Harrison Ford

• Birthday: July 13, 1942
• Birth name:
• Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
• Height: 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)

Film

TV

Biography

From maverick space pilot Han Solo and whip-smart archaeologist Indiana Jones to the action heroes of “Blade Runner” (1982), “The Fugitive” (1993) and countless other blockbusters, HARRISON FORD has played some of the most iconic action heroes ever to burn up the big screen.

Ford’s charismatic screen presence and remarkable acting skills have made him not only one of the greatest movie stars of his generation, but of all time. Over his decades-long career, he has been honored with many awards for his contributions to the film industry, including the American Film Institute’s life achievement award (2000), the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Cecil B. DeMille Award (2002), the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ Albert R. Broccoli Britannia Award for worldwide contribution to entertainment (2015), and in 2023, an honorary Palme d’Or from the Cannes Film Festival.

A native of Chicago, Ill., Ford first made his mark in classic TV series such as “Gunsmoke” and ABC’s “Kung Fu” and “The Mod Squad,” but in the early 1970s, he decided to not do episodic TV anymore and focus on feature films.

After appearing in a small but memorable role in “American Graffiti” (1973), directed by George Lucas, Ford supported himself in between acting gigs as a carpenter. It was while he was doing carpentry work for director Francis Ford Coppola, who had cast the young actor in another small role in “The Conversation” (1974), that Coppola suggested to Lucas that he use Ford to run lines with actors auditioning for his new space-set epic that would ultimately be known as “Star Wars: A New Hope” (1977).

As Ford read with dozens of performers, Lucas realized that Ford was perfect for the role of Han Solo, a cynical smuggler and the captain of the Millennium Falcon. With this blockbuster turn, Ford’s acting career made the jump to the hyperspace of superstardom.

Shortly thereafter, George Lucas created another film inspired by old-time movie serials, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981), featuring an adventurer archaeologist with a whip and a fedora that rarely falls off. Lucas and director Steven Spielberg cast Ford, and another blockbuster franchise was created, cementing the actor’s status as an international movie superstar.

Some of Ford’s most notable other film credits include an Oscar®-nominated performance in “Witness” (1985), along with “Blade Runner” (1982); 20th Century Studios’ “Working Girl” (1988); “Presumed Innocent” (1990); “Patriot Games” (1992); “The Fugitive” (1993); “Clear and Present Danger” (1994); “Sabrina” (1995); “Air Force One” (1997); Touchstone Pictures’ “Six Days, Seven Nights” (1998); “What Lies Beneath” (2000); “Morning Glory” (2010); “42” (2013); “Blade Runner 2049” (2017); and 20th Century Studios’ “The Call of the Wild” (2020).

Recently, Ford returned to his most celebrated roles. For the fourth time, he portrayed Han Solo in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015) (and, briefly, in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” [2019]), and he once again donned the fedora in the fifth Indiana Jones installment, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (2023). He also stars in the acclaimed television series “Shrinking” (2023) and the popular “Yellowstone” prequel “1923” (2022).