Harrison Ford is a Modern-Day Legend

A Star Is Born (But Not How You Think)

Harrison Ford was born on July 13, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois. His mother was a former radio actress (and his first manager), and his father was a former advertising executive. Ford’s childhood was a little unusual in that both of his parents were extreme workaholics. His father, a workaholic himself, expected his son to follow in his footsteps. Ford was shipped off to New York at age 15 to attend a prestigious private school. There, he discovered acting and eventually found himself at Ripon College in Wisconsin. While at Ripon, Ford joined the local theatre group and was cast in several key roles, including Ivan, the Russian in Waiting for Godot. This was a very important role for Ford. He later said that playing Ivan “was the first time I ever felt free.” He later applied to the experimental Theatre Company at the Lincoln Centre in New York.

Only Success

Ford’s career started slowly. His first roles were in minor off-Broadway productions. He also did some modeling and appeared in a few TV ads. Ford’s big break came when he was cast as a young Han Solo in the original Star Wars in 1977. He was paid $10,000 for the role, but even during filming, Ford was hoping that acting would become a full-time career. After Star Wars became a huge success, Ford became a household name. He was offered many high-paying roles, but he turned most of them down. . He won a Golden Globe for his performance in the 1979 film Hanover Street, and he received an Academy Award for his role in the 1982 film The Empire Strikes Back. His other notable films from this decade include The Frisco Kid, The Fugitive, and Working Girl.

Co-stars and Cameos: Working With Friends

Several of Ford’s co-stars have become lifelong friends. He and George Lucas became close friends and business partners after filming the Indiana Jones movies. Ford is also very close friends with Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. The trio has worked together on many occasions, including on the films The Burbs, The Pacific, and Saving Private Ryan. Harrison Ford and his wife, Calista Flockhart, became close friends with Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson while filming the 2001 comedy film, The Rookie. In April 2003, Ford and Flockhart had a baby girl named Georgia Ford. Hanks and Wilson babysat Georgia on several occasions while Ford and Flockhart went back to work.

Retired Hero: The Fugitive and The Dark Knight Returns

After the critical flop of The New York Times, Ford took a break from acting. He spent much of this time enjoying his retirement, but he was eventually lured back to the screen by the script for The Fugitive. The movie was a loose adaptation of the 1960s TV series of the same name. Ford played the role of an innocent doctor wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife. The film was a smash hit, and Ford received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Ford’s next role was a very different one; he played Batman/Bruce Wayne in the sequel to the 1989 film Batman. The Dark Knight was a huge critical and commercial success, and Ford was nominated for a Golden Globe.

Reformed Rogue: Morning Again in Indiana and Last Crusade

In 1995, Ford starred in The Morning Again in Indiana, a film about a man who must revisit his childhood home and confront his painful past. Ford later called the film “a healing process.” Ford followed up this somber drama with an adventure comedy called Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The film was an homage to the original Indiana Jones film, and it reunited Ford with his old co-star, George Lucas. The Last Crusade was another critical and commercial success.

Conclusion

Harrison Ford has had a long and successful career, and it shows no signs of slowing down. He has two new films coming out in 2019: The Star and The Outside. Ford has also been in talks to reprise his role of Han Solo in an upcoming Star Wars film, although he has yet to sign on for the project.