Those who loved
Star Wars
,
Blade Runner
and
Indiana Jones
will find it hard to believe it, but
Harrison Ford turns 80
.
Li celebrates after
half a century on the set
, a worldwide fame and, playing with words, a
stellar force
.
The career of the great American actor spans
six decades
and boasts collaborations with
some of the most influential directors
of his time.
Harrison Ford was born on
July 13, 1942
at the Swedish Covenant Hospital in
Chicago
, to a Jewish radio actress, Dorothy Nidelman, and a former actor, advertising executive, John William "Christopher" Ford, a Christian of Irish and German descent.
Philosophy graduate
and former boy scout, Harrison Ford developed a passion for acting during
his college years
in Ripon, Wisconsin, and then moved to Los Angeles to try his luck in
Hollywood
.
His first contract, for 150 dollars a week, is with
Columbia Pictures
and then he moves on to
Universal Studios
, with which he works playing cameo roles for
TV series
.
In the first phase of his career, the future Indiana Jones worked as a carpenter and as a cameraman in concerts, but then in 1973, the turning point: George Lucas wanted him in "American Graffiti".
It was Steven Spielberg who suggested him for the part of
Han Solo in the original episode of the “
Star Wars
” epic
in 1977, an iconic role which he will then also cover in the sequels.
Tradition has it that the pilot of the Millennium Falcon, "the best in the galaxy", is inspired by Francis Ford Coppola.
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Harrison FordStar wars
“
Apocalypse Now
” is from 1979 and loosely based on the novel by Joseph Conrad, “Heart of Darkness”.
The film, starring
Marlon Brando
and directed by
Francis Ford Coppola
, is particularly dear to Ford, so much so that he named his sons
Benjamin
and
Willard
after the first and last name of the protagonist of the film, played by Martin Sheen.
In 1981, with the film “
Raiders of the Lost Ark ”, the
Indiana Jones
series begins
, based on the adventures of the imaginary archaeologist created by
George Lucas
as a tribute to the action heroes of the 1930s film series.
The character appears in
four films directed by Steven Spielberg
and a television series, but also in novels, comics, video games and other media.
“
Dr. Jones, we've heard a lot about you: professor of archeology, expert in occultism, and, what do you say?
Researcher of rare antiquities
”.
The phrase from “
Raiders of the Lost Ark
” describes and anticipates the global success of the character:
In 2003, the American Film Institute ranked him
the second greatest movie hero of all time
, in 2020, Empire magazine voted him
the greatest movie character ever
.
Entertainment Weekly ranked him #2 on their list of
Pop Culture's Coolest Heroes,
and Premiere magazine ranked him #7 on their list of the 100
Greatest Movie Characters
.
The latest exploits of the iconic hero will be
in theaters starting June 30, 2023 , because “
Indiana Jones 5
” is being filmed
, directed by James Mangold.
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Harrison FordIndiana Jones
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Harrison FordIndiana Jones
In 1982, the mythological
Rick Deckard
of “
Blade Runner
” arrives, a film adaptation of the novel by Philip K. Dick.
A film that
marked an era
and remained in
the hearts of many
.
A film that
marks a before and after
and the birth of
the cyber-punk genre
, but which Ford has repeatedly declared to be the most frustrating experience of his entire career, both due to the continuous changes in post-production and because it seems didn't resonate with director Ridley Scott.
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Harrison Ford blade runner
In 1986,
the Oscar nomination for
Best Actor for “
Witness
”, by Peter Weir and to prepare for the role of the detective assigned to the special protection of a child, witness to a murder, Harrison Ford joins the Philadelphia Police Department .
This film and Mosquito Coast, by the same director, are defined by Ford as “
two of the best experiences of his career
”.
Although the actor is an action film icon, between the end of the 80s and the first half of the 90s Ford also successfully starred in
dramas and romantic comedies such
as “
Working Girl
”, 1988 by Mike Nichols, alongside Melanie Griffith and Sigourney Weaver;
and “
About Henry
” of 1991, also directed by Nichols and, in 1995, the remake of “
Sabrina
” directed by Sydney Pollack.
In the 90s, some
memorable
action roles also arrive: Jack Ryan in “
Power games
” by Phillip Noyce and based on the novel Attack on the English court by Tom Clancy;
Richard Kimble of “
The Fugitive
,” directed by Andrew Davis and based on the television series The Fugitive, which was itself inspired by the 1954 murder of Marilyn Sheppard in Ohio;
the president of the United States, James Marshall in “
Air Force One
”, directed by Wolfgang Petersen.
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Harrison Ford The Fugitive
2000 is the year that christens him the
highest paid actor in the world
, with 25 million dollars a film, and star of “
The hidden truths
” by Robert Zemeckis, where he plays the only evil character of his career.
"He was a perfect husband until his one mistake followed them home"
©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection/Contrasto
Hidden Truths, 'What Lies Beneath': Harrison Ford & Michelle Pfeiffer, 2000