Richard Gere sticks to the classics when it comes to his fashion.
He’ll often be found in a crisp suit with a button-down shirt, especially if he’s on a red carpet or making a TV appearance. The silver fox’s dapper uniform has remained consistent through his 50 year career.
The 75-year-old actor also sticks to the same accessory day in and day out as well: an understated Tibetan prayer bead bracelet.
Gere, a practicing Buddhist, told the magazine Lion’s Roar in 1999 that his first encounter with Buddhism was back when he was in school, but his “first encounter with Buddhist dharma” was in his 20s. He has spent his life since then as a practicing Buddhist, which is why his prayer beads — or mala bracelet — can almost always be found on his wrist.
Mala bracelets are typically used for counting mantras or prayers and used as reminders throughout the day, like any other religious symbol. The beads can be made of a variety of materials, including wood, seeds, gems or metal, and each material has its own purpose. Sandalwood is the most traditional material for the bracelet to be made out of.
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As of late, Gere has been seen wearing his bracelet during TV appearances, including on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Nov. 20, where he revealed his Thanksgiving plans for this year. PEOPLE’s 1999 Sexiest Man Alive told the audience that he and his family, including wife Alejandra Silva, will be in their new home in Spain, where she is from.
“My wife is Spanish and she gave me about seven years here, so we’re going to spend some years in Madrid with her family,” Gere said. “Our kids are bilingual so they’re going to flourish there.
Gere and Silva first met in 2014 at a hotel in Positano, Italy, before marrying in May 2018. They went on to welcome two sons: Alexander, 5, and James, 4.
Silva, 41, also has an 11-year-old son named Albert, with her ex-husband Govind Friedland, while Gere welcomed his only child with second wife Carey Lowell, son Homer, in 2000.
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