Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford Biography

Harrison Ford was born in Chicago, Illinois to a Russian-Jewish mother and an Irish father. Ford has one younger brother, Terence. He has the typical childhood story of many actors -- he didn't fit in at school, was often bullied, never got into sports and wasn't a particularly good student. Even though he was a poor student, Ford was accepted at Ripon College in Wisconsin and almost graduated with a Bachelor's degree in English.

Ford reportedly missed receiving his Bachelor's degree due to a serious bout of depression during his college career. He would repeatedly skip class and forgo doing homework in favor of sleeping for days on end and not doing much of anything. When speaking about his lack luster college career, Ford later stated, "The kindest word to describe my performance was Sloth." Though he never graduated, it was at Ripon College where Harrison Ford met Mary Marquardt, a woman he would later make his wife, and first tried his hand at acting.

Personal Life

Harrison Ford and Mary Marquardt married in 1964, a few years later the couple welcomed their first child Benjamin, in 1967. Two years after that, the Fords had a second son, Willard. Mary and Harrison were officially divorced in 1979, ending their 12-year marriage. Ford continued to get steady work and was offered a small role in the Francis Ford Coppola blockbuster Apocalypse Now, where Ford met the woman who would be his second wife.

On the set of Apocalypse Now Harrison Ford met Melissa Mathison, Coppola's assistant at the time. The two fell in love and were married in 1983. The couple had two children together, Malcolm born in 1987 and Georgia, born in 1991.

Mathison and Ford divorced in 2004. Mathison, successful in her own right as a screenwriter (E.T., The Black Stallion) received a reported $85 million, one of the largest divorce settlements in Hollywood history as rated by Forbes magazine.

Harrison Ford Filmography

Although now it's impossible to imagine anyone but Harrison Ford as Han Solo, he wasn't George Lucas' first pick for the role. Lucas and Ford knew each other from working together on another now classic film, American Graffiti. Lucas was very impressed by the young actor's talents and asked Ford to come and read for the part of Han Solo, even though he originally had Kurt Russell, Christopher Walken and Nick Nolte in mind for the part. Here is the rest of Harrison Ford's filmography:

• Firewall (2006)
• Water to Wine (2004)
• Hollywood Homicide (2003)
• What Lies Beneath (2000)
• Random Hearts (1999)
• Six Days Seven Nights (1998)
• Air Force One (1997)
• The Devil's Own (1997)
• Sabrina (1995)
• Clear and Present Danger (1994)
• The Fugitive (1993)
• Patriot Games (1992)
• Regarding Henry (1991)
• Presumed Innocent (1990)
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
• Working Girl (1988)
• Frantic (1988)
• The Mosquito Coast (1986)
• Witness (1985)
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
• Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
• Blade Runner (1982)
• Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
• Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• More American Graffiti (1979)
• The Frisco Kid(1979)
• Hanover Street(1979)
• Apocalypse Now(1979)
• Heroes(1977)
• Star Wars(1977)
• American Graffiti(1973)
• A Time for Killing(1967)

Television

• The Virginian(1967)
• Ironside(1967)
• The Mod Squad (1968)
• My Friend Tony(1969)
• The F.B.I. (1969)
• Love, American Style(1969)
• Petrocelli(1974)
• Kung Fu 1974)
• Gunsmoke(1972-1973)
• The Conversation(1974)
• Judgment: The Court Martial of Lieutenant William Calley(1975)
• Dynasty(1976)
• The Star Wars Holiday Special(1978)
• Force 10 from Navarone(1978)
• The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles(1993)

Future Plans

In film, Ford has two projects in the works, one of them is one of the most highly anticipated films in recent years, his reprisal as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull set to be released in 2008 and the other film is Crossing Over, also set to be released in 2008.

As for his personal life, he is currently in a relationship with Calista Flockhart and has legally adopted her son Liam. Rumblings of a wedding have been going on for some time, but neither Ford nor Flockhart have confirmed such rumors.