Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Harrison Ford: His Career and Life

By Sredna Nesegleh


Harrison Ford is one of the most prolific actors in the world. He has been in dozens of movies, both successful and unsuccessful. Most people know him from his role of Han Solo in Star Wars or as Indiana Jones in this series of movies, but he has played many different roles with great success. Acting is not his only skill, however, as he can also produce, fly airplanes, do high quality carpentry work, and more.

The Early Years

Ford came into the world on July 13, 1942 at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. Dorothy and Christopher Ford were former actors and they gave Harrison and his brother, Terence, a very good childhood. Harrison was in the Boy Scouts and achieved the second highest ranking possible. During his high school years at Maine East High School, he became the first student voice broadcasted on the high school's new radio station. This was his first foray into entertainment and he caught the acting bug when he took a drama class during his senior year at Ripon College. He then moved to Los Angeles after graduation to try his hand at voice-overs, without much success.

Career Starts

While he did not get a job doing voice-overs, he did get the opportunity to be part of several movies in uncredited bit roles. Columbia Pictures had a New Talent program that paid $150 a week for actors willing to be in small movie roles. He had many uncredited roles during the early 1960's and his first credited role was in the 1967 Western movie, A Time for Killing. Other roles soon followed in television shows, such as Gunsmoke, American Style, Kung Fu, and Love, American Style. Even though he was working, he was not happy with the roles he was being offered, so he became a self-taught carpenter to support his family. He built decks, cabinets, and more for many people, including George Lucas, who was later to become integral in helping him to achieve his goals.

From Making Cabinets to Making Movies

George Lucas and Harrison Ford connected while he was building cabinets and Lucas gave him a job reading lines for the actors who were auditioning for Star Wars. While he was not expecting it, his readings led to Lucas offering him the role of Han Solo, which helped to propel him into movie history. This was just the beginning of his career. He then starred in the Indiana Jones series of movies and many other movies, including Air Force One, Patriot Games, Extraordinary Measures, and Cowboys & Aliens.

Harrison and His Personal Life

Ford tends to keep his personal life just that - personal, but he has been married three times, the latest of which is his marriage to Calista Flockhart. He has five children and three grandchildren. His interests include aviation, as well as environmental causes, politics, archaeology, and community work.

Han Solo and Indiana Jones may be his two most recognizable characters, but he is so much more than these two different roles. He has been in numerous different movies, including movies based on the Tom Clancy books. Harrison Ford is sure to be one actor that will be remembered and enjoyed for years to come. He is a classy movie star that is sure to continue entertaining us far into the future. Keep your eye out on his career and you will be sure to see amazing movies that you will enjoy.




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