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Harrison Ford, who is now in his 80s, has remained one of the most prevalent leading men in Hollywood ever since he initially made a splash on the silver screen as Han Solo in the 1977 film, Star Wars. He solidified his standing as a heartthrob as the resourceful and sharp-witted adventurer in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and moved forward to headline major motion picture franchises and critically lauded dramas alike, including Witness and Working Girl.
In more recent times, Ford has gone on to demonstrate his enduring appeal. He revisited his renowned part in 2023’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and garnered widespread appreciation for his acting in the Apple TV+ show Shrinking as well as the Paramount+ Western drama 1923, thereby growing the Yellowstone universe. Boasting decades worth of commercially successful movies and praise from critics, Ford is still among the industry’s most well-known and respected celebrities.
It’s not surprising that Harrison has been involved in a series of notable romantic involvements in Hollywood, including three marriages. Harrison had two children from each of his initial two marriages, and following his marriage to his third wife Calista Flockhart, he took on the role of father to her adopted son. Read on to discover everything about his relationships!
Harrison holds hands with Calista at the Cannes screening of ‘Indiana Jones 5.’ (Shootpix/ABACA/Shutterstock)
Mary Marquardt
Harrison and Mary Marquardt, who was born in 1945, got married on June 18, 1964 after they encountered one another at a liberal arts institution, Ripon College, situated in Ripon, Wisconsin. Mary earned a degree in Culinary Arts and went on to build a career in the culinary sector, while Harrison gradually established himself in Hollywood. The couple welcomed their first son, Benjamin, on September 22, 1966. They had their second child, Willard, on May 14, 1969. Benjamin would then walk in his mother’s footsteps by becoming a celebrated cook and restaurateur based in Los Angeles, while Willard is the proprietor of a boxing facility named Strong Sports Gym as well as his own clothing brand, Ludwig Clothing Company. Ultimately, the pair separated in 1979.
Years later, the divorce gained increased attention after Harrison’s Star Wars co-star, Carrie Fisher, claimed that she and Harrison were having an affair while working on the sci-fi blockbuster, all while he was still married to Mary. In her 2016 memoir entitled The Princess Diarist, Carrie detailed the three-month-long romance, which she maintains transpired when she was 19 and Harrison was 33. “I was quite inexperienced, but there was something about him I trusted,” she expressed. “He was kind.” And in a conversation with People at the time the book came out, Carrie disclosed, “It was quite intense. It was Han and Leia during the week, and Carrie and Harrison over the weekend.”
Harrison has spoken openly in interviews about his challenges in juggling his marriage and his professional life. “At times, I believe I have been a better actor than a husband or father. I was forced to leave my family to earn a living for our sustenance,” he mentioned, according to The Guardian.
Despite some of the complex times of Mary and Harrison’s marriage, the actor’s former spouse doesn’t appear to harbor any resentment towards him, and their connection remains strong. “Harrison has been a genuine friend and a great love. He has stood by me silently, without expecting anything in return, through my most trying times,” she expressed in an interview, according to The Guardian.
Melissa Mathison
Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison married in 1983 and divorced in 2004. (Shuttersrtock)
Melissa Mathison was born on June 3, 1950, in Los Angeles, and gained recognition in Hollywood for writing the screenplays for 1979’s The Black Stallion and 1982’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial; the latter earned her a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. As a close acquaintance of Francis Ford Coppola, Melissa was a frequent visitor to the set of Apocalypse Now, where she initially encountered Harrison, as reported by ABC. In 1983, the pair came to the decision to make their relationship official and tied the knot. In 1987, they welcomed a son, Malcolm, and three years afterwards, a daughter called Georgia. They experimented with a trial separation in 2000 before formally submitting divorce papers in 2004, although reports indicated that they remained on good terms. “The pair are very friendly, and everything is quite amicable,” a representative for Harrison mentioned to ABC at the time. Melissa passed away in 2015 at 65 years old, following a bout with cancer.
Harrison has discussed drawing from his own experiences as inspiration for his characters on a few occasions, and he made reference to ex-wives and a daughter as contributing factors that made his Shrinking character relatable during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in February 2023. “I’ve got five kids. This guy’s got a daughter he doesn’t see very often and an ex-wife. There are issues with his family — which are not the same issues I have with my family. But there are things we worked our way through, so I found an emotional reality to attend to,” he stated.
While Harrison has been transparent that his issues aren’t always the same as those of his characters, he did concede that sometimes there’s a challenge to find balance between his work and his family life in an interview with Esquire in May 2023. “If I’d been less successful, I’d probably be a better parent,” he commented.
Calista Flockhart
Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart arrive at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles in 2018. (Shutterstock)
Born in Illinois on November 11, 1964, Calista Flockhart brought her skills to Hollywood and made her breakthrough in 1997 as the lead character in David E. Kelley’s television program Ally McBeal. Later in her career, she would star in Brothers & Sisters and Supergirl. During her appearance at the 2002 Golden Globes, Calista and Harrison connected and immediately got along. As Harrison was still going through his divorce from Melissa, the two initially kept their relationship out of the spotlight, ultimately saying “I do” in 2010. Harrison subsequently adopted Calista’s son Liam, whom she adopted at birth in 2001. Despite the couple having a 22-year age difference, their relationship is stronger than ever. Perhaps their shared sense of humor is what has kept them together for almost two decades! “Harrison and I laugh a lot, and humor is everything to me,” Calista shared with Closer Weekly in 2017.
Throughout their 15-year marriage, Harrison has recognized that one habit he has that Calista doesn’t care for is his use of swear words. While referencing a Hollywood Reporter interview where numerous of his curse words were printed, he admitted that she chastises him for swearing too much during the previously mentioned Esquire interview. “My wife is still giving me s**t about that Hollywood Reporter thing, and I’m trying not to say that too much,” he stated.
Harrison and Calista hold hands on the red carpet at Cannes in 2023. (Shootpix/ABACA/Shutterstock)
Outside of swearing, he also mentioned how Calista encourages him to prioritize his mental well-being in the Esquire article. “I still get s**t about from my wife, like I don’t take mental health seriously. I do take mental health seriously,” he said. ” I accommodate all of the flaws that people go to psychiatrists to accommodate, because I accept my flaws. I accept my flaws and my failures—I don’t accept them, I own them. And certainly the more constant gardener is the better parent, and I’ve been out of town, up my own ass, for most of my life.”
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Liam Flockhart, Harrison Ford and Calista FlockhartHarrison Ford and Calista Flockhart at LAX International Airport, Los Angeles, USA – 28 Jun 2017
Harrison Ford (L) and his wife US actor Calista Flockhart arrive for the German premiere of 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' at the Zoo Palast movie theater in Berlin, Germany, 22 June 2023. The movie will be screened in German cinemas from 29 June 2023.Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny film premiere in Berlin, Germany – 22 Jun 2023