76. Harrison Ford, despite what you may have seen at the Golden Globes this past year, was not always a fading has-been. In fact, at one time, dear children, he was one of the top box office draws in the world. And why not: he was breaking hearts in Star Wars, was on the run from Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive, and was Oscar-worthy in Witness. And he grossed millions upon millions upon millions. Therefore, the punching bag he's become is only possible because he's had so far to fall.
That said, for me, he'll always be the rascal Indiana Jones, running away from boulders and fighting with Sean Connery. While some may claim James Bond to be the ultimate film action hero, in my mind there's no question that it's Harrison. Indiana Jones has that slightly academic thing going for him-don't you have wish your professor would secretly be running around the world, chasing after the Holy Grail? Ford uses all the charm he has in the Star Wars films to a much more rugged, adventuresome effect (and plus, I love Spielberg far more than Lucas). Some actors are on this list for stretching their acting talents to the absolute limits. I place Ford here, not because this was a stretch, but he was an actor who took his once shimmering movie star persona and turned it into one of the screen's most memorable characters. And for that, Harrison, you will never completely fall in my book.
A marathon...three Indiana Jones movies, each interedependent on the last? It doesn't take a vine-swinging professor to figure this one out. On a side note, however, I have a theory that Harrison Ford is in that elite group of actors who, were he ever to create a truly substantial, dramatic role again, would win an Academy Award. I have little faith that he'll ever do this (unlike, say, Bruce Willis and John Travolta-both of whom I expect to pull a James Coburn someday and pick up a little golden guy), but here's to hoping.
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