Harrison Ford Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Harrison Ford
OCCUPATION: Film Actor
BIRTH DATE: July 13, 1942 (Age: 69)
EDUCATION: Ripon College
PLACE OF BIRTH: Chicago, Illinois

ZODIAC SIGN: Cancer

more about Harrison

Best Known For

Harrison Ford is one of Hollywood's leading men, with an acting career that has spanned nearly 40 years and included iconic roles.

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Harrison Ford

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Synopsis

Born July 13, 1942, in Chicago, Harrison Ford struggled for years as an actor before George Lucas cast him in 1973's American Graffiti. Ford then hit superstardom as Han Solo in the three Star Wars films and as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark and its three sequels, which were all monster successes. He has gone on to play leading roles in numerous Hollywood films.

Profile

Actor, born July 13, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois. Raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Harrison Ford studied English at Ripon College in Wisconsin. He served a long apprenticeship in film and television, interspersed with employment as a carpenter, before finding success in George Lucas' American Graffiti in 1973.

Ford collaborated with Lucas again for his breakthrough role as Han Solo in Star Wars (1977) and its two sequels, The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). Cast as a resourceful, swashbuckling hero, he found great popularity as the archaeologist adventurer Indiana Jones in a series of films beginning with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).

Ford enhanced his reputation with testing characterizations in 1985's Witness (for which he received an Oscar nomination), The Mosquito Coast (1986), Presumed Innocent (1990), and The Fugitive (1993). His heroic performances as Jack Ryan for the film adaptations of Tom Clancy’s fictional series secured Ford’s status as one of Hollywood’s favorite leading men, including 1992’s Patriot Games and 1994’s Clear and Present Danger.

Recent films have been less successful at the box office, including 2003's Hollywood Homicide and 2006's Firewall. Ford received the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award in 2000.

Harrison Ford was married to Mary Marquardt from 1964 to 1979; they have two sons. He was married to screenwriter Melissa Mathison from 1983 to 2004; they have two children. Ford has been coupled with actress Calista Flockhart since 2002. He lives in New York City and maintains an 800-acre ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.