Almost two decades into its rule, Harrison Ford has joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For many actors, joining such a behemoth of a franchise would be big news, but not for Ford. He’s played many iconic characters, while still rounding out his filmography with other interesting work. So our crew got together to discuss some of the best characters Ford’s played over the five-plus decades he’s been in Hollywood. Let us know your favorite @SiftPop!
In 42, Harrison Ford plays Branch Rickey, the mastermind behind breaking the color barrier in baseball who signed Jackie Robinson. Ford hides behind many prosthetics and adopts a gruff voice to fit the role of an older man. Having listened to audio of Rickey, he pulls this off brilliantly — he disappears into the role. Ford has authentic charm and charisma as he plays a man who made one of sports history’s gutsiest and most innovative calls. It was a role that certainly gave people an idea of Ford’s range as an actor, as he isn’t playing the guy saving the day. Instead, he assumes a wise mentor position, delivering many profound lines, like when he tells a guy that one day he might have to tell God why he wouldn’t play against Robinson, and that his honest answer probably won’t be sufficient. Despite many iconic performances in his career, this is one of Ford’s best. (John Tillyard)
Imagine living in a time when the President of the United States was an age where they could feasibly perform any singular action we see President James Marshall pull off in Air Force One, let alone all of them. It’s also interesting to reflect on this character in 2025. The 1990s were a decade full of memorable movie presidents. While generally pretty far afield from any degree of reality, the idealization of what the Commander in Chief could maybe pull off in the face of extraordinary circumstances was a fun exercise to partake in. Harrison Ford as President Marshall sits near the top of the all-time badass movie president mountain. This is in part due to the prestige that Ford inherently brings to his characters; he commands the screen and embodies the concentrated persistence of a leader who is constantly balancing the good of both his country, and his family and crew onboard the titular Air Force One. Ford has that distinct ability to be able to convey a lot by doing very little. President Marshall feels very much like the Ford we had come to love at that point in his career, but it’s also singlehandedly what makes buying his time as our President all the more believable. Oh, and Ford’s gravelly, “Get off my plane” is still one of the hardest one-liners in the history of cinema. If you ever feel burnt out by our current world, a trip back aboard the fantasy Air Force One is a delightful time. (Nashua Doll)
Rick Deckard, a Blade Runner hunting down replicants, isn’t the flashiest of characters. In fact, compared to other replicant characters, he feels like a cop with a singular task. Harrison Ford does a great job of making the most of the role. In subsequent viewings and various directors cuts, Deckard gets way more depth, and questions arise about who he really is. Either way, he’s is among one of the more fascinating characters in all of science fiction. Blade Runner’s exploration of what it means to be human presents Deckard with some tough choices. Yet throughout the whole series, he is a tried and true character who goes through a journey of self-discovery. The questions surrounding Deckard makes Ridley Scott and Ford’s discussions so fascinating. Either way, this is one of Ford’s greatest characters in an already stacked lineup. (Mike Hilty)
Alright, listen up, ladies and gentlemen: Our fugitive has been on the run for 32 years! It kinda hurts to realize the incredible cat-and-mouse thriller that is The Fugitive is now as old or older than many reading this. Made during an era where Harrison Ford was THE leading man in Hollywood, The Fugitive stands the test of time better than almost any of Ford’s peak ‘90s, box office smashing era. The Fugitive displays Ford’s range as an actor, as it’s far from the charming, cheeky, and charismatic roles he took the word by storm with in the ‘70s and ’80s. Ford manages to encapsulate the emotion of his character, Dr. Richard Kimble’s, plight. The character was framed for the murder of his wife and sent to prison, only to find himself on the run after an intense train crash scene. Ford manages to convey the stress and fear anyone would face in this situation, but also the steely determination to clear his name. Ford rarely (if ever) has a bad performance, and The Fugitive is no exception. It is because of him that The Fugitive excels. (Adam Ritchie)
In recent years, Harrison Ford’s grumpy persona as it comes to interviews and other media appearances seems to have finally broken down a little bit, and he’s started having a little fun with it. In terms of his filmography, though, comedies are still few and far between, even if we know he can be funny. To my mind, nowhere is this more apparent than in Morning Glory, written by Aline Brosh McKenna, best known as the writer of The Devil Wears Prada. The two movies are not dissimilar, with Rachel McAdams starring, attempting to turn a morning news program’s dismal ratings around by hiring grumpy anchor Mike Pomeroy, who can be compared to Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestley quite easily. Ford leans into the grumpiness with verve, providing an excellent straight man to the situation, but shines through with that twinkle in his eye that made him the star he’s always been. It’s rare to see him in a lighthearted movie like this, and it’s good to see there’s much more to him than the seriousness and gruffness we’re used to from a lot of his work. (Chris Bakker)
Probably the least “Harrison Ford” Harrison Ford role, The Mosquito Coast sees him playing the fascinating character of Allie Fox, a man who’s fed up and exhausted by the scourge on nature that he perceives America to be. So he takes his family (which includes Helen Mirren and River Phoenix) to the South American jungle to “live off the land,” even though he brings along with him tarps and sheet metal and power tools, so that’s one point for hypocrisy. It might be easy to imagine Ford playing someone who’s put off by everything around him, but the way that Allie is wired is completely different, displaying a level of mania and pompousness we’ve never seen before from Ford, and it’s fascinating to watch him to to the places to which he descends. (Robert Bouffard)
While not the first actor to play Jack Ryan, one of the most famous literary characters ever made, Harrison Ford is the first and, to date, only actor who has ever portrayed the character more than once on the big screen in this adaptation of the Tom Clancy novel (the first of the books that I’ve read at that). I’d also argue that it’s the closest that Hollywood has ever gotten to truly capturing the character on film (John Krasinski notwithstanding). Ford brings something to the table that the others who took the mantle after him lack, and he works as a great balance of the character between a CIA operative and professor for the naval academy. While one might prefer Clear and Present Danger of the two Ford Jack Ryan films, Patriot Games helps to set the tone of the character in a way that builds well going into its sequel. (Joseph Davis)
Harrison Ford is one of those rare actors with two truly iconic characters under their belt — Han Solo and Indiana Jones. In particular Indy is the role that helped him prove that he could lead big movies, cemented Steven Spielberg as the guy who could do no wrong, and most importantly, gave us a memorable hero. Indiana Jones became so popular because of his relatability — he wasn’t the buffest guy, and not everything he did worked out the way he planned. It was his charm, wit, and great sense of improv this character always managed to work out or escape any danger and, on his way, maybe find the love of his life. This is one of those franchises that relies solely on the charm and charisma of the main protagonist, and when the eventual remake happens, whether it’s tomorrow or 10 years from now, they will face an uphill battle, because there always was, is, and will be one Indiana Jones. The way to play him is to try not to be cool, so everything cool you do looks almost accidental, which is a skill Harrison Ford has. After all, who else than a guy who became an actor by accident? (Luke Burian)
Harrison Ford played his share of action heroes throughout the ‘90s, but his turn as Linus Larabee in the 1995 remake of Sabrina is equally dynamic. Linus is the no-nonsense, gruff, and often cutthroat head of the multi-billion-dollar Larabee empire. His keen insight into the inner workings of corporations and concerning ability to callously use people, including his brother David (Greg Kinnear), to further financial holdings may make him successful in business, but pretty lousy as a human. It isn’t until he starts spending time with Sabrina (Julia Ormond), in an attempt to keep her away from David, that his feigning interest in taking a step back from work and indulging in the joys that life has to offer turns from farce to reality. In an uncharacteristically life-altering move, Linus relinquishes control of the company to David and heads off to Paris to reunite with Sabrina, which is quite the leap for a man who had been described only weeks earlier as “the world’s only living heart donor.” (Patrice Downing)
Who is the most dynamic, rich, and empathetic character that Harrison Ford has ever brought to life? Unexpectedly, it’s Dr. Paul Rhodes from the beloved Apple TV+ series Shrinking. It is wild that an acclaimed actor like Ford is delivering arguably his best work this late in life. Paul is a grumpy old man for sure, but he is so much more than that. He hides a tenderness just underneath the surface, which makes him someone you want in your corner. Wise and confident, he is a therapist who will tell you like it is. He is at a point in his life where he is trying to mend relationships with his daughter and find new connections. Mentoring is one of his support powers, as he guides Jason Segel’s Jimmy and Jessica Williams’ Gaby. But most importantly, he is the kind of guy who will sing Sugar Ray with you in the car to work. Paul is our favorite grumpy bear, and there is no competition. (Shane Conto)
You can’t have a list of the best Harrison Ford performances without talking about his best and most recognizable role in Han Solo. Ford got his start on Star Wars, playing one of the best characters in the Original Trilogy. He embodies Han so well. In a universe where Jedi and Sith stories run rampant, you need a guy the audience can relate to. Ford went on from A New Hope to play this character four more times, and he was great each time. He made Han Solo the definitive character that he is, and it was hard to see anyone else take on this role. It always felt like Han was Ford being himself, bringing a lot of his own personality into the role. Though let it be known, Han shot first. (Austen Terry)
In 2000, I noticed something different about Harrison Ford in the movie What Lies Beneath. He steps away from his usual heroic roles to play Dr. Norman Spencer, a quiet university professor. In the film, he is married to Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer), who starts to wonder if their home is haunted, or if she is just imagining things. Even though the story doesn’t just focus on Norman, whenever he appears on screen, there’s a palpable sense of suspense, an unsettling feeling that he is hiding something. You can sense that he’s done something wrong, but he acts somewhat confused and distant, making it hard to figure out how dark his character is. Pfeiffer’s performance as a confused wife who struggles to know what’s real and questions her own sanity really stands out. While the film may not have the frightening moments that some people expect, it has still managed to remain impressive even after 24 years. (Chantal Ashford)
Though not even the most recognizable cop in his own filmography, John Book from Witness is a fascinating character in Harrison Ford’s cast. Fresh off the back-to-back portrayals of Indiana Jones and Han Solo, the character of the big city detective who is forced to go undercover in an Amish community to protect a child who witnessed a murder can easily be overlooked. While the character of a hardened detective on its surface is something that’s been done before, placing him in such a different setting, and having him deal with some real culture shock, offers a real arc and opportunity for growth that makes him a great deal more interesting than he might appear when we first meet him. Based on where it falls in Ford’s release history, this character probably doesn’t get the full shine it deserves, but it’s a gem worth discovering. (Jake Bourgeois)