Richard Gere’s New Home Allows His Family To Milk Cows & Enjoy Nature After He Sold Former House For $28 Million

According to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Richard Gere is the descendant of pilgrims John and Elinor Billington and William and Mary Brewster, who came to New England via the Mayflower. Gere’s father, Homer George Gere, was an insurance agent, while his mother, Doris Ann, was a housewife. He was born in Philadelphia on Aug. 31, 1949, and graduated from North Syracuse Central High School in 1967.

In a 1980 interview with Rolling Stone, Gere said, “After high school, I felt pretty confused. But I knew I wanted to be involved in music or theater.”

Gere got a gymnastics scholarship to study at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, but he only attended for two years before he left. He started appearing in films in the 1970s, and his first notable film appearance was in 1977 when he played a supporting role in the movie “Looking for Mr. Goodbar.” A few years later, he starred in “American Gigolo” and became a Hollywood heartthrob and leading man. He is best known for playing the role of Edward Lewis in “Pretty Woman.”

The actor has always been an outspoken activist, speaking publicly about human rights violations in Tibet and boycotting the 2008 Beijing Olympics. However, his outspoken manner has, at times, resulted in consequences, and his career has slowed down quite a bit. He told The Hollywood Reporter:

“The studios are interested in the possibility of making huge profits. But I’m still making the same films that I was making when I started. Small, interesting, character-driven, and narrative-driven stories. It hasn’t impacted my life at all.”

After relocating to a new home in 2021, Gere and his wife embarked on a new countryside lifestyle.

Gere added that he can make those small films he is interested in because he has made enough money from the big films he made in his early years.

“I’m not interested in playing the wizened Jedi in your tentpole,” he disclosed.

The actor further shared how his opposition to China has inhibited him.

“There are definitely movies that I can’t be in because the Chinese will say, ‘Not with him,’” he explained.

Gere also revealed how an independent movie he was supposed to do with a Chinese director was blocked even though they were not aiming for a release in the Chinese market. The director reached out two weeks before the project and canceled on him. He explained that if he continued with it, he and his family would be banned from leaving China, and he would never be able to work again.

Regardless, Gere has found his niche as an Indie film actor and has recorded significant progress. He has also been active in tourism and conservation efforts in a project in Mexico called Xala. The actor is a major partner in the community and environmental-driven project.

“I’m excited to work with the team and the community to bring our shared vision of delivering the most exceptional levels of tourism and a truly sustainable neighbourhood to this incredibly special part of the world,” Gere said of the development.

The project has been in the works for over a decade and has been designed to accommodate 75 rancho estates, 50 homes, three boutique hotels, and one hostel for travelers.

At an event for luxury real estate leaders in May 2023, Xala’s developer, Ricardo Santa Cruz, previewed the project on the Costalegre coast and disclosed that “Only 13 percent of Xala’s total 3,000 acres will be developed.”

Gere put his property in Pound Ridge for sale for $28 million in 2021 to be closer to nature. He purchased it in 1986 for $1.51 million and expanded it over the years after buying homes around it. Per Mansion Global, the house was a 50-acre estate with an 11,658-square-foot primary residence, stables, a private lake with a sandy beach, an island, and a soccer field.

Gere didn’t move far away as he bought a cheaper home in North Salem for $9.8 million per LA Times, where he lives with his family. Gere and his wife, Alejandro Silva, tied the knot in 2018 despite a 34-year age gap and have welcomed two sons, Alexander and James.

Gere also has a son, Homer, with his second ex-wife, Carey Lowell, while Silva has a son, Albert, with her ex-husband. Silva sometimes shares updates about her family on their ranch.

In December 2021, she posted a picture on Christmas day of herself with their two sons in her arms as they looked at some Zebras.

Silva, who loves nature, shared another Instagram post where she posed with an eating cow in the first picture. The second slide showed her milking a cow.

“In these times, especially if you live in the city, it is so difficult to be able to enjoy the basic pleasures that nature offers us — for me, the ones I value the most and those I want to instill in my family,” Silva captioned the post in Spanish and dedicated it to Homer.

In February 2023, Silva gave an update about her family’s health. She disclosed that they were all recovering after falling sick during their trip to Mexico for their “conservation project.” The update came after the activist thanked fans on Instagram for their well-wishes.

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