Indiana Jones: How Old Was Harrison Ford In Raiders Of The Lost Ark?
Thanks to de-aging technology and the use of decades-old footage of the actor we never got to see previously, Harrison Ford looks about half his true age in the opening of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," the fifth and final chapter in the "Indiana Jones" movie saga.
That's a pretty stunning achievement, considering Ford is 80 years old in real life. The star has even shown that he's never too old for fun and games with his co-stars on set, as a "Dial of Destiny" prank ended with Ford wearing a Phoebe Waller-Bridge mask.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about Ford's return to Indiana Jones is that he's been playing the role over a span of four decades. Hot on the heels of his blazing success as space scoundrel Han Solo in "Star Wars" and its first sequel, "The Empire Strikes Back," in 1977 and 1980, respectively, Ford made his debut as Indy in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981. When the film debuted in theaters on June 12, Ford was a mere 38 years old. By contrast, Ford's co-star Karen Allen — who plays Indy's love and fellow adventurer Marion Ravenwood — was 29 years old when "Raiders" was released.
Though Ford was able to star in what would become a massive franchise so early in his career, there was plenty of time between his outings as the legendary adventurer.
There were many years between the original trilogy and the newer installments
Harrison Ford reprised his legendary character twice in the 1980s, with the first "Indiana Jones" sequel coming after the release of the third "Star Wars" film, "Return of the Jedi," in 1983. As such, Ford, who was born July 13, 1942, was 41 when "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" was released on May 8, 1984.
There was a much longer break between the second "Indy" chapter and the third film in the original trilogy, since "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" wasn't released until May 24, 1989. By that time, Ford was on the verge of turning 47.
Nearly 20 years passed, of course, between the third and fourth chapters in the film saga, which meant Ford was 65 when "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" was released in theaters on May 22, 2008. Tacking on another 15 years in the long run-up to "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," Ford was 80 when the film was released on June 30.
Recently reflecting on his time starring in the saga, Ford said he keeps one thing in mind having played Indiana Jones since 1981: to further embrace the complications his character faces as the years roll by. Ford told Yahoo! Entertainment that he wants to know more about Indy with each film, and in the case of "Dial of Destiny," it's about aging and the effects it has on his adventures.
"I wanted it to be about what it's like to be an older archeologist," Ford told Yahoo! Entertainment.