Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, released in June, 1981.
 
Harrison Ford on Wikipedia
Harrison Ford on the Internet Movie Database
 
 
 
 
 
 
Harrison Ford
Forecourt Ceremony held on Thursday, June 4, 1992
 
Born: July 13, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois
Age at the time of the ceremony: 49
 
Harrison Ford is one of the world's favorite film stars. Encouraged by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, his deep voice and boyish personality made him in constant demand by the industy's leading directors.

Ford's father was an advertising man who had given up on acting, while his mother had been a radio actress. Harrison grew up in Park Ridge Illinois and was a Boy Scout, achieving the rank of Life Scout — pretty close to Eagle Scout. In high school, Ford announced sports events for the school radio station. Attending Rippon College in Wisconsin, Ford was a philosophy major.

To get over his syness, Ford took an acting class. He became fascinated. He spent the summer of 1964 working in summer stock in Wisconsin, then headed to Los Angeles to make it big. He got a contract at the bottom of the totem pole at Columbia, where he played a played a bellhop in Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (released in October 1966), with James Coburn.

His first credited role (as a cop) was in A Time for Killing (released in November 1967), with Glenn Ford. While supporting a wife and two sons, Ford appeared on the usual slate of television shows for one or two episodes. He played Victor Jory's son on an episode of
Ironside aired over NBC in December 1967; is accused of — gasp! — murder! — on
The F.B.I. aired over ABC in November 1969; he played a young man trying to win Dana Wynter's daughter on Love, American Style aired over ABC in November 1969. He is in the gang led by Robert Burr terrorizing Dodge City on Gunsmoke aired over CBS in February 1973.

Casting director Fred Roos put Ford in the running to play Bob Falla, the handsome guy in the car with the dame "Ain't he neat?" in American Graffiti (released in August 1973), with Richard Dreyfuss. Nearly everyone in the monster-hit movie became very busy, but for Ford, success came slowly.

He played a small role as a corporate flak in The Conversation (released in April 1974), with Gene Hackman, and played a member of the Blackwood clan with Sarah Miles in
Dynasty aired over NBC in March 1976.

Star Wars (which played the Chinese in May 1977), changed all that. His turn as Han Solo suddenly made him one of the world's most recognized actor / characters. They seemed inseparable.

Hanover Street (released in May 1979), with Leslie-Anne Down, attempted to sell Ford as a stand-alone romantic hero, but the film was only so-so. A lot of people thought they were seeing things during Ford's uncredited scene in director Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (released in August 1979).

The Empire Strikes Back (released in June 1980), with its cliff-hanger ending, made Ford a commanding heartthrob, but the Lucas / Spielberg combine had something else up their sleeve for their favorite actor: Raiders of the Lost Ark (played the Chinese in June 1981), allowed audiences to accept Ford in another perfectly-fit role: Indiana Jones.

Ford likes to work. The following summer, he appeared in another game-changer movie, Blade Runner (released in June 1982), then played Han Solo again in Return of the Jedi (released in May 1983). Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (played the Chinese in May 1984), became the third mega summertime movie starring Ford in three years.

Not letting up at all, Ford appeared in the thriller, Witness (released in February 1985), with Kelly McGillis, the decidedly counter-cultural The Mosquito Coast (released in November 1986), with Helen Mirren, and the Euro-thriller Frantic (played the Chinese in February 1988) — all released in non-summer.

Working Girl (released in December 1988), with Melanie Griffith, became Ford's first real rom-com, released at Christmastime — it worked. So did Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (which played the Chinese in May 1989).

Ford's string of hit films continued with a John Grisham novel adaptation, Presumed Innocent (released in July 1990), with Raul Julia, a Tom Clancey novel adaptation, Patriot Games (released in June 1992) and a remake of the classic television show The Fugitive (played the Chinese in August 1993).

Ford's films continued to make money — and lots of it, too. His second Tom Clancey film Clear and Present Danger (which played the Chinese in August 1994), was a hit, and people loved Harry as the president of the United States in Air Foce One (released in July 1997), with Gary Oldman. Even when he was playing a rotter, as in What Lies Beneath (released in July 2000), with Michelle Pfeiffer, people loved Harrison Ford.

That all began to change with Firewall (played the Chinese in February 2006), with Paul Bettany; the hi-tech thriller failed to ignite. Indiana Jone and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (released in May 2008), with Cate Blanchett, brought in the fans, but is far from satisfying. Cowboys & Aliens (released in July 2011), with Daniel Craig, has to mark the end of Ford's playing the lead in action films.

Acting his own age, Ford played Brooklyn Dodger manager Branch Rickey in 42 (which had its World Premiere at the Chinese in April 2013), with Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson. Continuing his elder statesman mode, Ford went through Ender's Game (played the Chinese in November 2013), saying "He's the one" a lot; in The Expendables 3 (released in August 2014), with Sylvester Stallone, he got to fly his plane around.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (which played the Chinese in December 2015), not only practically killed him while filming it; he says adieu to Han Solo in the film. We will miss him. He did a cameo in Blade Runner 2049 (played the Chinese in October 2017), but the film might need as much time as the original film did to find acceptance.

Ford did a voice for The Secret Life of Pets 2 (released in June 2019), and gave a final tour as Han Solo in an uncredited cameo in Star Wars: Expisode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (which played the Chinese in December 2019). Ford starred as outdoorsman John Thornton in Call of the Wild (released in February 2020).

Finally doing some TV, Ford stars in the Yellowstone prequel 1923, with Helen Mirren, streaming on Paramount+ beginning in December 2022, and has a supporting role in Shrinking with Jason Segel, streaming on Apple+ beginning in January 2023. Ford dons his Indiana Jones hat once more in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (which played the Chinese in June, 2023).
 
 
Mann's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, California. Harrison Ford Forecourt block. Executed by unknown. Thursday, June 4, 1992. 62 x 60 inches.
Mann's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, California. Harrison Ford Forecourt ceremony, Thursday, June 4, 1992. Ford gives the cameras a look while signinng his name.
 
©  Copryright Graumanschinese.org