Few Hollywood stars have created as many iconic and celebrated movie franchise characters as Star Wars (1977), which solidified his place as a leading man in Hollywood.
Today, many of these Harrison Ford stories are still in the works. He made an appearance as Han Solo in rewritten to address the actor’s age. Thus, it seems as good a time as any to take another look at the Harrison Ford franchises that audiences know and love.
Honorable Mention: The Fugitive
One of Harrison Ford’s most iconic roles was as Richard Kimble in The Fugitive (1993), the story of a man framed for the murder of his wife. While the film was based on a 1960s television series and continued into a sequel, U.S. Marshals (1998), making it a notable franchise, Ford only appears in the original film. Thus, it has not been included in the rankings below.
4. Jack Ryan (1992-1994)
Taking over the role of Jack Ryan after Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford appeared in two of the franchise’s films: Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994). Based on the novels of Tom Clancy, these two films helped develop The Hunt For Red October (1990) did not. Patriot Games finds Ryan in the midst of conflict in the United Kingdom, while Clear and Present Danger focuses on a face-off between the U.S. government and a Colombian cartel.
However, while providing a wholly entertaining duo of action-thrillers - and even as Clear and Present Danger provides a more nuanced follow-up to its predecessor - both films fall into traps of predictability and familiarity. Patriot Games also received mixed reviews after it altered the details of the Tom Clancy book it used as source material, specifically the depiction of conflict in Northern Ireland. Furthermore, Harrison Ford’s performance hardly reached a level of notability or charm evident in his other work, portraying a character that audiences don’t associate with him alone. Unfortunately, these two films alone cannot compete with Ford's other franchise roles.
3. Indiana Jones (1981-present)
Few films hold such an important place in the action-adventure genre as the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), in which Indiana Jones runs from a giant rolling boulder, are among Hollywood’s most iconic scenes.
Unfortunately, however, the later installment of the franchise, the 5th installment of the franchise has in store.
2. Blade Runner (1982-2017)
The original Blade Runner 2049, Ford delivers a nuanced performance that confronts more dramatic depth than any other franchise he appears in.
In the former, Deckard works as a “Blade Runner,” whose job it is to track down and kill humanoid machines called “replicants.” However, things get complicated when Deckard becomes romantically involved with a replicant named Rachael, eventually going on the run with her. In Blade Runner 2049, we find Deckard, years later, hiding out in post-apocalyptic Las Vegas. Unlike in Indiana Jones, Ford’s performance here helps reveal even deeper layers of his character and provides an exciting, entertaining, and thought-provoking continuation.
1. Star Wars (1977-2015)
It’s impossible to imagine Star Wars anywhere other than first place on this list, offering, perhaps, Harrison Ford’s strongest and most notable role. Furthermore, Star Wars has become one of Hollywood’s top-grossing franchises. Elements of Ford’s character are at the center of this cinematic universe, such as the Millennium Falcon and his partner Chewbacca - now the stuff of Hollywood legend. The fact that Harrison Ford was a key player in the original film and subsequently maintained a central role in the most recent trilogy is impossible to overlook.
