At 80, Harrison Ford said goodbye to one of his cult characters in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”, currently at the cinema. But will it continue to turn?
It’s over for Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford bid farewell to the grave robber in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, fifth opus of the franchise currently visible in the cinema. The unforgettable adventurer bows out, the actor having confirmed at a press conference that he considered it a “splendid farewell” to the character. Previously, he had already made final appearances as Han Solo in the last trilogy Star Wars and Rick Deckard in Blade Runner 2049.
By making his farewell tour of his iconic characters, does this mean that Harrison Ford will soon be retiring? The 80-year-old actor himself brushed aside the rumors on CNN’s microphone: “I don’t feel good when I’m not working,” he admitted. “I love to work, I like to feel useful.”
Harrison Ford has, in any case, not yet left the film sets. It is indeed announced to the castings of two Marvel films, Captain America: Brave New World And Thunderbolts, where he will play the character of Thunderbolt Ross. On the television series side, the Hollywood star is the headliner of two critically acclaimed series: 1923 And Shrinking. Retirement is therefore not for now for Harrison Ford!
Born July 13, 1942 in Chicago, Harrison Ford grew up with an Irish Catholic father and a Russian Jewish mother. At the University, he chose to study English and philosophy, while learning the theater. But he ends up being fired because of his repeated absences. He now wants to become an actor. After a few theater roles, he left for Los Angeles. Luck seemed to smile on him at 24, when one of Columbia’s bosses noticed him and signed him to a seven-year contract. But he does not land any role and is finally thanked a year later. Universal hires him immediately and makes him make small appearances as in Zabriskie Point by Antonioni (1970).
Tired of playing the utilities, Harrison Ford regains his freedom and earns his living by becoming a carpenter. He notably had a client for a casting director who offered him a supporting role in American graffiti (1973) by george lucas. Francis Ford Coppola, another promising young director, employed him soon after in Secret Conversation (1974). Unfortunately, no solicitation follows these two feature films and the actor remains two years without engagement. Disillusioned, he hesitated in 1976 to accept the new offer from George Lucas who offered him the role of Han Solo in the space opera. Star Wars. To the great surprise of Harrison Ford, the film is a triumph and becomes cult. His career is finally launched. He was then 35 years old.
An international star
After an appearance in Apocalypse now by his friend Coppola, the actor returned in 1980 and 1983 in episodes V and VI of Star Wars which ended up making him an international star. In a completely different style, he embodies the main character of the sci-fi film Blade Runner by Ridley Scott. Other huge popular successes, The Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and its sequels Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade by Steven Spielberg allow him to refine his image as a friendly and attractive hero. He completes to conquer the female public with Witness where he forms a very romantic couple with Killy McGillis. Harrison Ford nevertheless experienced some failures with films that were particularly close to his heart: Mosquito Coast (1986) by Peter Weir and Frantic by Roman Polanski (1988). These setbacks then push him to shoot in more commercial feature films.
From the 90s, Harrison Ford lines up effective blockbusters with regularity and professionalism. Whether he embodies a lawyer (A propos d’Henry, 1991), or the President of the United States (Air Force One, 1997), he generally plays characters with responsibilities, good fathers (Ennemis reconciles, 1997) , sometimes experiencing crises within their couple (Presumed innocent, 1990), and often victims of conspiracies (Le Fugitive, 1993). A specialist in thrillers (Appearances, 2000) and action films (K-19: the depth trap, 2002), the actor has crossed the threshold of sixty with brilliance but his career now leaves little room for surprise.
In 2007, Steven Spielberg brings to life the mythical character of Indiana Jones, once again played by Harrison Ford, aged 66, in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The film is poorly received by fans of the saga who criticize it for not really sticking to the spirit of the trilogy. Thereafter, he continues on two more serious films: Right of passage dealing with immigration and Exceptional measures, the true story of a researcher on the verge of revolutionary discovery. In 2011, he shared the poster with Diane Keaton on the film Morning Glory in which he played the role of a capricious presenter, then in the science fiction western Cowboys & Invaders.
Harrison Ford is becoming increasingly rare on the sets and it is only in 2013 that we find him for the biopic 42 on the life of American baseball player Jackie Robinson, but also in Paranoïa which will prove to be a complete flop. He continues with The Ender Strategy which, on the contrary, will be one of the great box office successes of 2013. After the dismissal of Bruce Willis of the third installment of The Expendables, Harrison Ford was brought in to replace him. He will therefore play Max Drummer in this new part bringing together the strongest actors in Hollywood. In 2015, Ford reprized the iconic role of Han Solo in the new installment of Star Wars, Star Wars 7. Two years later, it is that of Rick Dekard that he interprets again in Blade Runner 2049. A fifth Indiana Jones film was also released in cinemas in 2023.
Retirement for Harrison Ford?
With the release of the film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the fifth installment in the adventurer saga directed by James Mangold, on June 28, 2023, a page in the history of cinema is turning. Indeed, we already know that this is the last time that we will see Harrison Ford interpret this role. “It’s the last film in the franchise, and it’s the last time I’ll play this character,” the famous American actor said in an interview with the magazine’s latest edition. Total Moviepublished on April 27, 2023.
But let Harrison Ford fans be reassured: if he will no longer play the role of Indiana Jones, this does not mean that the actor is definitely stopping his career. The comedian is still playing television series 1923 And Shrinking. We will also see him in two films from the Marvel stable: Captain America: New World Order And Thunderbolts, as Lieutenant General Thaddeus Ross. The two films are scheduled for 2024. No worries also for Indiana Jones fans: a spin-off series inspired by his adventures is in preparation on Disney+, as reported Le Figaro. But it will therefore be without Harrison Ford, the American actor having indicated to Total Movie that he will not participate in this spin-off if the project “comes to fruition”.
On the private side, Harrison Ford was married for 20 years to screenwriter Melissa Mathison with whom he had two children, Malcolm and Georgia in 1987 and 1990. In the early 2000s, the actor hit the headlines when he left his second wife. , Melissa Mathison (their marriage lasted from 1983 to 2004) for actress Calista Flockhart, heroine of the series Ally McBeal. They were married on June 15, 2010 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Together, they form a blended family and Harrison Ford considers Liam, the son of Calista Flockhart adopted in 2001, as his own son.