Mini Biography

His father was Irish, his mother Russian-Jewish. He was a lackluster student at Maine Township High School in Park Ridge Illinois (no athletic star, never above a C average).

After dropping out of Ripon College in Wisconsin, where he did some acting and later summer stock, he signed a Hollywood contract with Columbia and later Universal.

His roles in movies and TV ( "Ironside" (1967), "Virginian, The" (1962)) remained secondary and, discouraged, he turned to a career in professional carpentry. He came back big four years later, however, as Bob Falfa in American Graffiti (1973). Four years after that he hit colossal with the role of Han Solo in Star Wars (1977).

Another four years and Ford was (words fail) Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Still another four years and he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his role as John Book in Witness (1985).

All he managed four years after that was his third starring success as Indiana Jones; in fact, many of his earlier successful roles led to sequels as did his more recent portrayal of Jack Ryan in Patriot Games (1992).

Another Golden Globe nomination came his way for the part of Dr. Richard Kimble in Fugitive, The (1993). He is clearly a well- established Hollywood superstar. He also maintains an 800-acre ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Trivia

• Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#15). [1995]
• In his spare time, as a hobby, is also a master craftsman. Revealed on the David Letterman show that he has some false teeth; 2 were pulled by a dentist after some others were damaged when he fell on a gun during a stunt for a TV appearance early in his career.
• He provided the whip-cracks on the song "Desperation Samba (Halloween in Tijuana)" for Jimmy Buffett's album "Last Mango in Paris"
• Private pilot, single engine fixed wing and helicopter. Owns a Bonanza, Gulfstream IV, DeHavland Beaver, and Bell 407 helicopter. Destroyed first 407 during simulated "engine-out" practice. Regularly flies himself between New York City and Wyoming homes. Has a loft in Tribeca, NYC.
• Chosen as People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive. [1998] Ranked #1 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. [1997]
• Listed as one of 50 people barred from entering Tibet. Disney clashed with Chinese officials over the film Kundun (1997) which Ford's wife wrote. [19 December 1996]
• Studied at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin, but left without obtaining a degree.
• His wife, Melissa, wrote the screenplay for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
• His "first broadcast" was during his senior year in high school (1960), when he was literally the first voice heard over the new radio station, WMTH-FM, located at Maine Township High School in Park Ridge Illinois as they came on the air for the first time.
• Considers Mosquito Coast, The (1986) to be his favorite of all the movies in which he has starred.
• Lives in a white-painted ranch that he built himself in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Has a scar on his chin which he got when he tried to "buckle up" while already driving, and lost control of the car.
• He was billed as Harrison J. Ford until 1970 for less confusion between him and a silent-screen actor Harrison Ford -- he actually has no middle name.
• While in college Ford appeared as Mac the Knife in the musical play, "The Threepenny Opera". Brother of Terence Ford.
• Piloted his helicopter to rescue dehydrated 20 year old hiker Sarah George from Table Mountain near his Jackson Hole, Wyoming ranch. [31 July 2000]
• Turned down the romance-action film Proof Of Life (the Russell Crowe role), the summer-blockbuster Perfect Storm (the George Clooney role), and finally, another summer-blockbuster, the war-epic The Patriot (the Mel Gibson role). Ford has said The Patriot was "too violent" for his tastes, especially considering that many children were killed and endangered throughout the film. Ford also told People Magazine that he turned down The Patriot because he felt the story was too simple: "The Revolutionary War boiled down to one man seeking revenge," he said.
• Replaced Kevin Costner for the lead in Air Force One (1997).
• Listed in the 2001 Guinness Book of Records as the richest male actor. Turned down the role of Judge Wakefield in the movie Traffic (2000).
• Credited with "creating" what many believe to be the best scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) because he was suffering from a bout of diarrhea at the time of filming: during the scene in Cairo with the swordsman in black, the script called for a much longer fight, but because of his condition, Harrison quietly asked director Spielberg if they could shorten the scene. Spielberg's reply was that the only way it could be done would be if Indy pulled out his gun and "just shot the guy." The rest of the crew, not aware of the change, laughed at this, and it remained in the final cut.
• Honored for his work with the environment, Ford was asked to name a new breed of butterfly. He named it after his daughter, Georgia.
• Kevin Costner's character in Dragonfly (2002) was written with the intention of Harrison Ford taking the film role. Ford turned down the role to take a year off from movies.
• Costner & Ford's casting choices have crossed paths many times before. Harrison Ford turned down the Jack Ryan role in The Hunt for Red October (1990) as did Kevin Costner. Harrison Ford instead made Presumed Innocent (1990) and Kevin Costner made his Oscar-winning Dances With Wolves (1990). The Jack Ryan role went to then character-actor Alec Baldwin.
• The total Box Office grosses (in the U.S.) of all of Ford's films totals about $3.18 billion. The total grosses (worldwide) of all of his films totals about $5.65 billion. This does not count inflation of some of his older movies (Star Wars, Indiana Jones). No other actor in history has grossed as much as Ford in the Box Office.
• Has a species of ant named after him. Peidole harrisonfordi - a species of Central American ant was named in honour of the actor's conservation work. Also a spider - Calponia Harrisonfordi.
• He suffered a back injury while filming "Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom" (1984) which required surgery. While he was away Spielberg filmed around him as best he could in the fights and stunt scenes using Vic Armstong, a British born stunt man who looked so much like Ford that members of the crew were always mistaking him for Ford. Ford resumed doing his own stunts upon his return, and his close ups were added later into the finished film.
• Recommended River Phoenix for the role of the young Indiana Jones in "Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade" (1989). Ford and Phoenix had previously played father and son in "The Mosquito Coast" (1986).
• Ranked #8 in Star TV's Top 10 Box Office Stars of the 1990s (2003) He was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity in college.
• 30 May 2003: Received star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• Both his Indiana Jones jacket and Fedora hat are on display at the Smithsonian
• He nearly turned down the role of Henry in Regarding Henry because the main character was a trial lawyer. He had just played a trial lawyer in Presumed Innocent, and was afraid of being typecast as a lawyer! He later took the role when he realized that Henry would only be functioning as a lawyer for the first ten minutes of the film.
• October 2003 - had surgery on a torn-rotator cuff.
• Was the second actor to play Tom Clancy's CIA man Jack Ryan (in "Patriot Games" and "Clear & Present Danger") after the first actor, Alec Baldwin backed out after "The Hunt For Red October". Ben Affleck is the third to take the part.
• Worked as a carpenter before hitting the big time. On the "Westside" of Los Angeles, it's a (pretty) big deal to have kitchen cabinets made by Harrison Ford.
• His divorce from Melissa Mathison turned out to be the most expensive in the history of Hollywood.
• Scared director Steven Spielberg and the crew during "Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom" when, without warning, he ran out across the rope bridge used in the film's climax to test its safety.
• During the scene where he is frozen in carbonite in "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980), Carrie Fisher says "I love you." and Ford was supposed to reply "I love you." but he suggested changing it to "I know."
• Children: with Mary Marquardt, sons Benjamin (22.09.1967) and Willard (14.05.1969); with
• Melissa Matheson, son Malcolm (10.03.1987) and daughter Georgia (30.06.1991). Dating actress Calista Flockhart (2004)

Personal Quotes

Movie Quotes