Mt. Rushmore- Harrison Ford
According to various polls the two most well known, iconic, best & most influential movie characters of all-time are usually considered to be Han Solo & Indiana Jones. I don’t want to spoil this list (I realize you all can see the full picture in the thumbnail) so I won’t disclose if those two are on here, but of course they are. Before we get into the list let’s honorably mention some honorable mentions: Jack Ryan in ‘Patriot Games,’ John Book in ‘Witness,’ Allie Fox in ‘The Mosquito Coast,’ Rusty Sabich in ‘Presumed Innocent,’ Tom O’Meara in ‘The Devil’s Own,’ Dr. Richard Kimble in ‘The Fugitive,’ President James Marshall in ‘Air Force One,’ & Jacob Dutton in ‘1923.’
Rick Deckard in ‘Blade Runner’- There’s kind of an obvious 1-2-3 here, which is why I saved the not obvious one for last. Also considered one of the all-time film characters (like top 75 probably) in Ridley Scott’s thought provoking sci-fi film, Ford was already a solidified A-list, top tier movie star. This one and the following two feature roles that Ford originated as a young man and would reprise in his older years in ‘legacy sequels,’ but I decided to use younger pictures of them. The police officer protagonist creates one of the biggest debates in film, so let me know, do you think Deckard is a human or a replicant?
Indiana Jones in the ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise- Dun dun dun dun. Dun dun dun. Dun dun dun dun. Dun dun dun dun dun. I think I hit the right number of duns there. ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ is the greatest adventure film that there ever has been. He has reprised the role 4 times each coming with its own adventures & supporting characters that just make Indy even cooler. And perhaps the only thing from the films that’s equally as iconic as the character is John Williams’s theme. Dun dun dun dun. Dun dun dun. Dun dun dun dun. Dun dun dun dun dun. Love it.
Han Solo in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise- I tried typing the Star Wars theme as well, but it was making my brain mushy. The biggest franchise ever, Han Solo was considered the breakout character of the original film. He’s cool. He’s daring. & that all is because of Ford. He played Han in the OG trilogy & reprised his role in two of the sequel films as an older man (he also appeared in the holiday special, but we don’t talk about that). I think Solo is probably the best character to come out of a franchise that has also produced the likes of Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Yoda, C-3PO, R2-D2, Darth Maul, Boba Fett, Kylo Ren, Finn, Rey, The Mandalorian, & so on and so on. Oh yea, and Jar Jar Binks!
Dr. Paul Rhoades in ‘Shrinking’- This may come as a shocker. But for the past two decades Ford has elevated from suave actor to grumpy old man (meant as a compliment). He turned all three of the prior roles into grumpy old men & displays that hilariously in every interview he did. But he is at his most old man as an aging therapist dealing with his own health problems while also balancing relationships (mainly with Jason Segel’s Jimmy). This show is brilliant & every line Ford’s character speaks has me belly laughing. Perhaps a controversial pick, I’m standing on it.
