An Officer and a Gentleman

An Officer and a Gentleman is a 1982 American drama film that tells the story of a U.S. Navy aviation officer candidate who comes into conflict with the Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant who trains him. It was written by Douglas Day Stewart and directed by Taylor Hackford. It starred Richard Gere, Debra Winger and Louis Gossett, Jr., and was produced by Lorimar Productions for Paramount Pictures. The film’s title uses an old expression from the British Royal Navy and subsequently from the U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice, as being charged with “conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman” (from 1860). An Officer and a Gentleman was commercially released in the U.S. on July 28, 1982.

Zachary “Zack” Mayo (Richard Gere) has been living with his father Byron (Robert Loggia), a U.S. Navy boatswain’s mate, since early adolescence, after Zack’s mother committed suicide. Hoping to put his life on a different path, Zack signs up for the Navy’s Aviator Officer Candidate School.

Zack and his fellow OCs are “welcomed” by their head drill instructor, Marine Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley (Louis Gossett, Jr.).

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