Gere crowned Hasty Pudding Man of the Year
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-25 15:10

Richard Gere donned a pair of glittering gold dancing pumps to earn his pudding pot and crown Friday as Harvard's Hasty Pudding man of the year.

Actor Richard Gere holds his Hasty Pudding Pot out to the crowd while being honored as Hasty Pudding Theatricals Man of the Year at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts February 24, 2006. Hasty Pudding Theatricals honors an actor and actress each year with a humorous roast and a pudding pot. [AP]

In a nod to his role as a flashy lawyer in "Chicago" — and to the resignation this week of Harvard President Lawrence Summers — Gere sang to the tune of "Razzle Dazzle":

"I could become a permanent resident, I could become your next president."

He also had to win the heart of a student costumed as a dragon, and put a blond wig and a white bra decorated with gold buttons and an accent of red.

"I'm asking why I said yes to this," Gere said of the student roast. "And I realize why. `Cause we're really all bozos on the bus. All of us, and especially in this world and in this country right now, when the biggest bozo on the bus is actually driving the bus."

Gere won a Golden Globe for "Chicago," and also has starred in "Pretty Woman," "An Officer and a Gentleman," and "American Gigolo."

Halle Berry was honored last week as the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year.

"Richard Gere is one of those actors that's been around for so long that it's kind of only natural that we would give him this kind of award," said Peter Dodd, vice president of Hasty Pudding Theatricals, which honors performers for their lasting contributions.

Last year's recipients were Catherine Zeta-Jones and Tim Robbins.