Richard Gere Has a Special Place in His Heart for His 3 Kids! See His Best Parenting Quotes

On Homer’s Personality

Richard and his first wife, Cindy Crawford, did not welcome any children together. In a 2002 interview with The Guardian, the Pennsylvania native explained that he felt like he slowly warmed up to the idea of being a dad after spending time with Carey’s daughter, Hannah Dunne, from a previous relationship.  

“It was actually quite simple. I never had an issue about children one way or the other,” he revealed. “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.” 

Richard and Carey were officially divorced in 2016 after 14 years of marriage. He further shared how he felt like his time as a stepdad prepared him for his life ahead in a December 2007 interview with The Independent. 

“Being a stepfather was an easy ride,” the Hollywood icon admitted. “I got past any fears I had about having children.” 

Homer went on to study at Brown University and has stepped out with his famous father for rare public appearances over the years. The pair enjoy attending baseball games together and cheering on their favorite team, the New York Yankees. 

The Chicago star went on to marry Alejandra in 2018. They announced that they were expecting their first child together that same year. Their son Alexander arrived in 2019. The humanitarian has continued to gush about her hubby and her family over the years. 

“He is the most humble, sensitive, affectionate, attentive, funny, generous man that I’ve ever met,” Alejandra told Hello! Magazine in March 2019. “What can I say? I’m so in love! How would you feel if each morning you were asked, ‘What would make you happy today?’ Not a day goes by that he doesn’t mention how important I am to him. I feel very lucky.”

In April 2020, the pair welcomed another son, whose name has not been made public. The Spanish publicist is also a mother to son Albert, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Govind Friedland.

Richard was buzzing about becoming a dad to Homer two years after he arrived.

“[Homer is] the joy of my life. Loves music, very fast runner, very smart. Very funny,” the MotherFatherSon alum told The Guardian. “Pretty quick he learned irony, which is a wonderful quality for any human being.”

On What His Own Father Taught Him

Richard and his father always maintained a close relationship, even after he burst onto the scene in Hollywood. He took several key pieces of advice and inspiration from his own dad when it came to parenting his three kids. 

“If he didn’t have money, it was a smile or an embrace or whatever he had to help out, and that was around me the whole time I was growing up,” the Broadway star said during a speech at the 2019 City Harvest Festival Gala.

On His Childhood

Richard and Alejandra are both dedicated to spending time with their kids, sharing glimpses of their family life on social media once in a while. His upbringing largely influenced him to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. 

“My parents are extraordinary people,” he told The Independent. “They gave me and my four brothers and sisters enormous opportunities in terms of education, in terms of music, in terms of anything we had an inclination towards, somehow they found a way for that to happen. They found the teachers. We weren’t brought up with a lot of money, and the scraping that it took to have an education, to have music teachers, was an extraordinary thing.”

On What He Learned From Parenthood

There is one big lesson that the superstar shared with The Guardian about becoming a parent. 

“The marginal stuff just doesn’t affect you anymore when you weigh it against the real things in your life,” he said. “All the clichés [about parenthood] are true.”

On What Really Matters

Richard has an incredible list of film credits to his name and with each one, he considered how much it would impact the time he spent with Homer while he was growing up. 

“My film decisions are mostly mine, but I’m very careful about not being away from my son, Homer James Jigme Gere, for very long,” he told the Hindustan Times in March 2015. “So, if I have to be away for long, I talk to him about it, and if there is a problem, I don’t take up the project. And I have done that. Your family is more important than anything.”

Another Rare Comment About Parenting

“The truth is we don’t go out much. We have three small children. An 11-year-old, a 5-year-old, and a 4-year-old,” Richard told Vanity Fair Spain in April 2024. “So around 9:30 at night, we are all asleep. If we watch something, it will be on the big television we have at home.”

He also revealed that Homer has not seen any of his movies.

“He doesn’t understand it,” Richard added. “And it is also very difficult for him to see me on the screen because even if I play an extreme character, I am still his father and it is difficult for him to get into the story.”

However, he did reveal that Homer followed in his footsteps in the acting world.

“As it happens, he just started acting too. He has suddenly become interested and seems to enjoy it. He’s been writing and directing little movies, so we have this new thing in common,” the proud dad shared.