10 Interesting Facts You Don't Know About Harrison Ford
When one thinks about some of the greatest actors of all time, it's no surprise that Harrison Ford usually appears on that list, within the top five or ten. Not only is he a great actor, but he is also responsible for bringing to life some of the greatest characters as well. Starting with Han Solo from the world of Star Wars, he would go on to star in other big hit franchises such as Indiana Jones, Blade Runner, The Expendables, and he even played the President of the United States in Air Force One. His career spans six decades, and he has worked with some of Hollywood's most acclaimed directors.
In real life, the actor is known for his brash and direct demeanor. He often appears quite angry and uninterested in a lot of his interviews, but despite this, he is always thankful to his fans and has appeared at various conventions to answer their questions. In celebration of the actor, let's look at ten interesting facts you didn't know about Harrison Ford.
10. Advertising Man
Starting our list off is a fact I personally find quite funny, based on the actor's aforementioned demeanor. Ford is a big name in Japan thanks to his appearance in a number of commercials, something he ironically has in common with his Fugitive co-star Tommy Lee Jones, in which he endorses a bunch of products. The most notable of which is Kirin Lager. Thanks to YouTube, the adverts are no longer only available in Japan, so you should definitely go check them out. You can find a link to one of the Kirin Lager commercials below:
Who knew he spoke Japanese? It's also worth noting that he appeared in the advert for the game Uncharted 3.
9. Responsible For One Of His Most Famous Scenes
This fact is one of the more well known ones on our list. However, for those who didn't know, the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indiana Jones is confronted by a sword-wielding bad guy and Jones just shoots him, was actually improvised. During filming, Ford came down with a bad case of dysentery meaning he could only film in 10 minute increments before having to run to the loo. Due to this, instead of a planned lengthy sword fight scene, Ford and Spielberg decided it would be better for Jones to just pull out his gun and shoot the goon. Little did they know that this scene would actually go on to become one of the funniest and most well known scenes in cinema history.
8. Ladies Man
I think it's safe to say Ford is a good-looking guy, especially in his younger days. Many fans developed a crush on the characters Solo and Jones, but in real life, Ford was actually married a total of three times. His first marriage to college sweetheart Mary Marquardt lasted from 1964-1979, and second to screenwriter Melissa Mathison lasted from 1983-2004. His third marriage would be to fellow actress Calista Flockhart in 2010 and is still going strong today. On top of his three marriages, he was also involved in a three-month romantic affair with co-star Carrie Fisher during their time working on Star Wars together.
7. The Story Behind His Scar
Thanks to his decades span of time on the big screen, many fans will be familiar with the scar on his chin. As he has gotten older (happens to the best of us), the scar has become much more prominent, but do you how he got it? The scar is a result of him trying to put a seatbelt on after he lost control of a car he was driving, way back in 1968. He ended up completely losing control of the vehicle and crashed into a telephone pole, sustaining other injuries. Interestingly, the scar would go on to receive a fictional backstory in two of his films. In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, we see a young Indiana Jones cut himself on the chin whilst using his trademark whip for the first time. In Working Girl, Ford's character claims he received the scar during a knife fight, but he then reveals it was actually due to him fainting whilst getting his ear pierced and hitting his chin on a toilet seat. To be fair, if that was the real reason for receiving a scar, you would probably lie too.
6. Real Life Hero
Ford is known for playing some of the greatest onscreen heroes, but did you know he is also a hero in real life too? Ford's character in the third Expendables film is shown to be a skilled pilot, and it turns out the actor actually shares this skill as well. He owns multiple planes and helicopters, which has led to him stepping in to rescue people with them. He has never actually been asked by authorities to do so, merely doing it because he had the means to help. Also, back in 2017, Ford witnessed a car roll off a highway in Santa Paula, California. He and a few other people helped the driver get out of the vehicle safely and even waited for paramedics to arrive. What a guy!
5. Works Well With George Lucas
Much like Samuel L. Jackson has become synonymous with starring in films by director Quinten Tarantino, Ford has worked with director George Lucas on a number of occasions. The most obvious roles are, of course, Indiana Jones and Han Solo, but did you also know Ford starred in one of Lucas' very first films, American Graffiti? This first collaboration would turn out to have a profound impact on his career, as Lucas would later ask him to come and read lines with potential actors for Star Wars, eventually leading to him being cast in the role of Han Solo.
4. Nearly Only Appeared In Two Star Wars Films
It's hard to imagine a version of Return of the Jedi without Han Solo involved. However, this was nearly the case. It's no secret, nowadays, that Ford wanted his character to die in the original trilogy, and one of the main reasons for his return in the sequel trilogy was to fulfill this. It's something Ford has been very vocal about, but what a lot of fans don't know is, he was actually not contracted to appear in Episode VI. Ford requested his character die in The Empire Strikes Back, but Lucas disagreed. So whilst trying to get Ford to sign back on, the decision was made to freeze his character in carbonite, instead of the original idea which saw him and Chewie escape. One can only imagine how different ROTJ would have been without him.
3. The Famous "I Know Line"
Every Star Wars fan will remember the iconic Solo line from Empire when he replies to Leia's "I love you" with "I know." However, the history behind the line has been somewhat skewed over the years. It was widely believed the line was improvised by Ford, but it turns out it wasn't. Whilst it wasn't the original scripted line, Ford has stated he suggested it during rehearsals rather than it being an on the spot delivery. In spite of that, Ford does still deserve all the credit for it as it was his idea and he delivered it perfectly. For many fans, it's the only acceptable reply when someone says "I love you".
2. His Name Will Live On Through Nature
Many great actors have had so many honors bestowed upon them, thanks to what they have brought to the world of entertainment. There's not many, though, who can say they have an actual real life species named after them, but Ford can. He has not one, but two different species named after him - a spider called Calponia Harrisonfordi, and an ant named Pheidole Harrisonfordi. On top of that, he was also given the opportunity to name a new species of butterfly, which he decided to name Georgia, after his daughter. Now that's impressive.
1. Awards
Our last fact on today's list, is actually one I personally find a bit of a shocker. Despite the massive catalogue of films Ford has starred in and the countless great characters he has played, he has never won an Academy Award. In fact, he has only ever been nominated once throughout his impressive career, for Best Actor in the film Witness. Instead, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Film Institute back in 2000, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.
Whilst those are great honors, the man deserves an Oscar. If there was a category for "Best Finger Pointing," though, no one else would have come close.
Well, that's it for today's list. How many of the above facts did you know? Can you think of any more we missed?
Until next time!