An Officer and a Gentleman

An Officer and a Gentleman is a 1982 American romantic drama film directed by Taylor Hackford from a screenplay by Douglas Day Stewart, and starring Richard Gere, Debra Winger, and Louis Gossett Jr. It tells the story of Zack Mayo (Gere), a United States 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 young "townie" named Paula (Winger), he also comes into conflict with the hard-driving Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley (Gossett) training his class. The film was commercially released in the United States on August 13, 1982. It was well received by critics, with a number calling it the best film of 1982. The film was also a financial success, grossing $190 million against a budget of between $6–7 million. Gossett won the Golden Globe Award, as well as the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, making him the first African-American actor to win in that category. It received Oscar nominations for Best Actress (for Winger), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score, also winning for Best Original Song (for "Up Where We Belong").