Richard Gere and his father have always had a bond built by the principles the older Gere imparted in him as a child.
Richard is recognized for his endearing personality; after all, he was a top heartthrob in Hollywood in the 1980s and 1990s. Richard grew up in Syracuse, New York, despite being born on August 31, 1949, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Richard’s dad, Homer George Gere, was an insurance agent, while his mom, Doris Ann, was a homemaker.
According to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Richard is a descendant of two Mayflower passengers: John and Elinor Billington and William and Mary Brewster.
Richard even referred to his parents, Homer and Doris, as “amazing” people.
Even when they didn’t have enough money, his parents always figured out how to provide him with the nicest things in life, according to the actor.
They provided him and his four brothers and sisters huge chances in terms of school, music, and everything else they had an interest in, and they figured out a way for that to happen,” he stated. They weren’t raised with a lot of money, and the scraping that it needed to get an education and music teachers was astounding.
Richard has always been appreciative of his father’s work as a Meals on Wheels volunteer. The Golden Globe winner for Best Actor has also participated in multiple Meals on Wheels advertisements to urge others to volunteer as well. In 2018, he even helped his father deliver lunch.
That same year, Richard and his father Homer sat down and took a journey down memory lane to discuss how Meals On Wheels began and the influence it has had not just on their lives as well as on the lives of others.
Richard inquired as to when his dad first contemplated the Meals on Wheels service. There was kind of an abandoned home, Homer explained. That’s where Meals on Wheels got its start. They care about meeting people’s needs as they age.
The award-winning actor then said that it was human contact that inspired his father to follow his love of assisting in the feeding of others. His father, on the other hand, stated that One can’t help but feel good when one sees someone else benefiting from one’s life in some manner.
Richard and Homer discussed how Meals On Wheels went on a mission to aid people in need during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2021.
Richard made a point of celebrating his father’s 100th birthday in 2022 by eating lunch at Pastabilities in his father’s hometown of North Syracuse.
Homer was once an enthusiastic fire volunteer in his community, in addition to volunteering for Meals on Wheels. Following the loss of Richard’s mom, Doris, in 2016, the actor has made a frequent traveler to North Syracuse to check in on his father.
Richard memorialized his love for his dad by calling his only kid with his ex-partner Carey Lowell, Homer James Jigme Gere, as if his affection for him wasn’t obvious enough in his confirmations in numerous interviews. Richard and Lowell named their son Jigme after both of their dads, Homer and James, and the Tibetan word for courage. Both are interested in the teachings of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist leader.
Richard is now a devoted dad to all 3 of his kids, two of which he shares with his current wife Alejandra Silva. He did, in fact, inherit it from his father!
