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 NavyAviation 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 CorpsGunnery 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, , and Best Original Score, also winning for Best Original Song (for "Up Where We Belong").