A legend in film and television! Best known for his roles in Star Wars and Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford’s career has spanned over six decades and he has become an icon in the film industry.
The Witness actor was born in July 1942 in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from Maine East High School in 1960, Ford attended Ripon College in Wisconsin where he fell in love with acting during his senior year.
“I did a couple of plays, and people encouraged me,” the Mosquito Coast star recalled in a March 2000 interview with Bangor Daily News. “It was the only thing I had found in college where I felt a sense of community and utility.”
After college, Ford went to Hollywood where he worked for Columbia Pictures and as a carpenter, appearing in many minor television roles as he balanced the jobs. The Illinois native then landed his breakout role in George Lucas’ 1973 film American Graffiti, which led him to his starring role as Han Solo in 1977’s Star Wars.
Following the success of Star Wars, Ford landed the leading role of Indiana Jones in Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, which led to many successful spinoffs. Almost four years later, Ford appeared in 1985’s Witness, which earned him his first Academy Award nomination.
The licensed pilot – who spends much of his time flying on his 800-acre ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming – has continued to score several groundbreaking projects over the years and plans to keep acting for a long time.
“I think it’s the place I feel most useful. It’s what I know the most about. I lost my chops as a carpenter,” he told the Hollywood Reporter in 2023. “But I feel comfortable wrestling with how to make behavior out of words on a page and tell a story, and I’m still excited about the prospect of telling a story. I think this is a service occupation – telling stories. We need it. Whether it’s drawing on caves or religious tenets, we love telling stories.”
Ford has won numerous accolades throughout his lengthy career, including the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2000, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2002 and receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.
As for his romantic life, the Shrinking star was married to Mary Marquardt from 1964 to 1979, welcoming sons Benjamin and Willard in 1966 and 1969, respectively. Following their split, he was married to Melissa Mathison from 1983 to 2000. The twosome welcomed son Malcolm in 1987 and daughter Georgia in 1990. Following the respective breakups, Ford married Calista Flockhart in June 2010 and the couple are parents of Liam, the son she adopted before meeting the actor.
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Keep scrolling for a look back at Ford’s life and career over the years:
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