Harrison Ford has just turned 81 years old. The actor who was the highest paid actor in Hollywood and the biggest star of the late twentieth century in the industry has already surpassed eight decades, and has done so with the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the fifth film in the saga that also serves as the end of the archaeologist’s career.
Taking advantage of this anniversary, we have taken a look back to review Harrison Ford’s career and explore his best characters. Of course, Indiana Jones and Han Solo are clear, but there are many others who have filled screens around the world with performances worthy of staying in our memory.
10 – Jack Ryan (Imminent Danger, 1994, Phillip Noyce)
Before Amazon Prime Video made the Jack Ryan series starring John Krasinski, Harrison Ford already played Tom Clancy’s mythical character. He did it in Imminent Danger, a classic nineties movie in which he brought out his charisma, his action skills and his usual sassiness. Okay, it doesn’t differ too much from his interpretation of Indiana Jones… but the film is interesting enough for that to be the least important thing.
Available on SkyShowtime
09 – Branch Rickey (42, 2013, Brian Helgeland)
Although not an overly well-known film, 42 is one of the best biopics to be made in recent years. Starring the late Chadwick Boseman as the first African-American player to break the color barrier in major league baseball, the film masterfully blends drama and epic. In it, Harrison Ford plays manager Branch Rickey, giving one of the best acting lessons of his career.
Available for rental or purchase on Apple TV+
08 – Bob Alfa (American Graffiti, 1973, George Lucas)
Harrison Ford’s first collaboration with George Lucas is in his second film, American Graffiti, a landmark of the seventies in which the actor began to emerge. In the film, he played Bob Falfa, a textbook schlub whose charisma opened the doors of Hollywood and made him move from the carpentry department to lead actor.
Available on Filmin
07 – Allie Fox (The Mosquito Coast, 1986, Peter Weir)
A somewhat less noticed but equally interesting film in his career is The Mosquito Coast, an adaptation of Paul Theroux’s novel that has now received a new series on Apple TV+. In the film, Ford plays Allie Fox, a brilliant inventor who, jaded by the consumerism of modern society, decides to move away from civilization with his family and embark on a new life in the wilderness.
Currently not available on platforms
06 – John Book (Único testigo, 1985, Peter Weir)
The other great collaboration between Harrison Ford and Peter Weir is the one that earned the actor the only Oscar nomination of his career. In Sole Witness, the actor plays a policeman who decides to take refuge in an Amish village to protect a boy who has accidentally witnessed the brutal murder of a man. Although he does his usual thing again, in this case he is superb.
Available on Movistar Plus
05 – Presidente James Marshall (Air Force One, 1997, Wolfgang Petersen)
After playing Han Solo, Indiana Jones and Jack Ryan, Harrison Ford only had to be the President of the United States of America to become the country’s ultimate hero. He did so in Air Force One, a 1997 film in which, as president, he must survive an attack by a terrorist group on his private plane. A 90s action movie where Ford is spectacular.
Available in Disney Plus
04 – Richard Kimble (El Fugitivo, 1993, Andrew Davis)
One of Harrison Ford’s most acclaimed films is The Fugitive, a 1990s classic in which he plays Richard Kimble, a prestigious Chicago doctor who is wrongly accused of murdering his wife. Knowing that he can only get out of jail if he discovers who the real killer is, he goes on the run and is pursued by the law.
Available on HBO Max
03 – Rick Deckard (Blade Runner, 1982, Ridley Scott)
Blade Runner was a sci-fi phenomenon when it was released in the early 1980s, and it set an aesthetic trend that carried on through the decades. Much of the blame for the success of Ridley Scott’s film lay with Harrison Ford, who masterfully played the dull, gray Rick Deckard, who continues to be debated today. The actor reprised the role in Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve in 2017.
Available on HBO Max
02 – Han Solo (Star Wars, 1977, George Lucas)
Of course, at the top of the list had to be one of the most iconic characters in the history of cinema. In Star Wars, Harrison Ford played the galactic badass, a bounty hunter with a good background but bad manners that led the public to want to wear a little sweater and brandish his laser pistol. The actor played the character until his death in Episode VII, although the truth is that he has never been very proactive in praising the saga.
Available on Disney Plus
01 – Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones, 1981, Steven Spielberg).
Finally, the number 1 spot could not go to any other character than Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford has turned 81 years old playing the most popular archaeologist in the history of cinema, with whom he has starred in five films between 1981 and 2023. A milestone that has been copied over and over again, but that will always continue to be exalted by Ford’s face.
Available on Disney Plus
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