Harrison Ford Biography

Fast Facts

• Early work on TV included guest shots on Gunsmoke, The F
• B
• I
• and The Virginian
• To supplement his meager acting earnings in the late '60s and early '70s, became a self-taught carpenter
• Jobs included a recording studio for Sergio Mendes and a portico entrance for Francis Ford Coppola's L
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• office
• Was cast in a small but memorable part in George Lucas' 1973 hit American Graffiti leading to his breakout role as Han Solo in the director's 1977 blockbuster Star Wars
• Popularized the adventure character Indiana Jones, beginning with the high-grossing Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
• Had a new species of spider named after him in 1993 by the American Museum of Natural History, the Calponia harrisonfordi
• An avid flyer, earned pilot's license in 1996 and flew the plane in 1998's romantic adventure Six Days Seven Nights
• Named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 1998
• Presented with a Life Achievement Award by the American Film Institute in 2000
• Involved in environmental-conservation groups, including Lancaster Farmland Trust, which helps protect Amish farms in Lancaster County, PA
• Was inspired to get his ear pierced in 2007 after having lunch with friends Jimmy Buffet and Ed Bradley, both of whom were wearing earrings
• Elected to the Archaeological Institute of America's board of directors in 2008