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The top Hollywood actor and box-office recored breaker - whose movies have grossed more than $5 billion worldwide - was born on July 13, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois.

Today, most famous as the wisecracking Hans Solo in the Star Wars film series, and the adventure-seeking archeologist in the Indiana Jones franchise, young "Harry" was reportedly bored at school as a young boy and show no particular ambition for a career ... until the acting bug bit after performing his first drama class at Ripon College in Wisconsin.

Soon after, Ford was appearing in local and summer stock productions when he decided to move to Los Angeles with his new wife, Mary Marquardt, to seriously pursue an acting career.

Struggling with TV bit parts on such shows as The Virginian, Ironside, and Kung Fu, the young actor turned to his self-taught carpentry skills, with which he would later make a living constructing offices and house additions for the Hollywood elite.

This led to his first breakthrough role in American Graffiti, while his most famous role reportedly began with a contract for kitchen cabinets for film director and producer George Lucas. After helping out with rehearsals and line readings, Ford was cajoled by Lucas to take the part of Hans Solo for the upcoming production of Star Wars.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Ford not only went on to star in the first Star Wars trilogy, but followed that with another equally successful run in the Indiana Jones series, beginning with wildly successful Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Beyond Indy & Star Wars

With starring roles in films such as Blade Runner, Presumed Innocent, Regarding Henry, Patriot Games, The Fugitive, Clear and Present Danger, and Air Force One, Ford has become the wealthiest actor on the planet, commanding more than $20 million dollars a performance.

Despite his appearances in some off Hollywood's highest grossing films, Ford has yet to recieve an Oscar although he was given the nod for Best Actor in 1985 for his performance in Witness.

Offscreen, Ford has four children - two by his first wife (who he divorced in 1979) and two with current wife, screenwriter Melissa Mathison.

Ford starred in Firewall in 2006 and is scheduled to appear in a fourth installment in the Indiana Jones series

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The long-anticipated Indiana Jones adventure, entitled "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" opened in May 2008.

This time around, the plot is set during the Cold War in 1957 with a sultry Cate Blanchett playing a Russian agent and Shia LaBeouf playing Indie's trusted sidekick.

The crystal skull of the title is based on real quartz sculptures which have been long-believed to hold special mystical powers. (One such stone was recently declared a fake by British Museum officials, but chances are that won't stop fans from flocking to theaters.)

Harrison Ford - Yahoo! Movies - A complete biography, details on film appearances, awards and nominations, photo gallery, links to related sites, groups and messageboards.

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Harrison Ford - Wikipedia - A complete biography, pictures, filmography, salary history, related links.

Harrison Ford Web - Fan community offering news, forum, story article archive, biography, career timelines, photos, screen savers, wallpapers.

Destination Hollywood Tribute to Harrison Ford - The big collection of video clips, pictures, career info, famous film quotes, Harrison Ford Trivia Quiz, related links.

Harrison Ford - Topix.net - All the latest Harrison Ford news and gossip, from various sources around the Web.

Also see -> Orlando Bloom | George Clooney

Russell Crowe | Tom Cruise | Matt Damon | Johnny Depp

Leonardo DiCaprio | Colin Farrell | Mel Gibson | Jake Gyllenhaal