Richard Gere, 'Arbitrage' Star, On His Sporty Past

Before Richard Gere Was An Actor, He Was A...

We knew Richard Gere had a whole life before his star-making role in "American Gigolo," but we didn't know it involved a pommel horse.

The star, whose recent movie "Arbitrage" had the biggest opening for a film debuting in theaters and on-demand, got a surprise on "The Tonight Show" when host Jay Leno showed yearbook photos of a 14-year-old Gere as a gymnast.

His gymnast past impressed more than just us -- his 12-year-old son, while watching the Olympics with his dad, was shocked to find out Gere used to pull off the same feats as the guys on TV.

"There's a picture of me [at home] having just done a dismount -- I was actually looking pretty good," Gere said. "He was very impressed that his dad had been a gymnast."

Gere has since followed other pursuits; while he's better known for acting, Gere and his wife also run a Relais and Chateaux, a boutique hotel and restaurant. It's not his first time working in food services. To hear more about Gere's first job, watch the video above.

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