American Gigolo the only role that Travolta has turned down only to be taken by Gere: it had previously happened with "Days of Heaven" (1978) and occurred again when Travolta was offered the lead in both "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982) and "Chicago" (2002). Paul Schrader had threatened to sue Travolta if Richard Gere wasn't cast in the film knowing full well that Travolta had his eye on the script of another Paramount production "Urban Cowboy" (1980). Gere's very brief nude scenes marked the first time a major Hollywood actor was frontally nude in a film. According to Gere, the nudity
Gloria (1980 film) Award and the Golden Globe Award for best actress, and the film won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, tying with "Atlantic City". The Boston Society of Film Critics selected Rowlands for their best actress award. The young boy Gloria was protecting, played by John Adames, tied with Sir Laurence Olivier (in "The Jazz Singer") for the Worst Supporting Actor Razzie award of 1980. In 2003, the American Film Institute nominated Gloria Swenson as a hero from this film for AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains. The film was remade in 1999 under the same title with