It's hard to imagine Hollywood without actor Harrison Ford, one of the greatest action heroes of his generation. He will forever be remembered for bringing Han Solo and Indiana Jones to life on the big screen. But it was an interesting road that led Ford to stardom and ultimately to meeting his wife of 10 years, actress Calista Flockhart.
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Ford didn't even start acting until college where he met his first wife, Mary Marquardt. After taking an initial acting class he was hooked and decided to pursue it full time. In order to support his wife Mary and their two children, Ben and Willard, he started working as a carpenter. Even when he booked small roles for directors like George Lucas or Francis Ford Coppola they would apparently also hire him on the side for some carpentry work. All of that would change as soon as the role of Han Solo in Star Wars made Ford an A-lister, but he never lost his love of woodworking.
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The beloved actor was married to his second wife Melissa Mathison from 1983 until their divorce was finalized in 2004 and they share two children together, Georgia and Malcolm. In 2002, Ford met actress Calista Flockhart at the Golden Globe Awards and it was an instantaneous connection. She had adopted a son named Liam right before meeting Ford but for all intents and purposes, the actor became the young boy's father and he has since legally adopted him.
Flockhart is well known for her many roles in iconic TV shows and films. Outside of David E. Kelley's hilarious CBS show Ally McBeal, she starred in Guiding Light, The Birdcage, Robot Chicken, as Kitty Walker with co-star Sally Field in ABC's Brothers & Sisters, as Cat Grant on the CW's Supergirl, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Like Ford, she is also a native of Illinois though she studied at Rutgers University in New Jersey. After years of dating, Ford popped the question on Valentine's Day in 2009 and they tied the knot the following year in an intimate ceremony in New Mexico.
After years of walking red carpets at the Golden Globes, Emmys, and Oscars, in addition to dealing with the busy lifestyle of Hollywood and Los Angeles, Ford and Flockhart prefer to spend most of their time and their relaxing ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The actor initially bought the ranch in the 80s with his second wife Melissa when Jackson Hole was just a quiet little town in the Teton Mountains.
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"I'm old news. I've been there (Hollywood) for 35 years." the movie star told Parade. "When I'm up in Wyoming, I just walk out the door and keep walking...if my chores are done and there's nothing more pressing and the weather's good, I'll go flying—I love to fly up there—or walk in the woods, do some work, ride my road bike or mountain bike."
The couple loves entertaining their family at their property -- Ford's four children from his first two marriages and teenage Liam, who just finished high school two years also and is currently in college. Ford told Land Report that one of his favorite parts about spending time at his ranch along Snake River, which he helped design, is just getting an escape.
"I need balance," he said. "I need to be in a situation where my every whim is not attended to, where I have to fetch my own nails, do my own shopping, and wash my own dishes. ... Being normal is a kind of victory. I'll fix a fence, repair a piece of equipment, or plow the driveway if there's snow. There's always plenty of work to do."
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Though Flockhart has slowed down a bit and hasn't appeared in any films or TV series for a couple of years, Ford shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. He appeared in The Call of the Wild and is still planning to reprise his iconic role in Indiana Jones 5 in another feature film next year. It was also announced Helen Mirren and Ford will star in Yellowstone Prequel 1932.
We definitely respect the actor for being private about his personal life and it's refreshing that he and Flockhart enjoy life together off the grid instead of being spotted by tabloids all over the streets of New York City or L.A.
Read More: Goldie Hawn + Kurt Russell: A 37-Year Hollywood Love Story for the Ages
Editors Note: This article was originally published on December 11, 2020.
