup final, which he expressed disappointment at being unable to attend. His team lost 1-2.

Injuries

Known for physically demanding roles, and his willingness to do a majority of his own stunts, Stallone has suffered numerous injuries during his acting career. For a scene in ''Rocky IV'', he told Dolph Lundgren "Punch me as hard as you can in the chest." "Next thing I know, I was in intensive care at St. John’s Hospital for four days. It’s stupid!" While filming a fight scene with actor Steve Austin in ''The Expendables'', he broke his neck, which required the insertion of a metal plate.

Filmography

''Also see Sylvester Stallone filmography.'' ''Stop

rowspan=2	Year	Film	Credited as				Role	Notes
Director	Producer		Writer	Actor
rowspan="2"	1970	''The Party at Kitty and Stud's''					Stud
					Jerry Savage
	Bananas (film)>Bananas''					Subway Thug No.1	Uncredited
''Klute''					Discothèque Patron	Uncredited
1974	''The Lords of Flatbush''					Stanley Rosiello	Writer (additional dialogue)
rowspan="7"	1975	''The Prisoner of Second Avenue''					Youth in Park
''Capone (film)	Capone''					Frank Nitti
''Death Race 2000''					Machine Gun Joe Viterbo
''Mandingo (film)	Mandingo''					Young Man in Crowd	Uncredited (Scenes deleted)
''Farewell, My Lovely (1975 film)	Farewell, My Lovely''					Jonnie
''Police Story (TV series)	Police Story''					Caddo	TV series (1 episode)
''Kojak''					Detective Rick Daly
	Cannonball (film)>Cannonball''					Mafioso	Uncredited
''Rocky''					Rocky Balboa	Writer
rowspan="2"	1978	''F.I.S.T.''					Johnny D. Kovak	Screenplay
''Paradise Alley''					Cosmo Carboni	Director and Writer
1979	''Rocky II''					Rocky Balboa	Director and Writer
rowspan="2"	1981	Nighthawks (film)>Nighthawks''					Det. Sgt. Deke DaSilva
''Escape to Victory''					Captain Robert Hatch
rowspan="2"	1982	''Rocky III''					Rocky Balboa	Director and Writer
''First Blood''						Screenplay
1983	''Staying Alive''					Man on Street	Cameo; Uncredited, Director, Producer and Writer
1984	Rhinestone (film)>Rhinestone''					Nick Martinelli	Screenplay
1985	''Rambo: First Blood Part II''						Screenplay
1985	''Rocky IV''					Rocky Balboa	Director and Writer
1986	Cobra (1986 film)>Cobra''					Lieutenant Marion 'Cobra' Cobretti	Screenplay
1987	Over the Top (film)>Over the Top''					Lincoln Hawk	Screenplay
1988	''Rambo III''						Writer
rowspan="2"	1989	Lock Up (film)>Lock Up''					Frank Leone
''Tango & Cash''					Raymond 'Ray' Tango
1990	''Rocky V''					Rocky Balboa	Writer
1991	Oscar (1991 film)>Oscar''					Angelo 'Snaps' Provolone
1992	Or My Mom Will Shoot''					Sgt. Joe Bomowski
	Cliffhanger (film)>Cliffhanger''					Gabe Walker	Screenplay
''Demolition Man (film)	Demolition Man''					John Spartan
1994	''The Specialist''					Ray Quick
rowspan="3"	1995''
''Assassins (1995 film)	Assassins''					Robert Rath
''Your Studio and You''					Himself
1996	Daylight (film)>Daylight''					Kit Latura
rowspan="3"	1997	The Good Life (1997 film)>The Good Life''					Boss	not released
''Men in Black (film)	Men in Black''					Alien on TV Monitors	Cameo; uncredited
''Cop Land''					Sheriff Freddy Heflin
rowspan=2	1998	''Antz''					Weaver	Voice
''An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn''					Himself
2000	Get Carter (2000 film)>Get Carter''					Jack Carter
2001	''Driven''					Joe Tanto	Producer and Screenplay
rowspan="3"	2002	''Liberty's Kids''					Paul Revere	TV series (1 episode)
''D-Tox''					Jake Malloy
''Avenging Angelo''					Frankie Delano
rowspan="3"	2003	''Taxi 3''					Passenger to Airport	Cameo; Uncredited
''Shade (film)	Shade''					Dean 'The Dean' Stevens
''Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over''
2005	Las Vegas (TV series)>Las Vegas''					Frank the Repairman	TV Series (2 episodes)
2006	Rocky Balboa (film)>Rocky Balboa''					Rocky Balboa	Director and Writer
2008	Rambo (film)>Rambo''						Director and Writer
2009	''Kambakkht Ishq''					Himself	Cameo
2010	The Expendables (2010 film)>The Expendables''					Barney Ross	Director and Writer
2011	Zookeeper (film)>Zookeeper''					Joe the Lion	Voice
2012	''Bullet to the Head''					Jimmy Bobo
2012	''The Expendables 2''					Barney Ross	Writer
2013	The Tomb (2013)>''The Tomb''					Ray Breslin

References

External links

Category:1946 births Category:Actors from Maryland Category:Actors from New York City Category:Actors from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American film directors of Italian descent Category:American people of French descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent Category:American people of Sicilian descent Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American screenwriters Category:American television actors Category:Charlotte Hall Military Academy alumni Category:International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Category:Living people Category:New York Republicans Category:People from Silver Spring, Maryland Category:Sylvester Stallone Category:University of Miami alumni

ar:سيلفستر ستالون an:Sylvester Stallone az:Silvestr Stallone bn:সিলভেস্টার স্ট্যালোন be:Сільвестэр Сталонэ bg:Силвестър Сталоун bs:Sylvester Stallone ca:Sylvester Stallone cs:Sylvester Stallone cy:Sylvester Stallone da:Sylvester Stallone de:Sylvester Stallone et:Sylvester Stallone el:Σιλβέστερ Σταλόνε es:Sylvester Stallone eo:Sylvester Stallone eu:Sylvester Stallone fa:سیلوستر استالونه fr:Sylvester Stallone ga:Sylvester Stallone gv:Sylvester Stallone gd:Sylvester Stallone gl:Sylvester Stallone gu:સિલ્વેસ્ટર સ્ટેલોન ko:실베스터 스탤론 hy:Սիլվեստր Ստալոնե hi:सिलवेस्टर स्टैलोन hr:Sylvester Stallone io:Sylvester Stallone id:Sylvester Stallone is:Sylvester Stallone it:Sylvester Stallone he:סילבסטר סטאלון kn:ಸಿಲ್ವಿಸ್ಟರ್ ಸ್ಟಲ್ಲೋನ್ ka:სილვესტერ სტალონე kk:Сильвестр Сталлоне sw:Sylvester Stallone la:Sylvester Stallone lv:Silvestrs Stallone lt:Sylvester Stallone hu:Sylvester Stallone ml:സിൽവെസ്റ്റർ സ്റ്റാലോൺ nl:Sylvester Stallone ja:シルヴェスター・スタローン no:Sylvester Stallone nn:Sylvester Stallone uz:Sylvester Stallone pl:Sylvester Stallone pt:Sylvester Stallone ro:Sylvester Stallone ru:Сталлоне, Сильвестр sq:Sylvester Stallone simple:Sylvester Stallone sk:Sylvester Stallone sl:Sylvester Stallone srn:Sylvester Stallone sr:Силвестер Сталоне sh:Sylvester Stallone fi:Sylvester Stallone sv:Sylvester Stallone tl:Sylvester Stallone ta:சில்வெஸ்டர் ஸ்டாலோன் th:ซิลเวสเตอร์ สตอลโลน tr:Sylvester Stallone uk:Сільвестер Сталлоне vi:Sylvester Stallone yo:Sylvester Stallone zh:席維斯·史特龍

birth name	Charles Robert Redford, Jr.
birth date	August 18, 1936
birth place	Santa Monica, California, United States
occupation	Actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist
years active	1959–present
spouse	Lola van Wagenen(1958–1985; divorced)Sibylle Szaggars(2009–present)
children	Scott (deceased), Shauna, Jamie, Amy }}

Charles Robert Redford, Jr. (born August 18, 1936), better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing ''Ordinary People'', and one for Lifetime Achievement in 2002. In 2010 he was awarded French Knighthood in the ''Legion d'Honneur''. At the height of his fame in the 1970s and 1980s, he was often described as one of the world's most attractive men and remains one of the most popular movie stars. His popular films include ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969), ''Downhill Racer'' (1969), ''Jeremiah Johnson'' (1972), ''The Candidate'' (1972), ''The Sting'' (1973), ''The Way We Were'' (1973), ''The Great Gatsby'' (1974), ''Three Days of the Condor'' (1975), ''The Great Waldo Pepper'' (1975), ''All the President's Men'' (1976), ''A Bridge Too Far'' (1977), ''The Natural'' (1984), ''Out of Africa'' (1985), ''Sneakers'' (1992), ''Indecent Proposal'' (1993),''The Last Castle'' and ''Spy Game'' (2001). As a filmmaker, his notable films include ''Ordinary People'' (1980), ''The Milagro Beanfield War'' (1988), ''A River Runs Through It'' (1992), ''Quiz Show'' (1994), ''The Horse Whisperer'' (1998) and ''The Legend of Bagger Vance'' (2000).

Early life

Redford was born in Santa Monica, California. His mother, Martha W. (née Hart), was born in Texas, to Archibald Hart and Sallie Pate Green, and his father, Charles Robert Redford, Sr. (November 19, 1914 – April 2, 1991), was a milkman-turned-accountant from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, son of Charles Elijah Redford and Lena Taylor. He has a half-brother, William, from his father's re-marriage. Redford is of mostly English ancestry, but he is also of partial Irish, Scottish, and Scots-Irish ancestry (his surname originates in England).

Redford's family moved to Van Nuys while his father worked in El Segundo. He attended Van Nuys High School, where he was classmates with baseball player Don Drysdale. He has described himself as having been a "bad" student, finding inspiration outside the classroom, and being interested in art and sports. He hit tennis balls with Pancho Gonzales at the Los Angeles Tennis Club to warm him up. After high school, he attended the University of Colorado for a year and a half, where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. While there, he worked at the restaurant/bar The Sink; a painting of his likeness is prominent in the bar's murals. After being asked to leave the University of Colorado, he traveled in Europe, living in France, Spain, and Italy. He later studied painting at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and took classes at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

Career

Television

Redford's career — like that of almost all major stars who emerged in the 1950s — began in New York, where an actor could find work both in television and on stage. Starting in 1959, he appeared as a guest star on numerous programs, including ''The Untouchables'', ''Whispering Smith'', ''Perry Mason'', ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', ''Route 66'', ''Dr. Kildare'', ''Playhouse 90'', ''Tate'', and ''The Twilight Zone'', among others. He earned an Emmy nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ''The Voice of Charlie Pont'' (ABC, 1962). One of his last television appearances was on October 7, 1963, on ''Breaking Point,'' an ABC medical drama about psychiatry.

Theater

Redford's Broadway debut was in a small role in ''Tall Story'' (1959), followed by parts in ''The Highest Tree'' (1959) and ''Sunday in New York'' (1961). His biggest Broadway success was as the stuffy newlywed husband of Elizabeth Ashley in Neil Simon's ''Barefoot in the Park'' (1963).

Film

While still largely an unknown, Redford made his screen debut in ''War Hunt'' (1962), co-starring with John Saxon in a film set during the last days of the Korean War. This film also marked the debuts of director Sydney Pollack, with whom Redford would often collaborate in the near future, and actor Tom Skerritt. After his Broadway success, he was cast in larger feature roles in movies. He was cast alongside screen legend Alec Guinness in the war comedy ''Situation Hopeless ... But Not Serious'', in which he played a soldier who has to spend years of his life hiding behind enemy lines. In ''Inside Daisy Clover'' (1965), which won him a golden globe for best new star, he played a bisexual movie star who marries starlet Natalie Wood, and rejoined her along with Charles Bronson for Pollack's ''This Property Is Condemned'' (1966) — again as her lover, though this time in a film which achieved even greater success. The same year saw his first teaming with Jane Fonda, in Arthur Penn's ''The Chase''. This film marked the only time Redford would star with Marlon Brando. Fonda and Redford were paired again in the popular big screen version of ''Barefoot in the Park'' (1967) and were again co-stars much later in Pollack's ''The Electric Horseman'' (1979).

After this initial success, Redford became concerned about his blond male stereotype image and turned down roles in ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' and ''The Graduate''. Redford found the property he was looking for in George Roy Hill's ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969), scripted by William Goldman, in which he was paired for the first time with Paul Newman. The film was a huge success and made him a major bankable star, cementing his screen image as an intelligent, reliable, sometimes sardonic good guy.

Redford suffered through a few films that did not achieve box office success during this time, including ''Downhill Racer'' (1969); ''Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here'' (1969); ''Little Fauss and Big Halsy'' (1970), and ''The Hot Rock'' (1972). But his overall career was flourishing with the critical and box office hit ''Jeremiah Johnson'' (1972); the political satire ''The Candidate'' (1972); the hugely popular period drama ''The Way We Were'' (1973); and the biggest hit of his career; the blockbuster crime caper ''The Sting'' (1973), which became one of the top 20 highest grossing movies of all time when adjusted for inflation and for which he was also nominated for an Oscar.

Between 1974 and 1976, exhibitors voted Redford Hollywood's top box-office name. His hits included ''The Great Gatsby'' (1974), ''The Great Waldo Pepper'' (1975), and ''Three Days of the Condor'' (1975). The popular and acclaimed ''All the President's Men'' (1976), directed by Alan J. Pakula and scripted once again by Goldman, was a landmark film for Redford. Not only was he the executive producer and co-star, but the film's serious subject matter — the Watergate scandal — and its attempt to create a realistic portrayal of journalism also reflected the actor's offscreen concerns for political causes.

He also starred in a segment of the war film ''A Bridge Too Far'' (1977), the prison drama ''Brubaker'' (1980), playing a prison warden attempting to reform the system, and the fantasy baseball drama ''The Natural'' (1984). Redford continued his involvement in mainstream Hollywood movies, though with a newfound focus on directing. The first film he directed, ''Ordinary People'', which followed the disintegration of an upper class American family after the death of a son, was one of the most critically and publicly acclaimed films of the decade, winning a number of Oscars, including the Academy Award for best director for Redford himself. His followup directorial project, ''The Milagro Beanfield War'' (1987), failed to generate the same level of attention. Sydney Pollack's ''Out of Africa'' (1985), with Redford in the male lead role opposite Meryl Streep, became an enormous critical and box office success and won seven Oscars including Best Picture, proving to be Redford's biggest success of the decade and Redford and Pollack's most successful of their six movies together. His next film, ''Legal Eagles'' (1986), was only a minor success at the box office.

Redford continued as a major star throughout the 1990s and 2000s. He released his third film as a director, ''A River Runs Through It'', in 1992, which was a return to mainstream success for Redford as a director and brought a young Brad Pitt to greater prominence. 1993 brought Redford one of his most popular and recognised roles when he starred as a millionaire businessman who tests people's morals through bribery in Indecent Proposal, which became one of the year's biggest hits. He co-starred with Michelle Pfeiffer in the newsroom romance ''Up Close & Personal'' (1996), and with Kristin Scott Thomas in ''The Horse Whisperer'' (1998), which he also directed. Redford also continued work in films with political context, such as ''Havana'' (1990), playing Jack Weil, a professional gambler in 1959 Cuba during the Revolution, as well as ''Sneakers'' (1992), in which he co starred with the late River Phoenix among others.

He appeared as a disgraced Army general sent to prison in the political thriller ''The Last Castle'' (2001), directed by Rod Lurie, someone else with a strong interest in politics. In the same year, Redford reteamed with Brad Pitt for ''Spy Game'', another success for the pair but with Redford switching this time from director to actor. Redford, a leading environmental activist, narrated the IMAX documentary ''Sacred Planet'' (2004), a sweeping journey across the globe to some of its most exotic and endangered places. In ''The Clearing'' (2004), a thriller co-starring Helen Mirren, Redford was a successful businessman whose kidnapping unearths the secrets and inadequacies that led to his achieving the American Dream.

Redford stepped back into producing with ''The Motorcycle Diaries'' (2004), a coming-of-age road film about a young medical student, Ernesto "Che" Guevera, and his friend Alberto Granado. It also explored political and social issues of South America that influenced Guevara and shaped his future. With five years spent in the film's making, Redford was credited by director Walter Salles for being instrumental in getting it made and released.

Back in front of the camera, Redford received good notices for his role in director Lasse Hallstrom's ''An Unfinished Life'' (2005) as a cantankerous rancher who is forced to take in his estranged daughter-in-law (Jennifer Lopez) — whom he blames for his son's death — and the granddaughter he never knew he had when they fled an abusive relationship. The film, which sat on the shelf for many months while its distributor Miramax was restructured, was generally dismissed as clichéd and overly sentimental. Meanwhile, Redford returned to familiar territory when he reteamed with Meryl Streep 22 years after they starred in Out of Africa, for his personal project ''Lions for Lambs'' (2007), which also starred fellow superstar Tom Cruise. After a great deal of hype, the film opened to mixed reviews and disappointing box office. Redford more recently signed on to direct and star in an update of ''The Candidate''.

Redford appears in the 2011 documentary ''Buck'', where he discusses his experiences with title subject Buck Brannaman during the production of ''The Horse Whisperer'' in 1998.

Director

Redford had long harbored ambitions to work on both sides of the camera. As early as 1969, Redford had served as the executive producer for ''Downhill Racer''. His first outing as director was in 1980's ''Ordinary People'', a drama about the slow disintegration of an upper-middle class family, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director. Redford was credited with obtaining a powerful dramatic performance from Mary Tyler Moore, as well as superb work from Donald Sutherland and Timothy Hutton, who also won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Redford did not direct again until ''The Milagro Beanfield War'' (1988), a well-crafted, though not commercially successful, screen version of John Nichols' acclaimed novel of the Southwest. ''The Milagro Beanfield War'' is the story of the people of Milagro, New Mexico (based on the real town of Truchas in northern New Mexico), overcoming big developers who set about to ruin their community and force them out because of tax increases. Other directorial projects have included the period drama ''A River Runs Through It'' (1992), based on Norman Maclean's novella, and the exposé ''Quiz Show'' (1994), about the quiz show scandal of the late 1950s. In the latter film, Redford worked from a screenplay by Paul Attanasio with noted cinematographer Michael Ballhaus and a strong cast that featured Paul Scofield, John Turturro, Rob Morrow, and Ralph Fiennes. Redford handpicked Morrow for his part in the film (Morrow's only high-profile feature film role to date), because he liked his work on ''Northern Exposure''. Redford also directed Matt Damon and Will Smith in ''The Legend of Bagger Vance'' (2000). In 2010, Redford released ''The Conspirator'', a period drama revolving around the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Despite a subject matter of personal interest to Redford, the film received mixed reviews and proved to be a flop at the box office.

Honors

Redford attended the University of Colorado in the 1950s and received an Honorary Degree in 1983.

In 1995, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Bard College. He was a 2002 Lifetime Achievement Award/Honorary Oscar recipient at the 74th Academy Awards.

In 1996, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

In December 2005, he received honors at the Kennedy Center for his contributions to American culture. The Honors recipients are recognized for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts: whether in dance, music, theater, opera, motion pictures or television.

In 2008 he was awarded The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, one of the richest prizes in the arts, given annually to "a man or woman who has made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind's enjoyment and understanding of life."

The University of Southern California (USC) School of Theater announced the first annual ''Robert Redford Award for Engaged Artists'' in 2009. According to the school's web site, the award was created "to honor those who have distinguished themselves not only in the exemplary quality, skill and innovation of their work, but also in their public commitment to social responsibility, to increasing awareness of global issues and events, and to inspiring and empowering young people."

Robert Redford received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Brown University at the 240th Commencement exercises on May 25, 2008. He also spoke during the ceremonies.

On 14 October 2010, he was appointed ''Chevalier'' of the Légion d'honneur.

Sundance

With the financial proceeds of his acting success, starting with his salaries from ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' and ''Downhill Racer'', Redford bought an entire ski area on the east side of Mount Timpanogos northeast of Provo, Utah, called "Timp Haven", which was renamed "Sundance". Redford's wife Lola was from Utah and they had built a home in the area in 1963. Portions of the movie ''Jeremiah Johnson'' (1972), a film which is both one of Redford's favorites and one that has heavily influenced him, were shot near the ski area. He founded the Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute, Sundance Cinemas, Sundance Catalog, and the Sundance Channel, all in and around Park City, Utah, 30 miles (48 km) north of the Sundance ski area. The Sundance Film Festival caters to independent filmmakers in the United States and has received recognition from the industry as a place to open films. In 2008, Sundance exhibited 125 feature-length films from 34 countries, with more than 50,000 attendees. The name Sundance comes from his ''Sundance Kid'' character. In addition, Redford owns a celebrated restaurant called Zoom, located on Main Street in the former mining town of Park City.

Independent films

Since founding the nonprofit Sundance Institute in Park City, in 1981, Redford has been deeply involved with independent film. Through its various workshop programs and popular film festival, Sundance has provided much-needed support for independent filmmakers. In 1995, Redford signed a deal with Showtime to start a 24-hour cable television channel devoted to airing independent films — the Sundance Channel premiered on February 29, 1996.

Personal life

On August 9, 1958, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Redford married Lola Van Wagenen, who dropped out of college to marry him. They had four children: Scott Anthony, David James "Jamie", Shauna, and Amy Redford.

Son Jamie Redford is a writer/producer.

Scott — their first child — was born September 1, 1959, and died of sudden infant death syndrome on November 17, 1959, at age 2½ months. His remains have been buried at Provo City Cemetery in Provo, Utah. Lola and Redford divorced in 1985. He has five grandchildren: Dylan and Lena Redford (of son Jamie), Mica and Conor Schlosser (of daughter Shauna) and Eden August (of daughter Amy).

In July 2009, Redford married his longtime partner, Sibylle Szaggars, at the luxurious Louis C. Jacob Hotel in Hamburg, Germany. She had moved in with Redford in the 1990s and shares his Sundance, Utah, home. In May 2011 Alfred A Knopf published ''Robert Redford: The Biography'' by Michael Feeney Callan, written over fifteen years with Redford's input, and drawn from his personal papers and diaries.

Political activity

Redford is politically liberal, and has supported environmentalism, Native American rights, and the arts. He has been noted as "an admirer of Edward Abbey, the late great anarchist voice of the desert Southwest." Most of his federal political contributions have been to Democrats (61%) or advocacy groups (34.6%), such as the Political Action Committee of the Directors Guild of America. Redford has on occasion also supported Republicans, including Brent Cornell Morris in his unsuccessful 1990 race for Utah's 3rd congressional district seat. Redford also supported Gary R. Herbert, another Republican and a friend, in Herbert's successful campaign to be elected Utah's Lieutenant Governor (he is currently the Governor of Utah). Redford is an avid environmentalist and is a trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Redford has been a vocal critic of Barack Obama for his lack of follow-through on environmental policies. He wrote, "One reason I supported President Obama is because he said we must protect clean air, water and lands. But what good is it to say the right thing unless you act on it?"

Filmography

Actor

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1960	''Tall Story''	Basketball Player
1962	''War Hunt''	Private Roy Loomis
1962	''The Twilight Zone''	Harold Beldon	1 episode: "Nothing in the Dark"
1965	''Inside Daisy Clover''	Wade Lewis
1965	''Situation Hopeless ... But Not Serious''	Captain Hank Wilson
1966	''This Property Is Condemned''	Owen Legate
1966		Charlie 'Bubber' Reeves
1967		Paul Bratter
1969	''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''		BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Rolealso for ''Downhill Racer'' and ''Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here''
1969	''Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here''	Deputy Sheriff Christopher 'Coop' Cooper	BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Rolealso for ''Downhill Racer'' and ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''
1969	''Downhill Racer''	David Chappellet	BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Rolealso for ''Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here'' and ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''
1970	''Little Fauss and Big Halsy''	Halsy Knox
1972		Jeremiah Johnson
1972		Bill McKay
1972		John Archibald Dortmunder
1973	''The Sting''	Johnny Hooker	Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
1973	''The Way We Were''	Hubbell Gardiner
1974		Jay Gatsby
1975	''Three Days of the Condor''	Joseph Turner/The Condor
1975	''The Great Waldo Pepper''	Waldo Pepper
1976		Bob Woodward
1977		Major Julian Cook
1979	''The Electric Horseman''	Norman 'Sonny' Steele
1980	''Brubaker''	Henry Brubaker
1984		Roy Hobbs
1985		Denys Finch Hatton
1986	''Legal Eagles''	Tom Logan
1990		Jack Weil
1992		Narrator	Voice onlyUncreditedAlso Producer/Director
1992		Martin "Marty" Bishop
1992	''Incident at Oglala''	Narrator
1993	''Indecent Proposal''	John Gage
1993	''La Classe américaine''	Steven
1996	''Up Close & Personal''	Warren Justice
1998		Tom Booker	Also Producer/Director
2001	''Spy Game''	Nathan D. Muir
2001	''The Last Castle''	Lt. Gen. Eugene Irwin
2004	''The Clearing''	Wayne Hayes
2004	''Sacred Planet''	Narrator
2005	''An Unfinished Life''	Einar Gilkyson
2006		Ike the Horse	Voice only
2007	''Lions for Lambs''	Dr. Stephen Malley	Also Producer/Director
2012		Jim Grant/Jason Sinai	Also Producer/Director

Director

! Year	! Title	Notes
1980	''Ordinary People''	Academy Award for Best DirectorDirectors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature FilmGolden Globe Award for Best Director
1988	''The Milagro Beanfield War''	Nominated — Political Film Society
1992		Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Director
1994	''Quiz Show''	Nominated — Academy Award for Best DirectorNominated — BAFTA Award for Best FilmNominated — Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature FilmNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Director
1998		Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Director
2000	''The Legend of Bagger Vance''
2007	''Lions for Lambs''
2010	''The Conspirator''
2012

References

External links

Movie, Museum Exhibits Shine New Light on US Civil War is an April 2011 radio and internet report on the Robert Redford movie "The Conspirator." The report aired on Voice of America and was written by VOA's Special English branch.

Redford interviewed about his life, independent film making and political activism. January 2010, 45 minute video and audio interview with transcript.

Dublin">Cinema Retro covers Robert Redford at Trinity College in Dublin

Sundance Resort

The Sundance Institute

Robert Redford slideshow at AMCtv.com

Redford Teams up to Train Minority Filmmakers ''NY Daily News'', May 15, 2009

Robert Redford: Through the Years — slideshow by ''Life magazine''

Category:1936 births Category:Academy Honorary Award recipients Category:Actors from California Category:American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni Category:American environmentalists Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American film producers Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American people of Scotch-Irish descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American philanthropists Category:American stage actors Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award winners Category:Best Director Academy Award winners Category:Best Director Golden Globe winners Category:Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Category:Film festival founders Category:Kappa Sigma Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Living people Category:People from Santa Monica, California Category:Pratt Institute alumni Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients Category:University of Colorado at Boulder alumni Category:Van Nuys High School alumni Category:Western (genre) film actors

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#redirectJohn Travolta

birth name	Richard Tiffany Gere
birth date	August 31, 1949
birth place	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
occupation	Actor
years active	1973–present
nationality	American
notable works	''Pretty Woman'', ''Dr. T & the Women'', ''Chicago'', ''Primal Fear'', ''First Knight''
religion	Buddhist
spouse	Cindy Crawford (1991–1995)Carey Lowell (2002–present)
children	Son }}

Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar'', and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven''. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film ''American Gigolo'', which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol. He went on to star in several hit films including ''An Officer and a Gentleman'', ''Pretty Woman'', ''Primal Fear'', and ''Chicago'', for which he won a Golden Globe Award as Best Actor, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the Best Cast.

Early life

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Gere is a descendant of ''Mayflower'' Pilgrims Francis Eaton, John Billington, George Soule, Richard Warren, Degory Priest, William Brewster, and Francis Cooke. His paternal great-grandfather had changed the spelling of the surname from "Geer". Gere's mother, Doris Ann (née Tiffany, born 1924), was a homemaker, and his father, Homer George Gere (born 1922), was an insurance agent for the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and had originally intended to become a minister. Gere is their eldest son and second child. In 1967, he graduated from North Syracuse Central High School, where he excelled at gymnastics and music, playing the trumpet. He attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst on a gymnastics scholarship, majoring in philosophy, but did not graduate, leaving after two years.

Career

Gere first worked professionally at the Provincetown Playhouse on Cape Cod in 1971 where he starred in ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.'' His first major acting role was in the original London stage version of ''Grease'' in 1973. He began appearing in Hollywood films in the mid 1970s, co-starring in the thriller ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and playing the leading role in director Terrence Malick's well-reviewed 1978 film, ''Days of Heaven''. In 1980, Gere appeared in the Broadway production of ''Bent''. He became a major star that year with the film ''American Gigolo'', followed by the romantic drama ''An Officer and a Gentleman'', which grossed almost $130 million in 1982.

After 1982, Gere's career experienced several box office failures until it strengthened with the release of both ''Internal Affairs'' and ''Pretty Woman'' in 1990. Gere's status as a leading man solidified and he went on to star in several successful films throughout the 1990s, including ''Sommersby'' (1993), ''Primal Fear'' (1996), and ''Runaway Bride'' (1999) which reunited him with his ''Pretty Woman'' co-star Julia Roberts. Richard also took a leading role in the 1997 action movie ''The Jackal'', playing Declan Mulqueen.

''People'' magazine named Gere the "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1999. In 2002, he appeared in three major releases: the horror thriller ''The Mothman Prophecies'', the drama ''Unfaithful'', and the Academy Award-winning film version of ''Chicago'', for which he won a Golden Globe as "Best Actor – Comedy or Musical". Gere's 2004 ballroom dancing drama ''Shall We Dance?'' was also a solid performer that grossed $170 million worldwide though his next film, 2005's ''Bee Season'', was a commercial failure.

Gere was Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals' "Man of the Year" for 2006. In 2007, he co-starred with Jesse Eisenberg and Terrence Howard in ''The Hunting Party'', a comic thriller in which he played a journalist in Bosnia. The same year he also starred with Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, and Cate Blanchett in Todd Haynes' semi-biographical film about Bob Dylan, ''I'm Not There''.

Gere co-starred with Diane Lane in the romantic drama ''Nights in Rodanthe'', released in 2008. The film was widely panned by critics (even making #74 on ''The Times'' Worst Films of 2008 list), but grossed over $84 million worldwide.

In December 2010, Gere was honored for his lifetime achievement from the 34th Cairo International Film Festival.

In 2012, Gere was the 67th recipient of The George Eastman Award for distinguished contribution to the art of film for his distinguished acting career as well as his global humanitarian leadership.

Personal life and activism

Gere was married to supermodel Cindy Crawford from 1991 to 1995. In 2002, he married model and actress Carey Lowell. They have a son, Homer James Jigme Gere, who was born in 2000 and is named after Gere's father.

Gere was raised by Methodist parents; his interest in Buddhism began when he traveled to Nepal in 1978 with the Brazilian painter, Sylvia Martins. He is a practicing Buddhist and an active supporter of the Dalai Lama. Gere is also a persistent advocate for human rights in Tibet; he is a co-founder of the Tibet House, creator of The Gere Foundation, and he is Chairman of the Board of Directors for the International Campaign for Tibet. Because he strongly supports the Tibetan Independence Movement, he is permanently banned from entering the People's Republic of China. Gere was banned as an Academy Award presenter in 1993 after he denounced the Chinese government in his capacity as presenter. In September 2007, Gere called for the boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games to put pressure on China to make Tibet independent. He starred in Free Tibet-themed Lancia commercial featuring the Lancia Delta. On June 27, 2011 Richard Gere meditated in Borobudur temple.

Richard Gere actively supports Survival International, an organization dedicated to protecting the rights and lands of tribal peoples throughout the world. He contributed some of his writing for the book, ''We Are One: A Celebration of Tribal Peoples'', released in October 2009. Richard Gere discusses the persecution and loss of land of the Jummas, as an example of a tragic story that repeats itself in different continents of the world. He calls attention to the crime against their peaceful culture and how it reflects on our own relationship with nature and capacity to survive. The royalties from the sale of this book go to the indigenous rights organization, Survival International.

Gere campaigns for ecological causes and AIDS awareness. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Healing the Divide, an organization that supports global initiatives to promote peace, justice and understanding. He helped to establish the AIDS Care Home, a residential facility in India for women and children with AIDS, and also supports campaigns for AIDS awareness and education that country. In 1999, he created the Gere Foundation India Trust to support a variety of humanitarian programs in India.

On April 15, 2007, Gere appeared at an AIDS awareness rally in Jaipur, India. During a live news conference to promote condom use among truck drivers, he embraced Bollywood superstar Shilpa Shetty, dipped her, and kissed her several times on the cheek. As a result of that gesture, a local court ordered the arrest of Gere and Shetty, finding them in violation "public obscenity" laws. Gere, who quickly fled the country, has said the controversy was "manufactured by a small hard-line political party." About a month later, a two-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, KG Balakrishnan, described the case as "frivolous" and believed that such complaints (against celebrities) were filed for "cheap publicity" and have brought a bad name to the country. They ruled that "Richard Gere is free to enter the country. This is the end of the matter."

In June 2008, Gere appeared in a Fiat commercial for the European market, driving a new Lancia Delta from Hollywood to Tibet. The commercial concluded with a tagline of "New Lancia Delta: the power to be different". The commercial was reported in Chinese newspapers, and Fiat apologized to the PRC. Branding expert John Tantillo argued that Fiat had foreseen the controversy the ad would cause and hoped to benefit from press coverage it would receive, labeling it "adpublitizing".

Political views

Invasion of Iraq

Gere has stated that the decision to go to war in Iraq was one that the American people were not in support of and that the administration at the time “bullied” Americans into the decision. He blamed the situation on a very “poor president”.

“I'm very sorry about what the U.S. has done in Iraq. This war has been a tragedy for everyone. I hope that the people of Iraq can rebuild their country," Richard Gere said in a press conference, held on the sidelines of the 34th Cairo International Film Festival.

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1975	''Report to the Commissioner''	Billy
1976	''Baby Blue Marine''	Raider
1977		Tony Lo Porto
1978		Thomas Stony De Coco
1978	''Days of Heaven''	Bill
1979	''Yanks''	Matt Dyson
1980	''American Gigolo''	Julian Kaye
1982	''An Officer and a Gentleman''	Zack Mayo	Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
1983		Dr. Eduardo Plarr
1983		Jesse Lujack
1984		Dixie Dwyer
1985		David
1986		Eddie Jillette
1986		Pete St. John
1988	''Miles from Home''	Frank Roberts, Jr.
1990		Dennis Peck
1990	''Pretty Woman''	Edward Lewis	Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1991	''Rhapsody in August''	Clark
1992	''Final Analysis''	Dr. Isaac Barr
1993		Mr. Jones
1993	''Sommersby''	John Robert 'Jack' Sommersby
1993		The Choreographer	Nominated — CableACE Award
1994		Vincent Eastman
1995	''[[First Knight''	Lancelot
1996		Martin Vail
1997		Declan Joseph Mulqueen
1997	''Red Corner''	Jack Moore
1999		Ike Graham
2000	''Dr. T & the Women''	Dr. T
2000		Will Keane
2002		Billy Flynn	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best CastGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureNominated — Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best CastNominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
2002		Edward Sumner
2002		John Klein
2004		John Clark
2005		Saul Naumann
2007		Clifford Irving
2007		Simon
2007	''I'm Not There''	Bob Dylan as Billy The Kid
2007		Agent Erroll Babbage
2008	''Nights in Rodanthe''	Dr. Paul Flanner
2009
2009	''Hachi: A Dog's Tale''	Parker Wilson
2010	''Brooklyn's Finest''	Eddie Dugan
2011		Paul Shepherdson
2012		Robert Miller	filming

References

External links

Defended India's nuclear tests

The Gere Foundation

The Druk White Lotus School (external link) of which Gere is an Honorary Patron.

Shambhala Sun Interview

Category:1949 births Category:Actors from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:AIDS activists Category:American health activists Category:American human rights activists Category:American anti-communists Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Converts to Buddhism Category:American Buddhists Category:American people of English descent Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:Tibetan Buddhists from the United States Category:Tibetan independence movement Category:Personae non gratae

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