Richard Gere, 74, is joined by rarely seen 24-year-old son for Cannes premiere

It was a family affair at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday May 17 as Richard Gere was joined by his wife and eldest son on the red carpet. 

Richard's son Homer, 24, is a budding actor but has stayed out of the spotlight mostly, growing up in New York City. He studied cognitive neuroscience and visual art at Brown University but Richard confirmed in 2023 that he was keen to look into the world of Hollywood, "writing and directing little movies, so we have this new thing in common". 

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Homer made his Cannes debut with dad Richard and stepmom Alejandra Silva alongside Uma Thurman for the premiere of Oh Canada, Richard's new film.

Oh Canada is directed by Paul Schrader, and sees him reunite with Richard 44 years after 1980’s seminal American Gigolo. Based on the 2021 novel Foregone by Russell Banks, it follows the life of a tormented writer on the brink of death, years after they fled to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War draft. 

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Richard, 77, has successfully carved out a career away from the limelight, and he has ensured his three sons have also remained away from the cameras. Homer James Jigme made Richard a first time father when he was born on February 6 2000 in New York City to former Bond girl Carey Lowell, Richard's second wife. 

His name honors both of his parents; Richard's father was called Homer and Carey's dad had the middle name James. His third name means fearless in Tibetan and is a nod to Richard's Buddhist background.

© STEPHANE CARDINALE

"Homer is the joy of my life," he said when the little boy was two, adding that he was "very smart," and "very funny". 

Carey filed for divorce from Richard in 2012 after 11 years of marriage but Richard made sure to remain close to his son, making career decisions that would guarantee he was not away from Homer for too long. 

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He told the Hindustan Times in 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." 

Richard is also dad to Alexander, five, and a four-year-old son whom he welcomed with wife Alejandra in 2020.