Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient of various accolades, including the AFI Life Achievement Award and the Cecil B. DeMille Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and four Golden Globe Awards. He has been a leading man in films of several genres and is regarded as an American cultural icon.

Following the initial phase of his career in bit parts and supporting roles, Ford gained worldwide fame for his starring role as Han Solo in the epic space opera film '' Star Wars'' (1977), reprising the role in four sequels over the course of the next 42 years. He is also widely known for his portrayal of Indiana Jones in the titular film franchise, beginning with the action-adventure film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (1981), and for playing other characters in different franchises, most notably Rick Deckard in the dystopian science fiction films ''Blade Runner'' (1982) and '' Blade Runner 2049'' (2017) and the Tom Clancy character Jack Ryan in the spy thriller films '' Patriot Games'' (1992) and '' Clear and Present Danger'' (1994). His career spans six decades and includes collaborations with some of the most acclaimed and influential filmmakers of his time, such as George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Peter Weir, Roman Polanski and Mike Nichols.

Ford has portrayed heroic characters in other films such as the thrillers ''Witness'' (1985), for which he received his only Academy Award nomination, '' The Fugitive'' (1993), and ''Air Force One'' (1997), as well as the historical sports drama '' 42'' (2013). In addition to heroic roles, he played morally ambiguous and darker characters in films such as the coming-of-age comedy drama '' American Graffiti'' (1973), the conspiracy thriller '' The Conversation'' (1974), the survival drama '' The Mosquito Coast'' (1986), the legal drama '' Presumed Innocent'' (1990), and the supernatural suspense thriller ''What Lies Beneath'' (2000). Ford has also appeared in several romantic comedies and dramas throughout his career, including '' Heroes'' (1977), '' Working Girl'' (1988), '' Sabrina'' (1995), ''Six Days, Seven Nights'' (1998), ''Random Hearts'' (1999), '' Morning Glory'' (2010), and '' The Age of Adaline'' (2015).

Outside acting, Ford is a licensed pilot who has often assisted the emergency services in rescue missions near his home in Wyoming. He is also a dedicated environmental activist, having served as the inaugural Vice Chair of Conservation International since 1991. He is married to actress Calista Flockhart.

Early life

Harrison Ford was born at the Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, on July 13, 1942, to former radio actress Dorothy (née Nidelman) and advertising executive and former actor John William "Christopher" Ford. His younger brother, Terence, was born in 1945. Their father was a Catholic of German and Irish descent, while their mother was an Ashkenazi Jew whose parents were emigrants from Minsk, Belarus, then in the Russian Empire. When asked in which religion he and his brother were raised, Ford jokingly responded "Democrat" and more seriously stated that they were raised to be "liberals of every stripe". When asked about what influence his Jewish and Irish Catholic ancestry may have had on him, he quipped, "As a man I've always felt Irish, as an actor I've always felt Jewish."'' Inside the Actors Studio''. Harrison Ford, Season 6, Episode 613. August 20, 2000.

Ford was a Boy Scout, achieving the second-highest rank of Life Scout. He worked at Napowan Adventure Base Scout Camp as a counselor for the Reptile Study merit badge. Because of this, he and director Steven Spielberg later decided to depict the young Indiana Jones as a Life Scout in '' Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' (1989). Ford graduated in 1960 from Maine East High School in Park Ridge, Illinois. His voice was the first student voice broadcast on his high school's new radio station, WMTH, and he was its first sportscaster during his senior year. He attended Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin, where he was a philosophy major and a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. A self-described "late bloomer", Ford took a drama class in the final quarter of his senior year to get over his shyness and became fascinated with acting.

Career

1964–1976

In 1964, after a season of summer stock with the Belfry Players in Wisconsin, Ford traveled to Los Angeles to apply for a job in radio voice-overs. He did not get it, but stayed in California and eventually signed a $150-per-week contract with Columbia Pictures' new talent program, playing bit roles in films. His first known role was an uncredited one as a bellhop in ''Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round'' (1966). There is little record of his non-speaking (or " extra") roles in film. Ford was at the bottom of the hiring list, having offended producer Jerry Tokovsky after he played a bellboy in the feature. He was told by Tokovsky that when actor Tony Curtis delivered a bag of groceries, he did it like a movie star; Ford felt his job was to act like a bellboy.

His speaking roles continued next with '' Luv'' (1967), though he was still uncredited. He was finally credited as "Harrison J. Ford" in the 1967 Western film ''A Time for Killing'', starring Glenn Ford, George Hamilton and Inger Stevens, but the "J" did not stand for anything since he has no middle name. It was added to avoid confusion with a silent film actor named Harrison Ford, who appeared in more than 80 films between 1915 and 1932 and died in 1957. Ford later said that he was unaware of the existence of the earlier actor until he came upon a star with his own name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ford soon dropped the "J" and worked for Universal Studios, playing minor roles in many television series throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, including '' Gunsmoke'', '' Ironside'', '' The Virginian'', ''The F.B.I.'', '' Love, American Style'' and '' Kung Fu''. He appeared in the western ''Journey to Shiloh'' (1968) and had an uncredited, non-speaking role in Michelangelo Antonioni's 1970 film '' Zabriskie Point'' as an arrested student protester. French filmmaker Jacques Demy chose Ford for the lead role of his first American film, '' Model Shop'' (1969), but the head of Columbia Pictures thought Ford had "no future" in the film business and told Demy to hire a more experienced actor. The part eventually went to Gary Lockwood. Ford later commented that the experience had been nevertheless a positive one because Demy was the first to show such faith in him.

Not happy with the roles offered to him, Ford became a self-taught professional carpenter to support his then-wife and two young sons. Clients at this time included the writers Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, who lived on the beach at Malibu. Ford appears in the documentary '' Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold''. He and his wife became friends of the writers. Casting director and fledgling producer Fred Roos championed the young Ford and secured him an audition with George Lucas for the role of Bob Falfa, which Ford went on to play in '' American Graffiti'' (1973). Ford's relationship with Lucas profoundly affected his career later. After director Francis Ford Coppola's film ''The Godfather'' was a success, he hired Ford to expand his office and gave him small roles in his next two films, '' The Conversation'' (1974) and '' Apocalypse Now'' (1979); in the latter film, Ford played an army officer named "G. Lucas".

1977–1997

Ford began to receive bigger roles in films throughout the late 1970s, including '' Heroes'' (1977), '' Force 10 from Navarone'' (1978) and '' Hanover Street'' (1979). Ford also co-starred alongside Gene Wilder in the buddy-comedy western ''The Frisco Kid'' (1979), playing a bank robber with a heart of gold. His previous work in ''American Graffiti'' eventually landed him his first starring film role when he was hired by Lucas to read lines for actors auditioning for roles in Lucas' upcoming epic space-opera film '' Star Wars'' (1977). Lucas was eventually won over by Ford's performance during these line reads and cast him as Han Solo. ''Star Wars'' became one of the most successful and groundbreaking films of all time, and brought Ford, and his co-stars Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, widespread recognition. He returned to star in the similarly successful ''Star Wars'' sequels '' The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and '' Return of the Jedi'' (1983), as well as the '' Star Wars Holiday Special'' (1978). Ford wanted Lucas to kill off Han Solo at the end of ''Return of the Jedi'', saying, "That would have given the whole film a bottom," but Lucas refused.

Ford's status as a leading actor was solidified with '' Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (1981), an action-adventure collaboration between George Lucas and Steven Spielberg that gave Ford his second franchise role as the heroic, globe-trotting archaeologist Indiana Jones. Like ''Star Wars'', the film was massively successful and became the highest-grossing film of the year. Spielberg was interested in casting Ford from the beginning, but Lucas was not, having already worked with the actor in ''American Graffiti'' and ''Star Wars''. Lucas eventually relented after Tom Selleck was unable to accept. Ford went on to reprise the role throughout the rest of the decade in the prequel '' Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' (1984), and the sequel '' Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade''. During the June 1983 filming of ''Temple of Doom'' in London, Ford herniated a disc in his back. The 40-year-old actor was forced to fly back to Los Angeles for surgery and returned six weeks later.

Following his leading-man success as Indiana Jones, he played Rick Deckard in Ridley Scott's dystopian science-fiction film ''Blade Runner'' (1982). Compared to his experiences on the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, Ford had a difficult time with the production. He recalled to Vanity Fair, “It was a long slog. I didn’t really find it that physically difficult—I thought it was mentally difficult.” Ford and Scott also had differing views on the nature of his character, Deckard, that persist decades later. While not initially a success, ''Blade Runner'' went on to become a cult classic and one of Ford's most highly regarded films. Ford also proved his versatility throughout the 1980s with dramatic parts in films such as ''Witness'' (1985), '' The Mosquito Coast'' (1986), and '' Frantic'' (1988) as well as the romantic male lead opposite Melanie Griffith and Sigourney Weaver in the comedy-drama '' Working Girl'' (1988). ''Witness'' and ''The Mosquito Coast'' in particular allowed Ford to explore his potential as a dramatic actor and both performances were widely acclaimed. Ford later recalled that working with director Peter Weir on both ''Witness'' and ''The Mosquito Coast'' were two of the best experiences of his career.

In the 1990s, Ford became the second actor to portray Jack Ryan in two films of the film series based on the literary character created by Tom Clancy: '' Patriot Games'' (1992) and '' Clear and Present Danger'' (1994), both co-starring Anne Archer and James Earl Jones. Ford took over the role from Alec Baldwin who had played Ryan in ''The Hunt for Red October'' (1990). This led to a long-lasting resentment from Baldwin who stated that he wanted to reprise the role but Ford had negotiated with Paramount behind his back. Ford also played leading roles in other action-based thrillers throughout the decade such as the critically acclaimed '' The Fugitive ''(1993), ''The Devil's Own'' (1997), and ''Air Force One'' (1997). For his performance in ''The Fugitive'', which also co-starred Tommy Lee Jones, Ford received some of the best reviews of his career, including from Roger Ebert who concluded that, "Ford is once again the great modern movie everyman. As an actor, nothing he does seems merely for show, and in the face of this melodramatic material he deliberately plays down, lays low, gets on with business instead of trying to exploit the drama in meaningless acting flourishes." He also played more straight dramatic roles in '' Presumed Innocent'' (1990) and '' Regarding Henry'' (1991) as well as another romantic lead in '' Sabrina'' (1995), a remake of a classic 1954 film with the same name.

Ford established working relationships with many well-regarded directors during this time, including Peter Weir, Alan J. Pakula, Mike Nichols, Phillip Noyce, and Sydney Pollack, collaborating twice with each of them. This was the most lucrative period of Ford's career. From 1977 to 1997, he appeared in fourteen films that reached the top fifteen in the yearly domestic box office rankings, twelve of which reached the top ten. Six of the films he appeared in during this time were also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture amongst numerous other awards: ''Star Wars'', ''Apocalypse Now'', ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'', ''Witness'', ''Working Girl'', and ''The Fugitive''.

1998–2014

In the late 1990s, Ford started appearing in several critically derided and/or commercially disappointing films that failed to match his earlier successes, including ''Six Days, Seven Nights'' (1998), ''Random Hearts'' (1999), '' K-19: The Widowmaker'' (2002), '' Hollywood Homicide'' (2003), ''Firewall'' (2006) and '' Extraordinary Measures'' (2010). One exception was ''What Lies Beneath'' (2000) which grossed over $155million in the United States and $291million worldwide. Ford served as an executive producer on ''K-19: The Widowmaker'' and ''Extraordinary Measures'', both of which were based on true events.

In 2004, Ford declined a chance to star in the thriller '' Syriana'', later commenting that "I didn't feel strongly enough about the truth of the material and I think I made a mistake." The role eventually went to George Clooney, who won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his work. Prior to that, Ford had passed on a role in another Stephen Gaghan-written film, that of Robert Wakefield in ''Traffic'', which eventually went to Michael Douglas.

In 2008, Ford enjoyed success with the release of '' Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'', the first Indiana Jones film in nineteen years and another collaboration with Lucas and Spielberg. The film received generally positive reviews and was the second highest-grossing film worldwide in 2008. Ford later said he would like to star in another sequel, "...if it didn't take another 20 years to digest."

Other 2008 work included '' Crossing Over'', directed by Wayne Kramer. In the film, Ford plays an ICE/ Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent, working alongside Ashley Judd and Ray Liotta. He also narrated a feature documentary film about the Dalai Lama entitled ''Dalai Lama Renaissance''. Ford filmed the medical drama '' Extraordinary Measures'' in 2009 in Portland, Oregon. Released January 22, 2010, the film also starred Brendan Fraser and Alan Ruck. Also in 2010, he co-starred in the film '' Morning Glory'', along with Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton and Patrick Wilson. Although a disappointment at the box office, Ford's performance was well received by critics, some of which thought it was his best role in years. In July 2011, Ford starred alongside Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde in the science-fiction/western hybrid film ''Cowboys & Aliens''. To promote the film, Ford appeared at the San Diego Comic-Con International and, apparently surprised by the warm welcome, told the audience, "I just wanted to make a living as an actor. I didn't know about this." Also in 2011, Ford starred in Japanese commercials advertising the video game '' Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception'' for the PlayStation 3.

2013 began a trend that saw Ford accepting more diverse supporting roles. That year, Ford co-starred in the corporate espionage thriller ''Paranoia'' with Liam Hemsworth and Gary Oldman, who he had previously worked with in ''Air Force One'', and he also appeared in '' Ender's Game'', '' 42'' and '' Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues''. His performance as Branch Rickey in ''42'' was praised by many critics and garnered Ford a nomination as best supporting actor for the Satellite Awards. In 2014, he appeared in '' The Expendables 3'' and the documentary '' Flying the Feathered Edge: The Bob Hoover Project''. The next year, Ford co-starred with Blake Lively in the romantic drama '' The Age of Adaline'' to positive notices.

2015–present

Ford reprised the role of Han Solo in the long-awaited Star Wars sequel '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' (2015), which became highly successful like its predecessors. During filming on June 11, 2014, Ford suffered what was said to be a fractured ankle when a hydraulic door fell on him. He was airlifted to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, England, for treatment. Ford's son Ben released details on his father's injury, saying that his ankle would likely need a plate and screws, and that filming could be altered slightly with the crew needing to shoot Ford from the waist up for a short time until he recovered. Ford made his return to filming in mid-August, after a two-month layoff as he recovered from his injury. Ford's character was killed off in ''The Force Awakens'', but it was subsequently announced, via a casting call, that Ford would return in some capacity as Solo in ''Episode VIII''. In February 2016, when the cast for ''Episode VIII'' was confirmed, it was indicated that Ford would not reprise his role in the film after all. When Ford was asked if his character could come back in "some form", he replied, "Anything is possible in space." He eventually made an uncredited appearance as a vision in '' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' (2019).

On February 26, 2015, Alcon Entertainment announced Ford would reprise his role as Rick Deckard in '' Blade Runner 2049''. The film, and Ford's performance, was very well received by critics upon its release in October 2017. Scott Collura of IGN called it a, "deep, rich, smart film that's visually awesome and full of great sci-fi concepts" and Ford's role, "a quiet, sort of gut-wrenching interpretation to Deckard and what he must've gone through in the past three decades." The film grossed $259.3million worldwide, far short of the estimated $400million that the film needed in order to break even. In 2019, Ford had his first voice role in an animated film, as a dog named Rooster in '' The Secret Life of Pets 2''. With filming for a fifth Indiana Jones film having been delayed by a year, Ford headlined a big-budget adaptation of Jack London's '' The Call of the Wild'', playing prospector John Thornton. The film was released in February 2020 to a mixed critical reception but its theatrical release was shortened due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the film industry.

In October 2022, Ford was cast as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross in the 2024 films '' Captain America: New World Order'' and ''Thunderbolts'', set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, replacing actor William Hurt who played the character in previous MCU films.

Personal life

Ford has been married three times, and has four biological children and one adopted child. He was first married to Mary Marquardt from 1964 until their divorce in 1979. They had two sons, chef and restaurateur Benjamin (born 1966) and clothier Willard (born 1969). Benjamin co-owns Ford's Filling Station, a gastropub with locations at L.A. Live in Los Angeles and Terminal 5 in Los Angeles International Airport. Willard is the owner of Strong Sports Gym, and was co-owner of the Kim Sing Theater and owner of the Ludwig Clothing company.

Ford's second marriage was to screenwriter Melissa Mathison from March 1983 until their separation in 2000 and finalized divorce in 2004. They had a son, actor and musician Malcolm (born 1987), and a daughter, actress Georgia (born 1990). Mathison died in 2015.

Ford began dating actress Calista Flockhart after they met at the 2002 Golden Globe Awards. They are the parents of Liam (born 2001), the son she adopted before meeting Ford. He proposed to Flockhart over Valentine's Day weekend in 2009. They married on June 15, 2010, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Ford was filming ''Cowboys & Aliens''.

Ford and Flockhart live on an ranch in Jackson, Wyoming, on which he has lived since the 1980s and approximately half of which he has donated as a nature reserve. They retain a base in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. He is one of Hollywood's most private actors, guarding much of his personal life. In her 2016 autobiography ''The Princess Diarist'', his co-star Carrie Fisher claimed that she and Ford had a three-month affair in 1976 during the filming of '' Star Wars''.

Aviation

Ford is a licensed pilot of both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. On several occasions, he has personally provided emergency helicopter services at the request of local authorities in Wyoming, in one instance rescuing a hiker overcome by dehydration.

Ford began flight training in the 1960s at Wild Rose Idlewild Airport in Wild Rose, Wisconsin, flying in a Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer, but at $15 an hour (), he could not afford to continue the training. In the mid-1990s, he bought a used Gulfstream II and asked one of his pilots, Terry Bender, to give him flying lessons. They started flying a Cessna 182 out of Jackson, Wyoming, later switching to Teterboro

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