Harrison Ford at 76: Here are His Best Roles
Happy Birthday, Harrison Ford! Happy Birthday to everyone’s favorite scruffy-looking nerf herder! Harrison Ford celebrates his 76th birthday today, and all of us at MovieNewsNet and StarWarsNewsNet wish him all the best. In honor of the big day, let’s take a trip down memory lane spotlighting some of the legendary Ford’s best movies…
Star Wars/The Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi/The Force Awakens
Ford lit up the screen as space cowboy Han Solo in the first Star Wars back in 1977 and audiences were blown away. Not only did Han shoot first, he was the pilot who made the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs, and he ultimately saved the day and helped Luke blow up the dreaded Death Star. During his time in that galaxy far, far away, Han fell in love with a princess, survived being frozen in carbonite, and eventually died at the hand of his tortured son, Kylo Ren. Star Wars and George Lucas launched Ford into super-stardom, and audiences happily buckled in for the ride. And in The Empire Strikes Back, he and Carrie Fisher shared a kiss for the cinematic ages. “I love you.” “I know.” Perfection.
Raiders of the Lost Ark/Temple of Doom/The Last Crusade/Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Star Wars may have launched Ford into super-stardom, but he went supernova with the Indiana Jones movie series. No one will ever forget that opening scene in Raiders with that booby-trapped tomb, the giant boulder, and the whip-wielding archaeologist who narrowly escapes death at every turn. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created a thrilling homage to the movie serials of their youth, and Ford was the perfect hero to survive tarantulas, snakes, Nazis, airplane crashes, rope bridges, shipwrecks, and even a nuclear blast. Even with the disappointing Crystal Skull, Ford’s Indy got to reunite with Karen Allen’s feisty Marion Ravenwood. Fingers crossed that Ford and Allen will be reunited with a good script when Spielberg (eventually) films Indiana Jones 5!
Blade Runner/Blade Runner 2049
Film noir combined with science fiction, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner continues to dazzle all these years later. Stepping away from Han Solo and Indiana Jones, Ford played a world-weary detective (or blade runner) hunting murderous replicants, and left audiences arguing whether he was or wasn’t a replicant himself. Ford is ably supported by Sean Young, Daryl Hannah, and a smashing Rutger Hauer, but it’s those incredible visuals and haunting Vangelis score that will stay with you, along with Ford’s confrontation with Hauer.
Witness
Ford is terrific as a tough, modern-day police detective hiding out in an Amish community to protect a young Amish boy who witnessed a murder. Beautifully directed by Peter Weir, Witness is the only movie that features a performance by Ford to be nominated for an Academy Award. Ford has a bittersweet romance with a young Amish widow, played by a luminous Kelly McGillis, but his scenes with young Lukas Haas are lovely as well. Part thriller, part love story, the film ends with a suspenseful climax when three corrupt cops discover where Ford and the witness are hiding.
Working Girl
Ford doesn’t have a ton of romantic comedies on his resume, but he’s great in this Mike Nichols-directed hit. Ford is cast as a mid-level exec opposite Melanie Griffith who plays a smart, scrappy secretary with “…a head for business and a bod for sin.” The rest of the cast is just as amazing: Sigourney Weaver as the boss from hell, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack, Kevin Spacey, and Oliver Platt. Working Girl works so well because not only is it funny and romantic, but it tells the story of someone trying to get ahead despite all the roadblocks in his or her way.
Patriot Games
Ford heads up an outstanding cast (Samuel L. Jackson, James Earl Jones, Richard Harris, Sean Bean) in this political thriller. Ford plays clever CIA analyst Jack Ryan who interrupts an I.R.A. assassination attempt, only to have the would-be assassins come after Ryan and his family (Anne Archer, Thora Birch) for revenge. Well-directed by Phillip Noyce and culminating with an attack at the family home on a dark and stormy night, Patriot Games is the best of all the various Jack Ryan movies.
The Fugitive
The Fugitive is a great example of a television property that was given the big screen treatment, and the results were very well-received. Ford plays Dr. Richard Kimble, a surgeon whose wife is murdered by a one-armed man, but it’s Kimble who is unjustly convicted of her murder. When his prison transport is hit by a train (very well-done sequence), Kimble escapes and sets out to prove his innocence and catch the real murderer. Ford is matched in his terrific performance by Tommy Lee Jones, who won an Academy Award as the U.S. Marshall doggedly pursuing the fugitive through the wilderness, over waterfalls, and through the streets of Chicago. Great support from Sela Ward and Julianne Moore in small roles.
Air Force One
Following a trip to Russia, the U.S. President and his family are returning to D.C. on Air Force One when terrorists seize the plane. As the determined POTUS, Ford once again plays a man who saves the day through a combination of his wits and his actions. Gary Oldman plays the head terrorist, Glenn Close is Ford’s VP, and the entire cast is excellent, which includes William Macy, Wendy Crewson, and Dean Stockwell. Despite some unfortunate early CGI that is used in the finale, Air Force One is an entertaining, tense thriller.
What Lies Beneath
Directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer, What Lies Beneath is a thriller that keeps you guessing. Pfeiffer plays the wife of a university research scientist (Ford) who starts to believe their home is haunted, and that’s where the fun begins. Is this a ghost story? Or did the neighbor murder his wife? Is Pfeiffer having a breakdown… or is she possessed? Ford and Pfeiffer make a great screen team – in fact, it’s a shame they haven’t done other films together – and Zemeckis ratchets the suspense up with some incredible set pieces.
So, those are just a few of the greatest hits of Harrison Ford! He was also featured in American Graffiti, Apocalypse Now, Presumed Innocent, Cowboys & Aliens, and many others. Celebrate Ford’s birthday by watching one of his great performances. Happy Birthday, Mr. Ford!
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
