How Old Was Harrison Ford In Each Star Wars Movie Across The Franchise?

All the way back in 1964, when Harrison Ford was just twenty-two years old, he moved to Los Angeles after doing summer stock theatre and signed a contract with Columbia Pictures' New Talent Program. Little did he know he would go on to become one of the most famous cinematic icons of all time. But that would take at least another decade.

Harrison Ford languished in bit parts and uncredited or minor television roles for many years before stepping away to work as a carpenter. In 1973, he landed his big break in "American Graffiti" at the age of 31. The small role was a glimpse into the charismatic star he would become. Ford brings a swagger and winning crooked smile to his brief appearance as the cocky drag racer Bob Falfa, who dares to challenge the reigning drag racing king, John Milner. These qualities would later be considered his trademark. "American Graffiti" was directed by George Lucas, the man who would change Ford's life forever.

Harrison Ford was born on July 13, 1942, making him 35 years old when he debuted as the scruffy-looking nerf herder, Han Solo, in "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope" when it released on May 25, 1977. He was 34 years old when they began filming on March 22, 1976. Ford nabbed the role when George Lucas hired him to read lines for auditioning actors, his casual charm too impossible to resist. "Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back" started filming in 1979 and was released on May 21, 1980, when Ford was 38. He would turn 40 while filming "Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi" before it was released the next year on May 25, 1983. 

In real life, Harrison Ford was close enough to Han Solo's actual ages of 32, 35, and 36 in the original trilogy. It makes sense for his character to be a bit older than Luke and Leia, who are 19 and 20, since he is more weathered from all his misadventures across the galaxy. If you want to see Han Solo as a young man, you can watch Alden Ehrenreich play him in the prequel "Solo: A Star Wars Story," even though it was largely a critical and box office bomb.

Harrison Ford has always had a death wish for Han Solo, not because he hates the character, but because "his sacrifice for the other characters would lend gravitas and emotional weight" (via Entertainment Weekly). It would be a poignant arc for someone who always just looked after himself. But George Lucas preferred the cheesy  happy ending of dancing Ewoks. This kept the door open for Ford to return in the sequel, "Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens," which starting filming in 2014 when he was 72, and released on December 18, 2015. 

Ford finally got to see Han Solo's story end the way he always wanted. Han dies nobly while trying to save his son, Kylo Ren, who is already too far gone to the dark side. That didn't stop director J.J. Abrams from briefly bringing the actor back for a dream sequence that is ranked as one of the best "Star Wars" moments. Han simply says, "I know," when Kylo Ren confesses he must return to the light. It's a moving callback to his famous line with Leia.

Han Solo is not the only legendary role Harrison Ford has reprised. Nearly 20 years after the release of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," Ford returned to film "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" at age 65 in 2007. He stepped into the swashbuckling boots of the daring archaeologist yet again for "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," which started filming in 2021 when he was just shy of 80 years old, and was released in 2023 — proving that age is just a number, and he can still crack a whip and throw a punch. Indiana Jones gets a much happier ending than Han Solo.