Claim: Richard Gere starred in an American film.

Richard Tiffany Gere -LRB- -LSB- ˈɡɪər -RSB- ; born August 31 , 1949 -RRB- is an American actor and humanitarian activist . 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 , Runaway Bride , Arbitrage and Chicago , for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and a Screen Actors Guild Award for part of the Best Cast .