The actor we know as the 'Han Solo' of the movie "Star Wars": Who is Harrison Ford?

Ford was born on July 13, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois. He was born to an Ashkenazi Jewish mother, Dorothy Nidelman, a former radio actress, and a Catholic father of German and Irish descent, John William "Christopher" Ford, an advertising executive and former actor. Ford has a younger brother named Terence.

Expressing that they were brought up as liberals, Ford was the second highest ranked Scout. After graduating from Maine East High School in Park Ridge, in 1960, Ford's voice became the first student voice to be broadcast on his high school's new radio station. He also became the radio's first sports announcer in his senior year of school. Ford, who attended Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin and started taking drama classes to overcome his shyness, was fascinated by acting.

In 1964, Ford, who went to Los Angeles to apply for a radio voiceover job, couldn't make it and signed a contract with Columbia Pictures' new talent program to play cameo roles in movies. His first known role came when he appeared in an unnamed role as a bellboy in the crime film "Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round" (1966).

The following year, he continued his career with the romantic comedy movie "Luv" (1967). He eventually starred as "Harrison J. Ford" in the 1967 western movie "A Time for Killing". However, it didn't really represent anything as "J" wasn't a middle name. This middle name was added to avoid confusion with the silent film actor 'Harrison Ford'. 

In the late 1960s and early 1970s the drama series "Gunsmoke", the TV crime drama "Ironside", the TV series "The Virginian", the police TV series "The F.B.I." He also played small roles in many productions, including the comedy TV series "Love,American Style" and the action adventure TV series "Kung Fu".

Unsatisfied with his roles, Ford became a professional carpenter to support his family. Among the clients at the time were writers Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne. Later, Ford met casting director and rookie producer Fred Roos, and thanks to Ross, Ford auditioned for the role of Bob Falfa in the comedy-drama film "American Graffiti" (1973) with director George Lucas. Ford's relationship with director Lucas deeply affected his later career. The following year, he gave Ford small roles in director Francis Ford Coppola's mystery thriller "The Conversation" (1974) and the war film "Apocalypse Now" (1979).

He made his first leading role as Han Solo in the epic space-opera movie "Star Wars" (1977), written and directed by George Lucas. Along with Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher were among the actors in the film and gained widespread fame after the film. The film became one of the most successful and groundbreaking films of all time and received critical acclaim. In addition, it became the highest-grossing film among the films released up to that time.

Following this success, Ford went on to take larger roles in the late 1970s drama film "Heroes"(1977), the war film "Force 10 from Navarone"(1978), and the war romance "Hanover Street"(1979). The comedy-comedy "The Frisco Kid"(1979) starred a bank robber with a heart of gold alongside Gene Wilder.The film met both average reviews and production budget.

Ford returned for the same role in the Star Wars sequels "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "Return of the Jedi" (1983). Additionally, he also appeared in the TV show "Star Wars Holiday Special"(1978). The first one received great acclaim from critics, as well as being the highest-grossing film that year. The latter was also critically acclaimed, with it being the highest-grossing film of the year it was released.

Ford's starring status was cemented when he featured as Indiana Jones, a heroic world-traveling archaeologist, in the action adventure movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), based on a story directed by Steven Spielberg. The film was both a great success and became the highest-grossing film of the year. Ford then reprized the role for the remainder of the decade in the prequel "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (1984) and its sequel, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

Following his lead roles, Ford played Rick Deckard in the dystopian science fiction film "Blade Runner" (1982), directed by Ridley Scott. Initially underperforming, the film later became a cult movie and has since been considered one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time. Additionally, it became one of Ford's most respected films. He also appeared in the thriller "Witness" (1985), the drama film "The Mosquito Coast" (1986), and the mystery thriller "Frantic" (1988) throughout the 1980s. In 1988, he starred in the romantic comedy-drama movie "Working Girl" (1988), starring Melanie Griffith and Sigourney Weaver, directed by Mike Nichols. Among these films, especially "Witness" and "The Mosquito Coast" allowed Ford to explore his potential as a dramatic actor, and his performance in both films was widely applauded.

In the 1990s, Ford became the second actor to portray Jack Ryan in two films in the action thriller series "Patriot Games" (1992) and "Clear and Present Danger" (1994) based on the novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. He appeared in these films with Anne Archer and James Earl Jones. Ford also starred in the critically acclaimed action thriller "The Fugitive"(1993), the action thriller "The Devil's Own"(1997), and the political action movie "Air Force One"(1997), based in other productions over the decade. Receiving some of the best reviews of his career for his performance in the first, Ford won many awards and nominations.

During this time, he starred in the legal thriller "Presumed Innocent" (1990) and the drama film "About Henry" (1991). The first became the eighth highest-grossing film of that year. The latter received both critically mixed reviews and a healthy box office success. He then starred in another romantic comedy-drama film, "Sabrina" (1995), directed by Sydney Pollack, a remake of the classic 1954 film of the same name. The generally positive film was a box office failure.

In the late 1990s, Ford co-starred with Anne Heche in the action-adventure comedy film "Six Days, Seven Nights" (1998) directed by Ivan Reitman. The following year, he appeared with Kristin Scott Thomas in the romantic drama film "Random Hearts" (1999), directed by Sydney Pollack. He then starred in "K-19: The Widowmaker" (2002), a historical submarine film directed by Kathryn Bigelow. These films were critically ridiculed and commercially disappointing, failing to match the success of their previous films. During this time, he made his debut in the supernatural horror thriller "What Lies Beneath" (2000) directed by Robert Zemeckis. The film received generally mixed reviews and was a box office success, becoming the tenth highest-grossing film of the year.

Later, he co-starred with Josh Hartnett in the action comedy movie "Hollywood Homicide" (2003). In the following years, he appeared as one of the leading roles in the action thriller "Firewall" (2006), directed by Richard Loncraine. The film, which was received negatively from critics, achieved moderate success at the box office.

In 2008 Ford had great success with the release of the first Indiana Jones film, the action adventure movie "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and another collaboration with Lucas and Spielberg. The film, which received generally positive reviews, became the second highest-grossing film worldwide in 2008. That same year, he appeared with Ashley Judd and Ray Liotta in the crime drama movie "Crossing Over," directed by Wayne Kramer. He also talked about a feature-length documentary film about the Dalai Lama called "The Dalai Lama Renaissance".

In 2009, Ford also co-starred with Brendan Fraser and Alan Ruck in "Extraordinary Measures," a medical drama movie directed by Tom Vaughan. The movie, which was released on January 22, 2010, showed poor performances. Also in 2010, he starred in "Morning Glory," a romantic comedy-drama film directed by Roger Michell, with Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton, and Patrick Wilson. Although the film was a disappointment at the box office, Ford's performance was applauded by the critics. In July 2011, Ford took the lead role with Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde in the sci-fi/western hybrid film "Cowboys & Aliens." The film, which received mixed reviews, was able to gross at the box office equivalent to its production budget.

In 2013, Ford ushered in a period in which he accepted a wider variety of supporting roles. That year, he appeared alongside Liam Hemsworth and Gary Oldman in the corporate espionage thriller "Paranoia" directed by Robert Luketic. The movie was a huge hit at both the box office and the critics. In the same year, he appeared in the science fiction action movie "Ender's Game", written and directed by Gavin Hood, based on the novel of the same name. He then starred in the sports biopic "42" written and directed by Brian Helgeland. His portrayal was critically acclaimed and earned a Satellite Award nomination for best supporting actor. He appeared in the sequel comedy "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues".

The following year, he was cast as part of a large cast in the sequel action movie "The Expendables 3" directed by Patrick Hughes. The movie, which made a healthy profit at the box office, was met with negative reviews. Later, he starred with Blake Lively in the romantic fantasy drama movie "The Age of Adaline". The film received positive reviews and was a modest box office success.

Ford reprized the role of Han Solo in the long-awaited sequel "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015). The production, which is the most expensive film ever made, became the highest-grossing film of 2015 and the third-highest-grossing film at the time of its making.

On February 26, 2015, Alcon Entertainment announced that Ford would reprise the role of Rick Deckard in the epic science fiction movie "Blade Runner 2049" directed by Denis Villeneuve. Both the film and Ford's performance were well received by critics upon release. The film was a success worldwide and received critical acclaim. Later, it became a modern cult classic and was nominated for many awards and nominations.

In 2019, he appeared as part of a large cast in the sequel to the space opera movie "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker". The film received mixed reviews after its release on December 20, 2019, making it the seventh highest-grossing film of 2019. That same year, he made his first voice-over role for a dog named Rooster in the sequel animated comedy movie "The Secret Life of Pets 2" directed by Chris Renaud. Later that year, he played the lead role as prospector John Thornton in Chris Sanders' adventure movie "The Call of the Wild," based on the novel of the same name. Released in February 2020 to mixed reviews, the film was a box office disappointment.

Ford will reprise his role as Indiana Jones in the sequel, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" (2023), which he says will be his last appearance as a character. It is scheduled to be released on June 30, 2023. In October 2022, it was rumored that Ford would appear as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross in the 2024 films "Captain America: New World Order" and "Thunderbolts" set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Personal life

Ford was married to Mary Marquardt, whom he first married in 1964 and divorced in 1979. The couple has two sons, Benjamin, a chef and restaurateur, and Willard, a clothier. His second marriage was to screenwriter Melissa Mathison in March 1983. The couple continued until their separation in 2000 and their divorce in 2004. The couple has a son, actor and musician Malcolm, and a daughter, actress Georgia. Ford met actress Calista Flockhart in 2002 and started dating after they met. On February 14, 2009, Ford proposed to Flockhart and they were married on June 15, 2010.

Ford, one of Hollywood's most private actors, is reluctant to tell about his private life and often protects it. As a licensed pilot of both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, Ford has personally provided emergency helicopter services on several occasions.

Ford is the vice president of Conservation International, an American non-profit environmental organization headquartered in Virginia whose purpose is to protect nature. In addition, it supports many associations, institutions and organizations in various categories. He gives material, moral and time effort in their support funds, aid campaigns and signature collection areas.

On May 30, 2003, he deserved to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2013, he was crowned with the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the Zurich Film Festival. Ford, who has won many awards and nominations for his acting, has also been honored many times for his participation in general aviation. In addition, the actor won the "Indianapolis Prize", the most prestigious award for animal protection, as he is quite environmentally conscious. In 2001, he was listed as the "Richest Actor" by Guinness Books.