Harrison Ford, an American actor and director born on July 13, 1942, has been nominated for an Academy Award. He is widely recognized for his iconic portrayals of Han Solo within the Star Wars series, as well as the archaeologist Indiana Jones in the Indiana Jones franchise.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 13, 1942, Harrison Ford pursued studies in both English and philosophy at Ripon College, although he ultimately did not complete his degree. Early in his career, he was under contract with both Columbia Pictures and Universal Studios. To financially support his family, Ford supplemented his income by working as a carpenter. During this period, he had a chance encounter with casting director Fred Roos. Roos, who was responsible for casting George Lucas's American Graffiti, selected Ford for the role of Bob Falfa. Following the movie's completion, Ford expressed a desire to discover new talent, initially ruling out future collaborations with anyone from American Graffiti. However, as pre-production began for Star Wars, Roos believed that Ford would be an ideal fit for the character of Han Solo.
In 1975, Ford encountered Lucas once more while working as a carpenter at American Zoetrope. Remembering Roos's suggestion, Lucas requested Ford to read lines opposite actors auditioning for Star Wars. Ford read for both Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, with Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill also reading with him. As he performed these readings, Ford began to feel optimistic about potentially securing the role of Solo, although he remained uncertain. Behind the scenes, Roos continued to champion Ford to Lucas. Eventually, in January 1976, Lucas finalized his decision, choosing Fisher, Ford, and Hamill as the principal actors for the film.
Before Ford arrived in England on April 1, 1976, producer Gary Kurtz informed the crew about Ford's assertive personality and opinions. One such opinion was directed at costume designer John Mollo. During Solo's initial costume fitting, Ford objected to a bright blue collar and insisted it be removed. He approved of the rest of the costume, appreciating its Western gunslinger-inspired design. Ford frequently added improvised lines or emotional nuances to scenes, drawing inspiration from his fellow actors' performances. The most problematic aspects of the scripts were the technical dialogues, such as, "It'll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navicomputer."
While Ford often playfully intimidated his co-stars, he also felt intimidated when acting alongside Alec Guinness, who played Ben Kenobi. Their first scene together was the recruitment scene in the Mos Eisley cantina. Ford prepared extensively for this and subsequent scenes, greatly impressing Guinness, who spoke highly of him in a letter to Anne Kauffman. Paul Blake, who played the Rodian Greedo in the cantina scene, was another actor with whom Ford immediately felt at ease.
Ford continued his role as Han Solo in the subsequent Star Wars sequels, namely The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, in addition to The Star Wars Holiday Special. He suggested to George Lucas that Han Solo's death be written into the beginning of the third act of Return of the Jedi, believing it would enhance the film's dramatic impact, but Lucas declined.