Harrison Ford Facts: Acting Career, Marriage Details

Beginning in the early ‘60s, Harrison Ford searched for his big break in the entertainment industry. In 1973, he landed the role of Bob Falfa in the comedy film American Grafitti, establishing a friendship with director George Lucas. Four years later, his life was forever changed as he made his debut as Han Solo in Star Wars: A New Hope.

Harrison’s portrayal of Han led him to be recognized as one of the most iconic action heroes of all time and a favorite among Star Wars fans all over the world. He went on to reprise his role in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, 1983’s Return of the Jedi, 2015’s The Force Awakens and made a cameo in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker.

The Golden Globe nominee also became the face of another popular action series in the ‘80s: Indiana Jones. Harrison worked closely with the franchise’s longtime director Steven Spielberg to perfect his role as the titular character for five films. His sense of adventure isn’t just limited to the big screen.

Known for flying the Millennium Falcon in the Star Wars films, Harrison also developed a love for flying planes in his personal life. The film icon began taking flight classes in the ‘60s, and earned his pilot license at the age of 53, per GQ. Harrison has also been pictured boarding his planes with his family before flying them to their destinations over the years.

The AFI Life Achievement Award winner is a dad to kids Ben Ford, Willard Ford, Malcolm Ford, Georgia Ford and Liam Flockhart. He shares his youngest son, Liam, with his wife, Calista Flockhart, whom he married in 2010. The couple have both led successful careers in Hollywood and balance each other out perfectly.

“They are on the same page about wanting to enjoy the trappings of their success without feeling trapped by it,” a friend of the couple told Closer in June 2019. “Harrison never thought he’d become a late-in-life dad, but it’s been a tremendous blessing to him. He has been mindful to give Liam his full attention.”

Harrison has portrayed many notable film characters in his life but nothing compares to his joy of being a father of five.

“My children have taught me a lot about parenting,” he told Parade in January 2010. “My first child was born when I was 25. Babies raising babies is not a pretty sight. I am much better at it now.”

Keep scrolling to learn five surprising facts about Harrison.

Harrison Asked to Be Killed Off in ‘Star Wars’

Though Harrison has been an integral part of Star Wars for more than four decades, it was not always in his plans to stick around as Han for so long. The superstar wanted to have his character killed off in the second film, The Empire Strikes Back.

“Harrison kept yelling through the whole thing, ‘Kill me! Kill me! Kill me!’” George revealed in a June 2014 interview. “I said, ‘Harrison, I can’t kill you. I need you at the end of the next movie.’”

Instead of killing off Harrison’s character, he was instead frozen in a block of carbonite. He did ultimately end up returning for the third movie in the original trilogy before his character ultimately met his fate in The Force Awakens.

He Was a Carpenter Before Finding Fame

Harrison’s acting career did not take off until he was in his mid-30s. The Illinois native began working as a carpenter to make ends meet while he searched for other acting roles.

“I stopped taking the same kind of job over and over again in television, so I didn’t wear out my welcome. And I thought [that] if I found another job to make money, I wouldn’t be tempted to take acting jobs merely to have enough money to put food on the table,” he told Entertainment Tonight in 1982. “So, I became a carpenter, and in that time I was a carpenter — eight years — I only did about three or four films. I never abandoned my ambition to be an actor, but I only did those parts which were better than what I had been offered before, and in good movies.”

He Has a Unique Story About Piercing His Ears

In 1997, Harrison showed off a new ear piercing after visiting Claire’s Accessories. The 42 star explained the decision to pierce his ear in an interview with People, sharing he got the idea during a lunch with Jimmy Buffett and Ed Bradley.

“We all had the same phones and watches but I realized I didn’t have an earring like they did,” he admitted.

He Landed ‘Indiana Jones’ After Another Star Backed Out

Before Harrison officially became the face of the Indiana Jones franchise, another actor had his sights set on the role: Tom Selleck. However, Tom had already signed on to play the lead in Magnum, P.I, the role that skyrocketed him to fame. Harrison’s connection to George, who created the film series, led him to be suggested to fill the role.

“We were running short of time and Steven said, ‘There’s always Harrison,’” George told Empire in November 2021. “I doubted he’d go for a three-picture deal — he didn’t want to on Star Wars. And we had three pictures. Steven said to try anyway. I went to Harrison and he read the script and said, “Yeah, I’ll do a three-picture deal. I’d love to.”