Harrison Ford is a genuine star. It is a rare find that someone so cool wanders their way onto the silver screen. He is a dominant force that stands out when he wants to be and blends into the backdrop of the film when necessary. He got his start working with George Lucas on his own breakout film American Graffiti (1973). Lucas’s close friend Francis Ford Coppola gave Ford small roles in both The Conversation (1974) and Apocalypse Now (1979).
Then in 1977, Ford exploded. Not literally, of course. Literally, his character Han Solo helped his friend Luke Skywalker explode the cursed Death Star in George Lucas’s smash-hit blockbuster Star Wars (later renamed Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, which is a bit clunkier of a title). People loved Ford as the cool, witty space pirate with the fastest spaceship in the galaxy. Along with two equally gigantic sequels, The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), Ford teamed up with Lucas once again to star in the Steven Spielberg-directed Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). The first of the Indiana Jones franchise, Raiders would be immediately followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1983) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). He also starred in Ridley Scott’s critically-acclaimed science fiction noir film Blade Runner (1982) as Rick Deckard.
Harrison Ford has perhaps profited the most of anyone in Hollywood from the era of blockbuster franchise reboots. In the last decade, he has reprised all three of his most famous roles: Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Rick Deckard in Blade Runner 2049 (2017). He is also slated to reprise Indiana Jones at least once more in a forthcoming fifth entry to the franchise. Harrison Ford is a superstar of the highest degree, and here are his ten best films.
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Ford deepens Han Solo’s aloof swashbuckler facade from the original Star Wars film in its sequel. He betrays deeper emotions as well as gives an overall funnier performance. Not only is it the best film in the franchise, but it is also Ford’s best performance.
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Star Wars (1977)
Ford plays Han Solo as the epitome of cool in George Lucas’s breakout film. Solo is a skilled gunslinger and an even better pilot, with a quick wit and a detached attitude. He has the so-called fastest ship in the galaxy—the Millennium Falcon—and the only things he cares about are flying fast and getting paid, or so it seems.
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Blade Runner (1982)
In Ridley Scott’s seminal film—Ford fills the role of Rick Deckard, an eponymous “Blade Runner” (also known as android hunter) for the LAPD in the year 2019. He is tasked with hunting down a handful of, particularly dangerous rogue androids. Ford plays Deckard as a jaded deeply lost character.
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Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Ford’s Indiana Jones has become nearly as iconic as Han Solo. He’s an archaeologist, adventurer, a bit of a womanizer and a skeptic above all else. In spite of his skepticism, he goes in search of the Ark of the Covenant with Nazi officers hot on his tail. Steven Spielberg is the king of campy 1980s fun.
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Return of the Jedi (1983)
The third act of Lucas’s original three Star Wars film sees Solo at his goofiest. He is more open with his loved ones—perhaps because he has finally come face-to-face with the (literally) slimy crime boss who has been sending bounty hunters to the ends of the galaxy to find him, and he may not make it out alive.
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Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
In Spielberg’s third Indiana Jones film, Jones is called upon to find his dad (Sean Connery), an older archaeologist who has dedicated his life to trying to find the Holy Grail. Ford and Connery have great father-and-son chemistry once they reunite to try to solve the Grail’s mystery once and for all.
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The Fugitive (1993)
Ford is the titular fugitive, Dr. Richard Kimble. When his wife is murdered by a one-armed man, Kimble is the number one suspect and he gets convicted. On his way to death row, a car crash allows him to escape and try to find proof that will clear his name. Ford does a fantastic job playing a man under duress.
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Audiences clamored to the theater to see Ford in a role that we long believed he would never take on again. After a 32-year absence, he once again donned the mantle of Han Solo. He fills the need for a wisened veteran with the wisdom of experience to guide the new young core characters.
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Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
In Villeneuve’s gorgeous-looking follow-up to Blade Runner, Ford reprises his role as Rick Deckard. He brings more emotion in his performance than in its predecessor, in which his he plays Deckard as quite reserved.
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American Graffiti (1973)
Lucas’s feature-length directorial debut is a great coming-of-age story about the zaniness of being a street-racing teen in the 1960s. Ford plays a great villain—an antagonistic racer named Bob Falfa with a cowboy hat and a shiny car. However, unfortunately, his screen time is very limited.
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