Richard Gere Set For Academy's Salute to AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN

Richard Gere and Louis Gossett, Jr. will be special guests at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' screening of AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN in celebration of Paramount Pictures' 100th anniversary, on Tuesday, June 12, at 7 p.m. at the Academy Theater at Lighthouse International in New York City. Gere and Gossett will participate in an onstage post-screening discussion.

Directed by Taylor Hackford from a script by Douglas Day Stewart, "An Officer and a Gentleman" tells the story of a young man's journey to chart a different path in his life by enlisting in the Navy Aviation Officer Candidate School. Through the obstacles Zack Mayo faces along the way, including a budding romance with local girl Paula Pokrifki and an ongoing conflict with his drill instructor, Zack learns important life lessons about becoming an officer...and a gentleman.

On the heels of his star-making role in "American Gigolo" (1980), Gere solidified his standing as a leading man in the role of Zack, with Debra Winger playing girlfriend Paula and Gossett delivering an Academy Award®-winning performance as Sergeant Emil Foley. This love story also boasts the Academy Award-winning song "Up Where We Belong," with lyrics by Will Jennings and music by Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie. The song was performed by the legendary Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes.

This screening is presented courtesy of Lorimar Productions/Paramount Pictures.

Tickets for "An Officer and a Gentleman" are on sale now at Oscars.org, by mail and at the Academy Theater Box Office (open Tuesday and Thursday, 2-5 p.m.). Tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID.

The Academy Theater is located at 111 East 59th Street in New York City. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Ticketed seating is unreserved. For more information, visit www.oscars.org or call (212) 821-9251.