Harrison Ford hurt in plane crash: 10 things to know about the Star Wars actor

Popular Hollywood film star Harrison Ford was injured on Thursday when he crashed a vintage plane he was piloting on a Los Angeles golf course shortly after taking off from a nearby airport.

The single-engine plane clipped a tree as it attempted to return to Santa Monica Airport. Ford was taken to a local hospital. His injuries are not life-threatening, and he is expected to make a full recovery.

In addition to his role as the space hero Han Solo in the Star Wars films, Ford is also best known as archaeological adventurer Indiana Jones in Raiders Of The Lost Ark.

Here are 10 things to know about the 72-year-old American actor and Academy Award nominee.

1. He is a long-time pilot and this is not the first time he has been involved in a crash.

He told the National Geographic in 2008 that he once walked away from a helicopter crash after a mechanical failure. The helicopter made a rather hard landing and was "not quite intact" after the crash, he said.

"Luckily, I was with another aviation professional and neither of us was hurt - and both of us are still flying."

2. He didn't plan on becoming an actor and got into it because he wanted an easy good grade in college. After graduating from high school in his hometown of Chicago, he took up a drama course and later discovered he had an interest in performing.

"I was terrified to get up in front of people, but I really enjoyed the storytelling part," he told People magazine.

3. Despite having discovered his talent for acting in college, he was once told he would never make it as a successful film star.

After his film debut in 1966 in Dead Heat On A Merry-Go-Round, studio executives were less than impressed. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Ford said one executive even told him: "You'll never make it in this business."


Actor Harrison Ford in a scene from the 2013 sci-fi flick Ender's Game. -- PHOTO: GOLDEN VILLAGE

4. Ford was once a professional carpenter. In the early years when he struggled to make it as an actor, he taught himself carpentry in order to support his income.

5. Acting runs in his blood. His mother, Dorothy, was a radio actress before becoming a homemaker and his father, Christopher, was a former actor turned advertising executive. His younger brother Terence is also reportedly an actor and photographer, according to Hello Magazine.

6. Although Ford is now well-known as Indiana Jones, he almost missed the chance to play the part. Instead, actor Tom Selleck, known for playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the TV series Magnum, P.I. was initially offered the role in Raiders Of The Lost Ark.

When Selleck turned it down, Ford was given the part.

7. He has previously suffered an injury on set. While filming on the set of Disney's Star Wars: Episode VII to reprise his role as Han Solo in England last year, Ford broke his leg and production had to be halted for two weeks as he recovered.

8. He has been married three times and has three children as well as five grandchildren.

He first married college girlfriend Mary Marquardt and they had two sons together.

He later married screenwriter Melissa Mathison after they met during the making of 1979's Apocalypse Now and had two children together.

Since 2010, he has been married to actress Calista Flockhart and the couple have an adopted son, Liam.


Actor Harrison Ford and his wife US actress Calista Flockhart arriving for the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on Jan 11, 2015. -- PHOTO: EPA

9. He received his only Oscar nomination for Best Actor for playing police detective John Book in the film Witness. He was also nominated for a Bafta and a Golden Globe for the role. He received the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2002 Golden Globe Awards. A year later, he earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

10. Despite being a busy film star, Ford is dedicated to supporting various causes. He has previously helped provide emergency helicopter services, according to Hello Magazine. He also has done community work for the homeless and is an advocate of conservation and archaeology.

idayus@sph.com.sg

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