Richard Gere Was Reluctant to Have Kids Yet Called Firstborn, Who He Welcomed at 50, the 'Joy' of His Life

Richard Gere, known for his roles in movies like "American Gigolo," "Pretty Woman," and "Runaway Bride," is not only a Hollywood hunk, but the actor has also had time to win over women off-screen when he's not busy filming.

The "Pretty Woman" actor, who has been married three times, did not start having kids until later in life, and his first wife blamed their divorce on his reluctance to have kids.

Richard Gere eventually enjoyed the joys of fatherhood when he welcomed his first child at 50. When he turned 70, he added two more kids to his family.

Richard Gere met his first wife, Cindy Crawford, at a barbecue hosted by Herb Ritts around 1988. The star-studded event left Crawford shocked by the celebrity crowd and by Gere.

Four years later, the couple took their relationship to the next level when they took a private jet to Las Vegas, where they married, and at the altar, they exchanged aluminum foil rings.

Gere and Crawford were together for another four years before their divorce in 1995. The couple was rumored to be gay, and the tabloids insinuated they were covering their alleged sexuality with their marriage.

Even though Crawford found the rumors amusing, she admitted that she and Gere were not spending enough time together, and the 17-year age gap between them may have been one of their issues.

Also, when they were married, Gere never explicitly talked about having children. When asked whether he was planning to have kids with her, Gere said he would instead want to think of all creatures as his children.

GERE'S DECISION TO HAVE KIDS

After Gere and Crawford split, she blamed it on his reluctance to have children, and Gere, at the time, said he wasn't ready for kids because he was just a big kid himself.

However, he changed his tune and said that he always was keen on becoming a dad. A decade later, Gere would become a first-time father with his then partner, former Bond girl, Carey Lowell.

With Lowell, Gere revealed that he never had an issue with children, having grown up in a family of five. He said,

"With Carey, she had a child from a previous marriage, and it was just a natural thing, caring for this child, having our own child. It was totally spontaneous and right."

Lowell and Gere split in 2013 after 11 years of marriage and finalized their divorce three years later. The hold-off was partly because of money. After resolving custody issues, the couple fought over Gere's nest egg, about $250 million. Once settled, the terms of their divorce settlement were not public.

RICHARD GERE BECOMING A FATHER

While Gere was still dating Lowell, they welcomed his first son, Homer James Jigme Gere, on February 6, 2000. The couple then tied the knot on November 9, 2002.

Gere, a Buddhist, chose to name his son 'Jigme,' which means 'fearless' in Tibetan, as he has always supported the Tibetan cause. He supports their cause through his foundations, International Campaign for Tibet, and The Gere Foundation.

Gere named his son after his father, who also bears Homer. Gere, who called his son the joy of his life, described his son as one who:

"Loves music, very fast runner, very smart. Very funny. Pretty quick he learned irony, which is a wonderful quality for any human being."

Homer is currently a student at Brown University, where he will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and visual art.

When Homer was born, and Gere became a first-time father in his old age, he said he was aware of the changes in his body. He said his body was breaking down.

Gere revealed that his eyesight and hearing were getting worse and he was not as physically fit as he used to be. In addition, women were responding to him differently as he got older.

He further revealed that he believes his antennae changed despite women's attention. Unlike in the past, he is no longer aware of all the attention.

Gere stated that he is happy with his situation and said he is with a terrific woman and loves his kids. Fatherhood also altered his antennae as he said,

"The marginal stuff just doesn't affect you any more when you weigh it against the real things in your life. All the cliches [about parenthood] are true."

When Gere and Lowell divorced, they quickly resolved custody issues regarding their son as they agreed to share custody of Homer, who was in his teens.

THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM

After his divorce from his second wife, Lowell, the actor moved on and married for the third time. Gere met his Spanish publicist and activist wife, Alejandra Silva after a friend introduced them.

When Silva and Gere met, they felt a strong connection. They were both going through divorce proceedings, but they knew from the beginning that they were destined to be together.

As their relationship grew stronger, Gere proposed to Silva in a private moment on her birthday in the hotel St Paul de Vence located in the South of France. Silva said the hotel was the most romantic hotel she had ever seen.

The couple, who tied the knot in Gere's ranch outside New York City, converted the space into an Indian-inspired fairytale for their wedding.

They imported tents from Jaipur and decorated the flowers with Tibetan flags while the bride and groom made their entrance in a tuk-tuk with Gere in the driver's seat.

Silva revealed that Gere called her the most spectacular woman he had ever seen when he saw her dress. The excited couple exchanged the rings their children brought to them. Gere said,

"I'm the happiest man in the universe."

Silva also felt like the luckiest woman in the world who was in a true fairytale because, despite their over 30-year age gap, she never thought she would find a man so perfect for her.

EXPANDING THE FAMILY

Gere became a father for the second time when he was 70. He and Silva revealed that they could not announce that she was pregnant with their first child before telling the Dalai Lama and getting his blessing.

In February 2019, the couple welcomed their first child together. At 71, Gere became a third-time father when Silva gave birth to their second child together in April 2020.

Gere and Silva named their first child together Alexander. However, since the arrival of their second child, the couple has been very private, has kept their child out of the public eye, and his name is still unknown.