Being Harrison Ford: Star Wars and Blade Runner Star Deconstructed

Harrison Ford is one of the more successful actors in the past twenty years. His recent films have pandered more to bigger markets, like playing a detective in "Hollywood Homicide" or the president in "Air Force One."

According to Wikipedia, Harrison Ford is one of the richest living actors, with payments for single roles as high as twenty-five million. Ford's movies have grossed billions of dollars, making him compete with the likes of Tom Hanks, Eddie Murphy, and Mel Gibson.

The role that made Harrison Ford a legend was Han Solo in the smash George Lucas hit "Star Wars." There were three Star Wars films made with Ford acting: "A New Hope," "The Empire Strikes Back," and "Return of the Jedi." Previous to his signature role as Han Solo Ford has been a carpenter, while taking bit parts in various movies. Star Wars ended up setting one of the more successful movie careers of modern times.

The character of Han Solo fit in with Ford's look: A renegade mercenary who had a heart. Solo could have played a part in a western movie, as George Lucas intended.

While Ford is known well for his Indiana Jones and Star Wars films, perhaps his best acting was a depiction of a retired "Blade Runner" in the movie of the same name.

"Blade Runner" was directed by Ridley Scott and showed that both the director Scott and the actor Ford could make a successful science fiction. The story was originally based on a Philip K. Dick work, though much was changed.

"Blade Runner" wasn't an initial success according to Wikipedia, but is widely considered to be one of the better films ever made, not to mention perhaps the best science fiction film ever created.

It seemed that after the 1980s Ford's career as an actor was set. He had reached fame with Star Wars, and made one of the better films ever in "Blade Runner." He had played roles as an adventurer as in the Indiana Jones series.

Ford's recent career, as stated, seems to be more about discovering new roles from stories that are more for mass audiences.

Harrison Ford has worked with many of the top directors in Hollywood, including Ridley Scott, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg. He has won no major awards for any of his portrayals; and was reported by Wikipedia to having turned down roles like "Syriana" and "Traffic" which might have given him a chance.

In the end, Ford has had a successful career that looks to be far from over.