Harrison Ford
For the silent film actor, see: Harrison Ford (silent film actor).Harrison Ford (born
July 13,
1942) is an
Academy Award-nominated
American actor. He is best known for his performances as the tough, wisecracking space pilot
Han Solo in the
Star Wars film series, and the adventurous, tenacious
archaeologist/action hero
Indiana Jones of
Raiders of the Lost Ark and its sequels.
Ford has also been the star of many high grossing hit
Hollywood blockbusters such as
Air Force One and
The Fugitive which have distanced him from his famous
Star Wars and
Indiana Jones roles.
As of August 2006, the combined domestic box office grosses of Ford's films total approximately US$3.10 billion [
1], with worldwide grosses at approximately US $5.65 billion.
Ford is an Honorary Chair of the
Indianapolis Prize, the world's leading award for animal conservation.
Ford was born on Monday,
July 13,
1942 at 11:41 AM
CST in
Chicago,
Illinois at
Swedish Covenant Hospital to Dorothy Nidelman (born Dora Nidelman on
October 17,
1917 in
New Jersey; died
February 10,
2004), a former radio actress, and Christopher Ford (born John William Ford on
November 20,
1906 in
New York; died
February 10,
1999), an advertising executive and a former actor. Ford's maternal grandparents, Harry Nidelman and Anna Lifschutz, were
Jewish immigrants from
Minsk,
Belarus who met in
Brooklyn and moved to
New Jersey. His
Catholic paternal grandparents were John Fitzgerald Ford (an
Irish American vaudeville performer) and Florence Veronica Niehaus (a
German American). Ford's parents were Democrats and did not practice the religions into which they were born.[
2] Harrison, when asked as to what religion he was raised in, jokingly responded, "Democrat."[
3] Ford has also said that he feels "Irish as a person but I feel Jewish as an actor".[
4]
In 1960, Ford graduated from
Maine East High School in
Park Ridge,
Illinois, where he claims he was picked on by bullies and ignored by girls and also voted "Boy Least Likely to Succeed". He attended
Ripon College in
Wisconsin, where he was a member of the
Sigma Nu Fraternity. He took a drama class in his junior year, chiefly as a way to meet women. Ford, a self-described "late bloomer", became fascinated with acting. Toward the end of his college freshman year, he was a member of a folk band called
The Brothers Gross, in which he played
gutbucket. In 1964, Ford moved to
Los Angeles,
California, where he signed a contract with
Columbia Pictures for $150 a week in the studio's New Talent program, playing bit roles in three films. Ford was credited as "Harrison J. Ford" for a small role in the 1967
western,
A Time for Killing, but the "J" didn't stand for anything because he does not have a middle name. It was added to avoid confusion with the other actor named
Harrison Ford, who died in 1957.
Ford dropped the "J" from his name and worked in minor
television roles for
Universal Studios. Not happy with the acting jobs being offered to him, Ford became a self-taught professional
carpenter to better support his then-wife and two small sons. Some of Ford's carpentry work remains in the
Hollywood Hills area. While working as a carpenter, he became a stagehand for the popular rock band,
The Doors.
Star Wars
Harrison Ford's work as a carpenter would land the actor his biggest role to date. In 1975, director
George Lucas, who had cast Ford in a pivotal supporting role in
American Graffiti, hired Ford to build some cabinets in his home and used him to read lines for actors being cast for parts in
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. It was
Steven Spielberg who first noticed that Ford was well suited for the part of
Han Solo.
The 6'1" Ford went on to star as
Han Solo in the next 2
Star Wars sequels,
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. He wanted
George Lucas to write in the death of the iconic Han Solo character at the beginning of the third act of
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, saying that it would lend more dramatic weight to the film, but Lucas refused. [
5].
Other Films
He starred as
Indiana Jones in
Raiders of the Lost Ark and its two sequels to date, and as
Jack Ryan in
Tom Clancy's
Patriot Games and
Clear and Present Danger. Ford's other well-known films include
Blade Runner,
Witness,
The Fugitive (
1993), and the
remake of
Sabrina, among others. While often playing the leading man or the hero of many action films, Ford had a change of pace, playing an adulterous husband with a terrible secret in
What Lies Beneath.
Many of Ford's major film roles came to him by default and other unusual circumstances: Han Solo, due to his reading lines for other actors; Indiana Jones, because actor
Tom Selleck was not available; and Jack Ryan, apparently due to
Alec Baldwin's fee demands (Baldwin had previously played the role in
The Hunt for Red October).
Salary
The 2001 edition of the
Guinness Book of Records listed Ford as the richest actor alive: his reported salary for the
2002 film
K-19: The Widowmaker was more than $25 million. The 27 movies that he has starred in have grossed a combined box office of more than $3.3 billion.
Awards
However, despite being one of the most financially successful actors of his generation, Ford has received just one
Oscar nomination, that of
Best Actor for
Witness. In 1999, he received the
Life Achievement Award from the
American Film Institute and received a star in front of the
Kodak Theatre at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. on June 2, 2003.
Recent Work
Ford's star power has waned in recent years, the result of appearing in numerous critically derided and commercially disappointing movies like
Random Hearts,
K-19: The Widowmaker,
Hollywood Homicide and
Firewall. Even
What Lies Beneath, which featured an unusually dark performance from Ford, was widely criticised as predictable and formulaic, and proved to be only a moderate financial success. In January
2005 he was overtaken by
Samuel L. Jackson as the top star of the combined highest-grossing films in
Hollywood, and
Mel Gibson has overtaken him as the richest living actor.
In 2004, Ford declined a chance to star in the thriller
Syriana, 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. [
6]. Ford also turned down leading roles in critically acclaimed films
The Patriot,
Traffic and
A History of Violence.
He is currently scheduled to star in a fourth
Indiana Jones movie with a story by
George Lucas, screenplay by
David Koepp, and direction by
Steven Spielberg. The movie's release, originally intended for May
2007, has now been postponed to
2008, leading some to question if it will ever be made at all.
Sean Connery, who announced his retirement from acting in
2004, has confirmed he will not appear in the film.
Ford has also finished recording narration for the upcoming feature documentary film about the Dalai Lama entitled
Dalai Lama Renaissance.
Ford is one of Hollywood's most notoriously private actors, rigidly guarding his private life. Outside of film promotion, he rarely appears in the press, preferring to keep to himself at his
Wyoming home. In fact, Ford considers the
Internet to invade his best intentions of privacy [
7].
Marriages & Children
Ford has been married twice. He married Mary Marquardt in
1964, and divorced her in
1979. He had two children with her, Benjamin (born in
1967) and Willard (born in
1969). He married again, to
Melissa Mathison, screenwriter of
The Black Stallion,
Kundun, and
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, on
March 14,
1983. They had two children: a son, Malcolm (born on
March 10,
1987), and a daughter, Georgia (born on
June 30, 1990). Mathison filed for legal separation on
August 23, 2001, and their subsequent divorce in
January 2004 has become one of the most expensive in Hollywood history. Ford has since been dating actress
Calista Flockhart.
Aircraft Pilot
Ford is a private pilot of both
planes and
helicopters, and owns an 800-acre (3.2-km²) ranch in
Jackson Hole,
Wyoming, approximately half of which he has donated as a nature reserve. On several occasions, Ford has personally provided emergency helicopter services at the behest of local authorities, in one instance rescuing a hiker overcome by
dehydration.
He is the current Chairman of the
Experimental Aircraft Association's Young Eagles program, taking over after
Chuck Yeager retired.
Environmental Causes
Ford sits on the board of directors of
Conservation International.
Ford has assisted musician
Jimmy Buffett by recording whip cracks (a skill learned during "Raiders of the Lost Ark") used in the Buffett song "Desperation Samba (Halloween in Tijuana)".
Iraq Conflict Opposition
In March
2003 various newspapers reported that Ford disapproved of a letter signed by several Hollywood celebrities urging President
George W. Bush not to invade
Iraq. Some implied that through his disapproval he favored a Bush led invasion of Iraq. Ford responded to the reports through his spokeswoman Patricia McQueeney. He said he favored "regime change on both sides". In August
2003 Ford condemned the
Iraq war in an interview with a
Spanish newspaper. He went on to criticize the proliferation of firearms in the United States, something that caused controversy given that he has used handguns in most of his movies.
California Gubernatorial Recall
Ford opposed the recall of California Governor
Gray Davis and warned that replacing him with Republican candidate
Arnold Schwarzenegger would be a disaster for the state. In September
2003 Ford caused further controversy by presenting his friend, film director
Roman Polanski, with his Best Director
Oscar for
The Pianist in Paris, where the director has been a
fugitive since fleeing the United States in 1978 after pleading guilty to one count of
statutory rape. Ford, who was directed by Polanski in 1987's
Frantic, had accepted the Oscar in Polanski's absence at the
75th Annual Academy Awards.
Oppostion to Chinese Most Favored Nation Status
Ford once appeared before a
U.S. Senate subcommittee on behalf of the people of
Tibet. His goal was to prevent
China from gaining
Most Favored Nation status, because of the Chinese occupation of Tibet. As a result, Ford is banned by the
People's Republic of China from entering
Tibet.
Homosexual Marriage
Ford is a vocal supporter of
gay marriage.
Other
When
George Lucas and company began the merchandising for the original
Star Wars films, Ford was the head negotiator in what eventually led to the lead actors receiving royalties from their likenesses and use of their images in any sold merchandise.
Harrison Ford began flight training in the 1960's at Wild Rose Airport in Wild Rose, Wisconsin flying in a TriPacer, but at $11 an hour he was unable to continue the training. His interest returned in the mid-1990's when he bought a used
Gulfstream II and asked one of his pilots, Terry Bender, to give him flying lessons. They started out flying a
Cessna 182 out of
Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He later switched to
Teterboro, New Jersey flying a
Cessna 206, the aircraft he solo'ed in.
On
October 23,
1999 Harrison Ford was involved in the crash of a
Bell 206-L4
helicopter (N36R). The
NTSB accident report states that Ford was piloting the aircraft over the Lake Piru riverbed near
Santa Clarita, California on a routine training flight. While making his second attempt at an autorotation with powered recovery Ford allowed the aircraft's height to drop to 150 to 200 feet before beginning power up. As a result the aircraft was unable to recover power before hitting the ground. The aircraft landed hard and began skidding forward in the loose gravel before one of its skids struck a partially embedded log and flipping onto its side. Neither Ford or the instructor pilot suffered any injuries though the helicopter was seriously damaged. When asked about the incident by fellow pilot James Lipton in an interview on the TV show
Inside the Actor's Studio Ford replied "I broke it." [
8]
Ford is the owner of the following aircraft
*
De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver (N28S)
*
Aviat Husky A-1B
*
Cessna Citation CJ3
*
Beech Bonanza B36T3
*
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
*
1929 Waco Taperwing
*
Bell 407 Previous aircraft
*
Gulfstream II*
Gulfstream IVSP
*
Pilatus PC-12Ford keeps his aircraft at the
Santa Monica Airport, though the
Bell 407 is often kept and flown in
Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and has been used by the actor in two mountain rescues during the actor's assigned duty time assisting the
Civil Air Patrol. On one of the rescues Ford recovered a hiker who had become lost and disoriented. She boarded Ford's Bell 407 and promptly vomited into one of the rescuers' caps (she says it was not Ford's cap), unaware of who the pilot was until much later.
In March,
2004 Harrison Ford offically became Chairman of the
Young Eagles program of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Ford was asked to take the position by Greg Anderson, Senior Vice President of the
EAA at the time, to replace General Charles "Chuck" Yeager who was vacating the post that he had held for many years. Ford at first was hesitant, but later accepted the offer and has made appearences with the
Young Eagles at the
AirVenture gathering at
Oshkosh, Wisconsin for two years. In July,
2005 at the gathering in Oshkosh Ford argeed to accept the position for another two years. Ford has flown over 200 children as part of the
Young Eagles program, usually in his De Havilland Beaver, which can seat the actor and five children. Ford is involved with the
EAA chapter in
Driggs, Idaho, just over the mountains from
Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Harrison Ford flies his
De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver (N28S) more than any of his other aircraft, and though he dislikes showing favioritism, he has repeatably stated that he likes this aircraft and the sound of its Pratt & Whitney 985 radial engine. He uses it regularly for impromptu fly-ins at remote airports, and bush strips, as well as gatherings with other Beaver owners and pilots. Ford first encountered the Beaver while filming
Six Days Seven Nights, and soon purchased one.
Kenmore Air in
Kenmore, Washington restored Ford's yellow and green DHC-2 (N28S), a junked former U.S. military Beaver, to better than new with updated
avionics and an upgraded engine.
In 1993, the
arachnologist Norman Platnick named a new species of
spider Calponia harrisonfordi, and in 2002, the
entomologist Edward O. Wilson named a new
ant species
Pheidole harrisonfordi (in recognition of Harrison's work as Vice Chairman of
Conservation International).
Ford cut his chin in a car accident in Northern California when he was about 20. The scar is visible in his films. Speilberg offers an explaination for it in "
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," in which he depicts
River Phoenix (as a young Indiana Jones) cutting his chin attempting to crack a whip to ward off a lion.
Ford admitted in a
1997 interview that he managed to dodge the
draft during the
Vietnam War, because he "did not want to participate in an illegal conflict aimed at maintaining American imperialism".
Prior to the release of
Star Wars, Shel Dorf (founder of
Comic Con) had a chance encounter with Ford at the production offices and did an interview with him for the comic book adzine then known as
The Buyer's Guide for Comics Fandom (now
Comics Buyer's Guide). In it Ford derisively spoke of his "so-called career" as an actor.
K-19: The Widowmaker (
2002) - $25,000,000 + 20% of the Gross
What Lies Beneath (
2000) - $20,000,000
Random Hearts (
1999) - $20,000,000
Six Days Seven Nights (
1998) - $20,000,000
Air Force One (
1997) - $22,000,000
The Devil's Own (
1997) - $20,000,000
Patriot Games (
1992) - $9,000,000
Presumed Innocent (
1990) - $12,500,000
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (
1977) - $650,000
American Graffiti (
1973) - $500/week
A Time For Killing (
1967) - $150/week
Luv (
1967) - $150/week
Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (
1966) - $150
Interviews
*
*
*
*
Web sites
*
Harrison Ford Web*
Harrison Ford: A Web Guide* Defunct Harrison Ford project
The Boundaries of Heaven
