Harrison Ford was born in Chicago to parents Christopher Ford, an Irish-Catholic advertising executive and former actor, and Dorothy Ford, a Russian-Jewish homemaker. He has one brother, Terence Ford. Ford spent an unremarkable childhood in the suburban areas of Des Plaines and later Park Ridge, located in northern Chicago. During his youth, he became active in the Boy Scouts, achieving the rank of Life Scout, the organization’s second-highest level, and worked as a Reptile Study merit badge counselor at Scout camps.

Bullied at school, lacking athletic ability, and never rising above a C-minus average, Ford’s time at Maine Township High School was largely undistinguished. His only notable interest was radio broadcasting, where he became the first voice heard on the school’s radio station.

Ford attended Ripon College in Wisconsin, but his university experience proved no more fulfilling. Disliking the rigid academic structure, he began showing signs of depression, often sleeping for days and struggling to attend classes. Although he did not graduate, two pivotal events shaped his future: he met Mary Marquardt, whom he would marry in 1964, and he discovered a passion for acting through theater productions in his final year. Encouraged by fellow actors who believed he could find work in California, Ford and Mary packed his old Volkswagen and headed west.

In California, Ford studied and worked at the Laguna Playhouse and, in 1965, signed a $150-per-week contract with a young talent development program run by Columbia Pictures. His early screen work was limited to minor roles, including his debut appearance as a hotel porter with a single line in Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round, starring James Coburn. Although he had no middle name, he was credited as Harrison J. Ford to avoid confusion with a silent-era actor of the same name.

After moving from Columbia to Universal, Ford’s career stalled. Roles failed to grow, his optimism faded, and with two children—Benjamin Ford and Willard Ford—financial pressure mounted. Turning to carpentry to supplement his income proved to be the most important decision of his life.

Starting with a promise to build tables for a friend despite having no experience, Ford soon landed a job constructing a recording studio for Brazilian composer Sergio Mendes. Learning from books, he impressed clients and quickly earned a reputation as the “Carpenter to the Stars.” He built a deck for Sally Kellerman and worked as a stagehand for the rock band The Doors. Acting pressures eased as carpentry provided stability.

In 1972, Ford landed a small role in American Graffiti, directed by George Lucas and starring newcomers Ron Howard and Richard Dreyfuss. The film became a massive success. He followed this with another minor role in The Conversation, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Slightly larger roles followed in Judgment: The Court Martial of Lieutenant William Calley, the film Dynasty, and the television series The Possessed.

Despite steady work, Ford still had not achieved stardom by the late 1970s and continued carpentry. While building a doorway at a studio, he was noticed by Lucas, who was casting a new science fiction adventure. Though other actors such as Nick Nolte, Kurt Russell, and Christopher Walken were considered, Lucas soon realized Ford was the right choice. The film was Star Wars, and Ford’s portrayal of the wisecracking smuggler Han Solo launched him into superstardom.

The remainder of the 1970s included a small role in Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, followed by performances in Heroes, Force 10 from Navarone, an American Graffiti sequel, and the western comedy The Frisco Kid opposite Gene Wilder. The strain of location shooting contributed to the breakdown of his marriage, and Ford divorced Mary Marquardt in 1979, around the time his first romantic lead role in Hanover Street was released.

The 1980s marked Ford’s explosive rise. He reprised Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back and, after Tom Selleck withdrew due to commitments to Magnum, P.I., starred as archaeologist Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. The film’s mix of action, exotic locations, supernatural elements, and Ford’s trademark roguish charm made it a worldwide phenomenon.

Ford’s stardom became so significant that his minor role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, directed by Steven Spielberg, was cut to avoid distracting audiences. In 1983, he married the film’s screenwriter, Melissa Mathison. They later had two children, Malcolm Ford and Georgia Ford.

His career continued to soar with Ridley Scott’s acclaimed sci-fi thriller Blade Runner, followed by Return of the Jedi and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. A shift away from pure adventure brought him an Academy Award nomination for Witness, followed by The Mosquito Coast, in which he starred alongside young River Phoenix.

Throughout the mid-to-late 1980s, Ford appeared in Frantic directed by Roman Polanski, the comedy Working Girl with Melanie Griffith and Sigourney Weaver, and returned to Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He then moved into serious drama with Presumed Innocent and Regarding Henry.

The 1990s saw Ford return to action with Patriot Games and achieve one of his greatest successes with The Fugitive, portraying wrongly convicted Dr. Richard Kimble opposite Tommy Lee Jones. The decade continued with A Clear and Present Danger, Sabrina, The Devil’s Own alongside Brad Pitt, and the blockbuster Air Force One, where he played a U.S. president battling terrorists aboard his aircraft.

In the early 2000s, Ford experienced moderate success with Random Hearts, What Lies Beneath, and K-19: The Widowmaker. Mid-decade releases such as Hollywood Homicide and Firewall failed to meet expectations.

His career resurged with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, reuniting him with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Released nearly two decades after the previous installment, the 2008 film co-starring Shia LaBeouf and Cate Blanchett became a box-office triumph and earned Ford multiple award nominations.

Ford followed with the independent drama Crossing Over in 2009, the critically panned Extraordinary Measures in 2010 alongside Brendan Fraser, and the newsroom comedy-drama Morning Glory. In 2011, he starred with Daniel Craig in the sci-fi western Cowboys & Aliens.

Ford divorced Melissa Mathison in 2004 in what became the largest divorce settlement in Hollywood history, reportedly totaling $90 million. After relationships with actresses such as Minnie Driver and Lara Flynn Boyle, he married actress Calista Flockhart in June 2010. Known for guarding his privacy, Ford has long resisted media attention surrounding his personal life.

Beyond acting, Harrison Ford is a dedicated environmentalist. He serves on the board of Conservation International and has helped preserve vast tracts of land within national parks worldwide. In recognition of his efforts, he received the Jules Verne Spirit of Nature Award and has had both a spider and an ant species named after him. An avid pilot, he owns several aircraft and flies both planes and helicopters. After a helicopter crash during training in 1999, he later participated in two real-life mountain rescues near his Wyoming ranch as part of the Teton County Search and Rescue team.

Ford’s later roles include Ender’s Game (2013), The Expendables 3 (2014), and his return to the Star Wars franchise in 2015.

Source: Biyografiler.com