The star of An Officer and A Gentleman and American Gigolo is also commended for being "in the front line of so many humanitarian battles".

BBC: Actor Richard Gere to collect Rome Film Festival honour

Wilkerson was convicted on Nov. 2 by a military panel on charges of abusive sexual contact, aggravated sexual assault and three instances of conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman.

NPR: Hagel To Review Air Force Sexual Assault Case

It was this opportunity to create a gathering point for the residents of Bedford that Gere, the star of hit films Pretty Woman and An Officer and a Gentleman, says inspired him to open the hotel.

CNN: 'Sex' and 'romance' inspire Richard Gere's boutique hotel

Here, the star of An Officer and a Gentleman, Shadowlands and Terms of Endearment, tells BBC News Online it was not a 'celebrity' trip - but a chance to see people being helped to rebuild their lives.

BBC: 'My fame was not important'