Ford graduated in 1960 from Maine East High School in Park Ridge, Illinois. Because of this, he and director Steven Spielberg later decided to depict the young Indiana Jones as a Life Scout in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). He worked at Napowan Adventure Base Scout Camp as a counselor for the Reptile Study merit badge.
When asked about what influence his Jewish and Irish Catholic ancestry may have had on him, he quipped, "As a man I've always felt Irish, as an actor I've always felt Jewish." įord was a Boy Scout, achieving the second-highest rank of Life Scout. When asked in which religion he and his brother were raised, Ford jokingly responded " Democrat" and more seriously stated that they were raised to be " liberals of every stripe". Their father was a Catholic of German and Irish descent, while their mother was an Ashkenazi Jew whose parents were emigrants from Minsk, Belarus, then in the Russian Empire. His younger brother, Terence, was born in 1945. Harrison Ford was born at the Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, on July 13, 1942, to former radio actress Dorothy (née Nidelman) and advertising executive and former actor John William "Christopher" Ford. He is married to actress Calista Flockhart. He is also a dedicated environmental activist, having served as the inaugural Vice Chair of Conservation International since 1991. Outside acting, Ford is a licensed pilot who has often assisted the emergency services in rescue missions near his home in Wyoming. Ford has also appeared in several romantic comedies and dramas throughout his career, including Heroes (1977), Working Girl (1988), Sabrina (1995), Six Days, Seven Nights (1998), Random Hearts (1999), Morning Glory (2010), and The Age of Adaline (2015). In addition to heroic roles, he played morally ambiguous and darker characters in films such as the coming-of-age comedy drama American Graffiti (1973), the conspiracy thriller The Conversation (1974), the survival drama The Mosquito Coast (1986), the legal drama Presumed Innocent (1990), and the supernatural suspense thriller What Lies Beneath (2000). His career spans six decades and includes collaborations with some of the most acclaimed and influential filmmakers of his time, such as George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Peter Weir, Roman Polanski and Mike Nichols.įord has portrayed heroic characters in other films such as the thrillers Witness (1985), for which he received his only Academy Award nomination, The Fugitive (1993), and Air Force One (1997), as well as the historical sports drama 42 (2013). He is also widely known for his portrayal of Indiana Jones in the titular film franchise, beginning with the action-adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and for playing other characters in different franchises, most notably Rick Deckard in the dystopian science fiction films Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and the Tom Clancy character Jack Ryan in the spy thriller films Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994). He has been a leading man in films of several genres.įollowing the initial phase of his career in bit parts and supporting roles, Ford gained worldwide fame for his starring role as Han Solo in the epic space opera film Star Wars (1977), reprising the role in four sequels over the course of the next 42 years. DeMille Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and four Golden Globe Awards. He is the recipient of various accolades, including the AFI Life Achievement Award and the Cecil B. His films have grossed more than $5.4 billion in North America and more than $9.3 billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor.