Best Harrison Ford films
The American actor has had a long and varied Hollywood career.
SEAC
- Molly Moss
Published: Wednesday, 13 July 2022 at 4:48 pm
10 items
Harrison Ford – who, believe it or not, turns 80 this week – has enjoyed an unparalleled Hollywood career, spanning seven decades.
But it almost didn’t happen. While initially only managing to bag very minor roles in Ironside (1967), The Mod Squad (1968), Gunsmoke (1972) and Kung-Fu (1974), Ford's career threatened to run out of steam before it had even begun.
In the early '70s, however, he bagged a small role on American Graffiti under director George Lucas, who then cast Ford as Han Solo in his next project, Star Wars.
The role transformed Ford into a movie star idol for a whole generation.
Following Star Wars’ huge success, Ford appeared in four more Star Wars movies and starred as explorer Indiana Jones in all four of the franchise’s films (with a fifth on the way).
Barely anything is known about the plot of Indiana Jones 5, but we do know that it will “conclude this iconic character’s journey”, according to Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy (via IGN).
Harrison Ford as Han Solo in star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Getty) Getty
In 1982, he appeared as Rick Deckard in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, before reprising the part for Denis Villeneuve’s 2017 sequel.
Although he’s known primarily as an action star, Ford has had a long and varied career.
Away from the franchise world, he was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA for his lead role in Witness, the 1985 Peter Weir thriller.
He then starred in the rom-com Working Girl alongside Signourney Weaver three years later.
As a result, narrowing down the best Harrison Ford films is no easy task.
But don't worry: in honour of Ford's birthday, RadioTimes.com recalls some of his best movies.
10 best Harrison Ford movies
Showing 1 to 10 of 10 results
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1981
Adventure
Action
PG
Action adventure starring Harrison Ford and Karen Allen. Indiana Jones's outrageous exploits take him around the world in search of the legendary Ark of the Covenant, a religious artefact of unspeakable power wanted by the Nazis. With the help of an old flame, Indy takes on his enemies in a terrifying and death-defying battle to the finish.
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1982
Sci-fi
Thriller
15
Futuristic thriller starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer and Sean Young. Los Angeles in the year 2019: police learn that four lethal androids have escaped from a space colony to find their creator on Earth. Former cop Rick Deckard, an expert in distinguishing humans from "replicants", is assigned to track the androids down.
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Star Wars Episode V: the Empire Strikes Back
1980
Sci-fi
Action
PG
Science-fiction epic starring Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, the second adventure in the original Star Wars saga. While the rebel forces renew their battle against the evil Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker seeks further instruction in the use of "the Force".
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Star Wars Episode IV: a New Hope
1977
Adventure
Sci-fi
U
Sci-fi fantasy adventure starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. In a galaxy far, far away, Princess Leia is captured by Darth Vader while trying to steal the plans of the evil Empire's new secret weapon. Meanwhile, on the desert planet of Tatooine, young Luke Skywalker discovers her plight and, in the company of two robots and former Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, sets off to rescue her.
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2000
Fantasy
Thriller
15
Supernatural thriller starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. When Claire Spencer starts to hear voices and experience strange phenomena at her remote lakeside home, her husband begins to suspect that she is suffering a breakdown. But is there a more sinister explanation?
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Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
1989
Adventure
Action
PG
Action adventure starring Harrison Ford, Sean Connery and Denholm Elliott. When archaeologist Henry Jones disappears, his son Indiana joins in the search for him. In a desperate race against time, Indy encounters some old enemies and once again finds himself in pursuit of an ancient religious artefact.
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1985
Crime/detective
Drama
15
Romantic thriller starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. Tough cop John Book is assigned to protect Rachel Lapp, a member of the reclusive Amish community, after her son witnesses a murder on a rare trip to the city. Forced to run for their lives, the trio flees to the Lapps' home - a rural refuge unchanged by modern technology and governed by devout pacifist beliefs. But the violence of the outside world is never far away.
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2017
Sci-fi
Thriller
15
Futuristic sci-fi thriller starring Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling. Los Angeles blade runner Officer K uncovers a shocking secret that puts him on the trail of Rick Deckard, who has been missing for 30 years. Meanwhile, corporate magnate Niander Wallace seeks the truth about so-called replicant reproduction in order to further his plans for interstellar colonisation.
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1997
Thriller
Action
15
Action thriller starring Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman and Glenn Close. US President James Marshall, along with his wife and daughter, is returning home from Russia on the presidential plane when it is hijacked by Russian terrorists. Their leader, Ivan Korshunov, demands the release of an imprisoned general or else he will kill a passenger every half hour.
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1988
Comedy
Romance
15
Comedy starring Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver and Melanie Griffith. Brokerage secretary Tess McGill is determined to make her mark in Wall Street and is delighted when her new boss Katharine Parker encourages her to come up with ideas of her own. But after discovering that Parker is taking the credit for one of her proposals, Tess sees an opportunity to make a name for herself and looks to broker Jack Trainer for help.
See more Harrison Ford news and features
Authors
Molly MossTrends Writer
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
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