Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor who between 1977 and 1983 appeared in what were then four of the top ten highest-grossing movies ever. Ford was born in Chicago, Illinois, and his first major role was in American Graffiti. His mother, Dorothy Ford was a Russian jew, while his father, Christopher Ford was a former Irish actor. He went on to star as Han Solo in the first three Star Wars films. He starred as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark and two further movies, and as Jack Ryan in Tom Clancy's Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. He has also starred in Blade Runner, Witness, The Fugitive (1993), and the remake of Sabrina, among others.
In most of his roles, Ford plays a tough, wise-cracking action hero, and is especially well known for his repeated performances of the characters of Han Solo of the Star Wars films, and Indiana Jones of Raiders of the Lost Ark and its sequels.
Ford is a private pilot of both planes and helicopters, and owns an 800 acre (3.2 km²) ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He worked as a carpenter in Hollywood before he broke through in movies.
The Guinness Book of World Records (2001) calls Ford the richest actor alive. His reported salary for the 2002 movie K-19: The Widowmaker was over $25,000,000. Despite being arguably the most successful actor of his generation, he has received only one Oscar nomination, for Best Actor in Witness.
Ford assisted musician Jimmy Buffett by recording whip cracks (a skill learned for Raiders of the Lost Ark) used in the song "Desperation Samba (Halloween in Tijuana)."
Ford was credited as "Harrison J. Ford" for a small role in a 1967 Western A Time for Killing, but the "J" didn't stand for anything. Ford does not have a middle name. He was credited as such to avoid confusion with another actor named Harrison Ford, a silent-film actor who died in 1957. The first Ford has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of famed eatery Musso & Frank. The modern-day Harrison Ford received a star on Hollywood Boulevard in June 2, 2003.
Ford has been married twice. He married Mary Marquadt in 1964 and divorced in, 1979, and had two children with her. He married again to Melissa Mathison, in 1983, divorcing in 2003, and had another two children, a son and a daughter. He is engaged to actor Calista Flockhart, who became famous as the star of television show Ally McBeal.