Harrison Ford Turns 80: Here Are 5 of His Most Iconic Roles
Harrison Ford is a legendary actor who has portrayed many iconic roles in his career. From courageous fighters to relatable heroes, Ford has played a versatile variety of characters. He is best known for his franchise roles but he still has a large number of roles that have their own niche audiences.
Ford recently turned 80 but still doesn’t seem a day over 30. He continues to act and return to previous roles, proving that age is just a number.
Here are 5 of the most iconic roles from Harrison Ford
Richard Kimble – ‘The Fugitive’
Richard Kimble gave Harrison Ford the opportunity to play a more relatable role in an action movie. Kimble is an ordinary man trapped in an extraordinary situation. In The Fugitive, Kimble is a surgeon who lives an ordinary life until his wife is killed and he is accused of being the murderer. Kimble escapes and is on the run from authorities while trying to uncover who actually killed his wife.
The Fugitive is often regarded as a hidden gem in Ford’s career and it’s mainly due to his outstanding performance as this character. It’s easy to be invested in his story as he is caught in a nightmare scenario. Ford plays it well and is believable as a normal person who is able to solve this great mystery.
President James Marshall – ‘Air Force One’
Air Force One is essentially Die Hard on a plane. Harrison Ford plays the role of President James Marshall who has to take down a terrorist group led by Gary Oldman that has taken everyone on the plane hostage, except for the president.
While we don’t really see Ford doing many presidential things here, it’s awesome seeing a badass president who takes the situation into his own hands. Ford is excellent in this role and it’s highly entertaining to watch him rescue everyone while defeating a whole crew of villains. Lets also not forget his iconic line “Get off my plane!”
Rick Deckard – ‘Blade Runner’
Rick Deckard is Harrison Ford’s most stoic role. For the most part, Ford’s performance is rather emotionless but that’s part of what makes this character so intriguing. In Blade Runner, Deckard is a bounty hunter, called “blade runners,” who is responsible for killing androids known as replicants who escape from off-world colonies.
Part of what makes this role so captivating is that viewers are still undecided on whether Deckard is a human or a replicant. Ford’s performance keeps it vague and allows the viewers to theorize for themselves. Harrison Ford returned to the role in Blade Runner 2049 where Deckard faces even more mysteries from his past.
Indiana Jones – The ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise
Ford debuted as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Indy is a professor of Archaeology who is also an expert treasure hunter. The character has a love for old and powerful artifacts that puts him at odds with entire armies searching for treasure.
Indiana Jones is a wildly charming hero, largely due to Ford’s suave performance. He does make mistakes but he always manages to outwit the villains. Plus, Ford made his whip and his fedora iconic. Harrison Ford has portrayed the role four times and is returning for Indiana Jones 5, which is set to arrive in theaters in 2023.
Han Solo – ‘Star Wars’
While Han Solo initially was a smug jerk, he eventually became one of the most beloved characters in Star Wars. Harrison Ford brought such charisma and likability to the role that it’s hard to not consider him to be one of the best characters. His dynamic with Chewbacca and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) created many iconic moments throughout the franchise.
He never left his smuggler ways behind, but his dedication to his friends and to defeating the empire turned him into a hero. It’s hard to believe that George Lucas initially didn’t allow Ford to audition for the role. Ford played the role in the Star Wars original trilogy before returning in Episode VII – The Force Awakens. Alden Ehrenreich did an admirable job as Han Solo in Solo, but nothing compares to Ford.
