An Officer and a Gentleman is a 1982 American drama/romance film that stars
Richard Gere,
Debra Winger and
Louis Gossett, Jr., who won the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film, and was produced by
Lorimar Productions for
Paramount Pictures. It tells the story of Zack (Gere), a
U.S. Navy aviation officer candidate who is beginning his training at
Aviation Officer Candidate School. While Zack meets his first true girlfriend during his training, a local young woman named Paula (Winger), he also comes into conflict with the hard-driving
Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant (Gossett, Jr.), the
drill instructor training his class. It was written by
Douglas Day Stewart and directed by
Taylor Hackford. 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). The film was commercially released in the U.S. on July 28, 1982. It was well received by critics, with a number calling it the best film of 1982. The film was a financial success, grossing $129.7 million against a $6 million budget.