There’s hardly anyone who doesn’t know a thing or two about Harrison Ford. The 80-year-old Hollywood veteran has given us so many classics it is nearly impossible to have a favorite. In fact, Ford never misses the mark when it comes down to nailing his character. He brought things home as Han Solo in the original Star Wars Trilogy, Jack Ryan in Patriot Games, Indiana Jones, and Rick Deckard.
It’s no wonder he’s had such a successful career and a huge fan base. Being a celebrated veteran actor, most things about Harrison Ford are already public knowledge. So, we should stop there and call it a day, right? Not at all. There are still some very interesting facts about him that few people know. As a matter of fact, some might come as a surprise to even the most devoted fans of Harrison Ford.
10. He Speaks Japanese
A handful of Hollywood actors are multilingual, and nothing says international like a popular actor speaking a foreign language. It could be anything from a few lines in a particular scene or a little something in every scene, like Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai. Although Harrison Ford has never spoken Japanese in any of his movies, he speaks the language quite fluently. This was revealed in a one-minute advertisement for the Japanese beer company Kirin Lager.
9. Harrison Ford Does TV Commercials
Let’s face it, Harrison Ford isn’t the first name to come to mind when you think of actors who would pull off a TV commercial. Except for his occasional sideways smile, he seems stoic. Although it’s all a part of Ford’s charm, it appears to contrast with the typical cheerful personalities you’d see in every commercial.
This is why it may come as a surprise to learn that Ford has done not one but several TV commercials. Sure, most of them were targeted at the Japanese market. Altogether, it seems the veteran actor has a soft spot for Japanese culture.
8. He Has An Arachnid Named After Him
People get things named after them every other day. From buildings to stars and even living things. In the same way, Ford had an arachnid named after him in honor of his work. it’s called the Calponia Harrisonfordi and Pheidole Harrisonfordi, and it’s a species of spider and ant. That’s not all, he also got the rare privilege of naming a new species of butterfly, which he called Georgia, after his daughter.
7. He’s An Actual Pilot
Harrison Ford received a pilot license and even shot an aerial scene in the movie Six Days, Seven Nights. The movie aired in 1998, and to avoid being held responsible for his death, the studio refused to take out insurance for the actor. However, that didn’t deter the actor, as he went ahead to get the insurance by himself.
Since then, Harrison has been known to fly his plane quite a bit. Rumor has it that he once flew it just to get a cheeseburger. Of course, this didn’t sit well with environmentalists, who accused Ford of taking unnecessary journeys.
6. Harrison Ford Was Once A Carpenter
What do movie stars do before they become movie stars? The answer depends on who you ask. But before his debut in the movie industry and his rise to stardom, Ford was a carpenter and a good one at that. Honestly, he looks like the type of guy that would naturally be good at whatever he does.
5. He Survived A Terrible Plane Crash
In March 2015, Harrison Ford was involved in a ghastly plane crash. The actor took to the skies as usual, but his vintage PT-22 Recruit aircraft crash-landed on a golf course near the airport. Its engine failed, forcing Ford to attempt an emergency landing on the golf course.
Although his injuries weren’t life-threatening, it was critical. Speaking about it, the actor said that the experience was hard on his family, and his wife no longer flies with him on vintage airplanes. Altogether, it was the third time Ford was involved in a plane crash, but the first time he was critically injured.
4. Harrison Ford Holds The Record For The Most Injured Actor On Set
Hollywood stunt doubles are quite prone to injury. However, Ford does most of his stunts on his own, as such, he’s prone to injury. The actor sustained several critical injuries on set, with a major one occurring on the set of the movie Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom.
He suffered a back injury that ended up requiring a discectomy, but that’s just the icing on the cake. He also fell on a prop gun and lost some of his teeth, tore his ACL in one knee, got crushed by a hydraulic door, and injured his shoulder on set. These and several other instances make it seem like some of Indiana Jones’ immortality rubbed off on him.
3. Harrison Ford Dropped Out Of College
The actor attended Ripon College in Wisconsin, where he studied history and philosophy. However, he never quite completed his studies. Shortly before graduation, Ford dropped out of college to pursue a new interest — acting. As it turned out, initially he wasn’t cast in the kind of roles he wanted. So once again, he decided to make a complete U-turn in his career to become a professional carpenter.
2. He Gave A Shout-out To His College Professor On Set
It’s been established that Ford left college behind for to pursue his passion for acting. However, he was awarded an honorary degree from the same school in 1985, which he declined. Although Ford never gave a clear reason for this, he still maintained a good friendship with his former college professor, the late Dr. William Tyree.
In his typical fashion, the star once edited a script to honor Dr. Tyree. The scene was shot in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Ford, who played the role of a college professor, said to his students, “… if it’s truth you’re interested in, Dr. Tyree’s philosophy class is right down the hall.”
1. Harrison Ford Has A Doppelgänger
There’s this common notion that everybody has a look-alike. Unfortunately, not everyone gets to meet their doppelgänger. Harrison Ford happens to be one of the lucky ones. His look-alike, Vic Armstrong, is a professional stunt double and movie director.
He is as close as one can get to being a replica of the actor himself. In fact, Vic replaced Ford temporarily while he had his back surgery. During that time, it was reported that several crew members actually mistook him for Ford. The semblance is so close that Harrison Ford once joked, “If you could learn to talk, I’d be in trouble.”
Read Next: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Black Adam’s Dwayne Johnson
Follow Us
