Why Richard Gere Was Banned From The Oscars For 20 Whole Years

Fans of the vaunted award ceremony or those who love the films of the ’80s and ’90s heartthrob may be wondering, “Why was Richard Gere banned from the Oscars?” Richard Gere is an award-winning actor whose credits include some of the greatest romantic comedies and successful romantic dramas of all time with Pretty Woman, An Officer and a Gentleman, and Runaway Bride. With four Golden Globe nominations and one win for Best Actor in Chicago, and two SAG nominations with one win, again for Chicago, it’s a wonder Gere has never been nominated for an Oscar.

There are plenty of talented actors who have never had the honor of being nominated. In Richard Gere’s case, however, part of his misfortune stems from the fact that Gere was banned from the ceremony for 20 years. There have been plenty of strange and dark moments at the Oscars over the years. Some of these have led to actors being banned from the event. People like Carmine Caridi, Will Smith, Roman Polanski, and Harvey Weinstein have all been banned for progressively more concerning reasons, but Gere’s ban was under unique circumstances.

At the 1993 Oscars, the 65th Academy Awards, and just a few years after Pretty Woman, Richard Gere was asked to present the award for Best Art Direction, which ended up going to Luciana Arrighi and Ian Whittaker for Howards End. During his speech, Gere went off-script and began berating the Chinese government for its treatment of the Tibetans and the Chinese people (via Hello! Magazine). A long-time and vocal adherent to Tibetan Buddhism, Gere was and has since been outspoken against China.

This speech ended up getting Gere banned from the Oscar ceremony for 20 years and also earned him a lifetime ban from China. However, he was permitted to attend the 2003 ceremony when Chicago, in which Gere played silver-tongued lawyer Billy Flynn, was nominated for and won Best Picture. He also returned to the Academy Awards in 2013, the 85th Oscars, to introduce the performance of Best Song nominee “Everybody Needs a Best Friend” and present Best Original Score and Best Original Song alongside his Chicago castmates Queen Latifah, Renée Zellweger, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Gere winkingly told Huffington Post,

“Apparently, I’ve been rehabilitated. It seems if you stay around long enough, they forget they’ve banned you.”

Gere Stepped Out Of The Spotlight, But He’s Returning To Hollywood

Richard Gere Appeared In A 2023 Film And Has Three More On The Way

Richard Gere had difficulty finding work in major Hollywood productions after 1993, a fact he claimed was because of Hollywood’s financial relationship with China, but he still acted in smaller independent films. However, in 2017, after starring in The Dinner and Three Christs, Gere stayed out of the spotlight for six years. It wasn’t until 2023 that he finally appeared in a movie again, playing Howard in Maybe I Do, a romantic comedy where he costars in an ensemble alongside Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey, and William H. Macy.

Despite the stellar cast, the film was a flop, earning a paltry 32% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it was a sign that Gere was back. Now Richard Gere has three films on the docket. Longing and The Making Of are in early pre-production but Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada is an upcoming 2024 film where Gere will play the older version of Jacob Elordi’s character, Leonard Fife. Jacob Elordi is a major star at the moment and with Gere attached to a film with him, there’s a hope that the veteran’s star may rise once more.

Oh, Canada (2024)

Oh, Canada is a lighthearted comedy about an American businessman who unexpectedly inherits a maple syrup farm in rural Canada. As he navigates the quirks of small-town life and syrup farming, he learns valuable lessons about community and simplicity.

Director

Paul Schrader

Writers

Paul Schrader