Biography of Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is a film actor and producer who has played several dozen roles in his life. But two of his heroes will remain in the annals of cinema forever: Han Solo from Star Wars and the intrepid scientist and treasure hunter Indiana Jones.
Actor Harrison Ford needs no introduction
Other films with his participation include the science-fiction blockbuster “Blade Runner,” the war drama “Apocalypse Now” and the action movie “The Fugitive.” In 1986, he was nominated for an Oscar for his leading role in the film Witness.
Harrison Ford on the set of Star Wars
In addition to his main activities, the actor holds the post of vice president of the American Society for the Protection of Nature. He calls on all fans of his work to remember that man is only one of many species inhabiting our planet.
Ford for President!
The actor managed to play the roles of US presidents twice during his career. In the 1997 thriller Air Force One, the celebrity embodies the character of President George Marshall - a brave, intelligent, selfless hero full of righteous anger. The film was a huge commercial success, and the actor once again confirmed his status as an action hero. In the films “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger,” based on a series of books by writer Tom Clancy, he plays Jack Ryan, Deputy Director of the CIA for Security Affairs. Irony of fate: Ryan in the films is not president, but in the book series he first becomes vice president and then still occupies the Oval Office. Therefore, we can say that Ford twice (or even three times) embodied the image of a real president on the screen.
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Childhood and family
Harrison Ford was born in a maternity hospital in Chicago, Illinois, on July 13, 1942.
The happy parents of their first child were Christopher Ford, a manager at an advertising agency, and Dorothy Needleman, a former radio actress. After the birth of her son, she became a housewife. Three years later, Harrison had a younger brother, Terence. Harrison Ford's childhood photos
A very interesting cocktail is mixed in the actor’s blood: his paternal grandparents were Irish Catholics, and his maternal grandparents were Harry (the actor got his name in his honor) and Anna, Jews from Minsk who emigrated to the States in 1906 year. The child of an interethnic marriage, when asked about the roots of his worldview, the actor always answered: “As a person, I always felt like an Irishman, and as an actor, I felt like a Jew. As for religion, I am a democrat, a liberal to the last stripe.”
Harrison Ford's childhood home
The boy grew up in the town of Des Plaines, a suburb of Chicago. As a child, the quiet and shy Harrison had a lot of problems with local bullies. He found an outlet in the Boy Scout troop, where he showed great success. He eventually reached the second possible scout rank, Life. Only Eagle was higher. It was for Ford's childhood achievements that Steven Spielberg made young Indy a scout in the script for the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Pictured: Harrison Ford's parents
In high school, he became interested in social studies and attended a model train building club. When the school management launched a student radio, he became the first announcer and commentated on sports matches.
Left: the future actor with his parents and brother Terence
After graduating from high school in 1960, Harrison Ford began studying philosophy at Ripon College in Wisconsin. In his final year, he enrolled in a theater club to overcome his shyness. And, as Ford himself later recalled, he was fascinated by acting: “I just matured late, but I finally found myself.” Having difficulty overcoming his fear of public speaking, he went on stage and forgot about everything, carried away by the story of his hero.
Harrison Ford overcame shyness, but didn't graduate from college
As for his studies, here he did not show his best side, and when there was nothing left before graduation, he was expelled.
"Loser Actor"
In 1964, he moved to Hollywood with Mary Marquardt, his college friend and future wife, hoping to find a job he liked. He worked as a bartender for two years until he signed a contract with Columbia Studios, where he was promised $150 for each role.
At the beginning of his career, Harrison Ford worked for pennies at Columbia Studios
Ford got his first film role in the 1966 crime drama Deadly Heat on the Carousel. He appeared in one of the scenes as a messenger and received the first fee - the promised $150. Someone from the management then disdainfully told him: “Stop it, loser, nothing will work out for you.” Harrison Ford's very first film role. He got tiny roles in the comedy "Love", the popular TV series "Hipsters", "Gunsmoke", "The Virginians", "F.B.R.", "Love, American Style", " Kung Fu". A little more time (and not a single line) was devoted to his character - a student arrested at a rally - in the philosophical drama-parable "Zabirsky Point", but... all the scenes with his participation were cut out during the final editing.
Young Harrison Ford (far right) as a carpenter
Having given up on his dream, Ford, by that time already the father of two children, decided to make a living as a carpenter. And, as it turned out, he made the most important choice of his life. He built a stage for a Jim Morrison band concert, then built a home solarium for actress Sally Kellerman, and assembled furniture in the house of producer Fred Roos.
Photos from the filming of Star Wars Episode V
While working, Ford got into a conversation with Roos, who promised him an audition for George Lucas' new film, American Graffiti. After the casting, the actor was approved for the minor role of Bob Falfa. The youth comedy was a huge success. The film was an innovator in its genre, and over the years many critics have noted its influence on his other masterpieces - Dazed and Confused with a young Matthew McConaughey and Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Still from the film “American Graffiti” (1973)
Fateful meeting
Despite the film roles he received, Ford was not particularly successful and did not get interesting work. Soon finding himself on the verge of ruin, Harrison began to engage in carpentry work in order to somehow make ends meet. The films offered only minor roles, but the actor did not give up and soon met George Lucas.
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It was he who became the director who managed to truly reveal the talent and abilities of Harrison Ford. The film “American Graffiti,” despite its small budget, became a landmark for both: Lucas was nominated for an Oscar, and Ford’s talent was etched in the director’s memory for a long time. Mutually beneficial cooperation changed their lives forever and determined their future film careers.
star Wars
For Ford, this experience became invaluable - a good relationship with Lucas allowed him to receive an invitation to cast in the film “Star Wars: A New Hope.” Ford auditioned on a general basis and became space pilot-smuggler Han Solo.
Han Solo made Harrison Ford a global star
Released in 1977, the film instantly became a cult classic, collecting 7 Oscar statuettes out of 11 nominations, and Harrison Ford, like Mark Hammill (Luke) and Carrie Fisher (Leia), became world-famous stars. Moreover, Ford's entire fee for this part of Star Wars was $1,000.
Luke, Leia and Han Solo
He returned to the role of Han Solo in the no less successful continuation of the stellar saga: “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.” Ford begged Lucas to kill off his character in the final episode, which he believed would “give the saga a complete look.” But the director refused. It wasn't until a 2015 interview that Harrison admitted that Lucas was right. Dialogue between Han Solo and Jabba the Hut In 2014, Ford began filming the film, which marked the beginning of the restart of the Star Wars universe. Episode 7 of The Force Awakens picks up 30 years after the 1983 grand finale. Ford reprises his role as Han Solo. Together with his faithful partner Chewbacca, he tried to return his son Kylo Ren to the Light Side of the Force, but was killed. During filming, Ford broke his ankle when the 33-meter door of his Millennium Falcon model fell on it.
Harrison Ford in Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The premiere of a film about young Han Solo was planned for 2021, but, for obvious reasons, Ford will not play him - American Alden Ehrenreich was cast in the role.
"Star Wars"
Quite surprising is the fact that it was Harrison Ford who received the iconic role of Han Solo, because George Lucas was initially against using any of the actors from the film “American Graffiti”. To conduct auditions and select actors for the main roles, which required reading the script, he invited Ford and immediately found out that he read Khan's monologues better than all other candidates.
As a result, the director was forced to offer this role to the actor, thereby breaking his own promise. Harrison noted in an interview that he then came to Lucas simply to help choose the leading actors, and did not even imagine that he might get the opportunity to participate in the project. At that time, Ford's main job was carpentry, and he was already thinking about giving up his acting career altogether, but, fortunately, fate decided otherwise.
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Indiana Jones
Ford has many outstanding roles to his credit, but only one can rival his popularity in popular culture. Of course, we are talking about the legendary resourceful archaeologist Indiana Jones.
Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg on the set of the first Indiana Jones
Viewers saw the first part of the adventures of the cult character, who inspired many young minds to study history, in 1981. The film "Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark" was directed by Steven Spielberg, who came up with the idea for the script together with George Lucas - they were vacationing together in Hawaii and one day, while lying on the beach, they built a sand castle. And away we go.
Reputable scientist...
Spielberg immediately saw Harrison Ford in the role of Indiana, but Lucas, who acted as the producer of the project, opposed this: “The audience will think that I deliberately shove him into every film!” The creator of “Star Wars” tried to sign “Magnum PI” star Tom Selleck to film the film, but he was bound by a contract. Further searches were unsuccessful, and three weeks before filming began, Ford accepted the offer.
..and a fearless adventurer
Filming cost Lucas and Spielberg $20 million. At the box office, the first part of “Indiana” collected $383 million, paying off almost 20 times. In the States alone, the show was attended by more than 88 million viewers, who watched with their mouths open as Indiana Jones ran away from the giant ball. This scene, by the way, was filmed without doubles. Although the ball was made of glass plastic rather than natural stone, it weighed more than a ton and Ford was indeed in danger. Indiana Jones runs away from a stone In 1985, success was consolidated with the sequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which was not easy for the actor: Harrison injured his spinal disc while riding an elephant.
Ford fell off an elephant and injured his spine
The third part, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with Ford and Sean Connery, was released in 1989. The skill of everyone who had a hand in its creation helped the film avoid the typical loss of audience interest for sequels - the ratings were not inferior to the first part.
Sean Connery played Ford's father, although he was only 15 years older
In the early 90s, Ford appeared in the TV series The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, although his appearances were very sporadic. And yet, the audience found his performance much more convincing than that of “young Indy” George Hill.
Stills from the series "Young Indiana Jones"
Almost 20 years after the release of The Last Crusade, Indiana Jones was resurrected. Ford, no longer in such good physical shape, recalled his skills in wielding a whip (it took him 6 days) and admitted that at his age, few people can maintain good shape, and he is no exception. But he can imitate it perfectly.
In 2008, the actor returned to the role of Indiana Jones
The film did not receive as good reviews as its predecessors, and the scene in which Jones hides from the explosion of an atomic bomb in a refrigerator completely outraged viewers. However, Spielberg did not give up on the money-making franchise, and soon announced the release of the fifth part.
Biker bully
The actor rode motorcycles since childhood, but with age his interest in steel horses only increased, as did his wealth. Ford loves to spend time behind the wheel, and he always drives fully equipped, protecting himself from accidents.
Harrison noted in an interview that he has eight or nine motorcycles in his garage, including BMW, Harley, Honda and Triumph models, as well as several sports touring bikes. This diversity of the park allows celebrities to ride motorcycles both for everyday needs and for pleasure.
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Blade Runner
Between the first and second parts of Indiana Jones (and the final part of Star Wars), Ford starred in the cyberpunk thriller Blade Runner by Ridley Scott (an adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?). His hero is policeman Rick Deckard, who catches escaped cyborg replicants, outwardly indistinguishable from people.
Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard (Blade Runner)
Although the film received cult status, the leading actor did not like it. From the first day of filming, he began to clash with Ridley Scott. Not only him - because of the difficult nature of the director, few people could work with him. What infuriated Ford the most was that Scott forced him to do the voiceovers himself, and he deliberately did it as poorly as possible - he hoped that they would not be included in the final version of the film.
They also had disagreements with the protagonist's vision. Ford believed that his hero was one hundred percent human and could not possibly be a replicant. Scott had a different point of view, as evidenced by the director's cut of The Runner, released 10 years later.
Harrison Ford's personal life
The actor’s personal life has always been the subject of gossip; the actor himself rarely commented on rumors about himself.
Married to Mary Marquardt in 1964, he became a father for the first time two years later. The boy was named Benjamin. In 1969, the couple had a son, Willard. In 1979, the couple filed for divorce.
Young Harrison Ford with his first wife
Screenwriter Melissa Mattison became Harrison Ford's second wife. The wedding took place in 1983. Melissa gave her husband a son, Malcolm (1987), and a daughter, Georgia (1990).
Malcolm and Georgia Ford
In 2001, their relationship came to an end. In 2002, Ford started a new relationship with actress Calista Flockhart, whom he met at the Golden Globe Awards. They soon adopted a boy named Liam. In 2009, on Valentine's Day, Ford proposed to his beloved, which she happily accepted. A year later, they got married in the city of Santa Fe, where the filming of the film “Cowboys & Aliens” took place.
Harrison Ford's last girlfriend - Calista Flockhart
In 2021, Carrie Fisher's autobiography went on sale. The actress admitted that during the filming of the first part of Star Wars, she and Ford had an affair that lasted three months.
Harrison Ford was still married while dating Carrie Fisher.
Benjamin Ford decided not to follow in his father's footsteps. He became a chef, then opened the Ford's Filling Station chain of gastropubs. Willard owns Strong Sports Gym. Ford's eldest sons made their father a grandfather three times: in 1993 (son Eliel), 2000 (son Ethan) and 2010 (son Waylon).
Harrison Ford's eldest sons: chef and trainer
Harrison plays sports. Every other day he goes to the gym and plays tennis three times a week.
He is still in good physical shape
His main hobby is aviation. He received his first flying lessons in the 60s, but then he simply did not have enough money to complete his training and obtain a license: an hour-long lesson cost $15 (equivalent to approximately $120 by 2021 standards). It was only in the mid-90s that he bought a private jet and asked a pilot he knew to give him a couple of lessons. Since then, the actor feels in the air like a fish in water.
The actor cannot imagine life without flying
In 2000, his passion for flying saved the life of a hiker who got lost in the Idaho mountains. His helicopter landed in front of a stunned woman who didn't even recognize Ford as the savior. As the woman later said, she simply did not expect that the man in the T-shirt and cowboy hat would turn out to be a Hollywood star. And in 2001, the actor again found a lost person - this time it turned out to be boy scout Cody Clawson.
In the photo: Harrison Ford and Cody Clawson, who was saved by him.
Harrison Ford now
In the fall of 2021, the sequel to “Blade Runner” was released. The main character, played by Ryan Gosling, continues the mission of Rick Deckard, who disappeared many years ago, to destroy the replicants who have lost control. Having received secret information, he goes in search of Deckard.
Blade Runner 2049: Harrison Ford reprises his role as Rick Deckard
During filming, Gosling complained to reporters that Ford accidentally hit him in the face, not calculating the force while working on a fight scene. “I took 80 shots, and 79 of them missed Gosling,” Ford jokingly justified himself.
Harrison Ford accidentally hit Ryan Gosling
The fifth installment of Indiana Jones is scheduled to premiere in 2021, the working title of which remains a mystery. When asked about the future of the franchise, Ford has repeatedly stated that Indiana Jones is not James Bond, there can only be one: “Bond actors either get old or ask for a lot of money. But I’m not the type... to grow old.”
