Harrison Ford celebrated his 81st birthday on July 13, 2023, by blowing out his candles. The Indiana Jones actor has been a mainstay of Hollywood for nearly 60 years, and his career is full of unforgettable moments and fascinating anecdotes. We uncovered some interesting, little-known facts about him in honor of his birthday; some of them are even more astounding than his own films!

Along with being a certified pilot, he has a degree in philosophy.

Ford became a Philosophy major at Ripon College after graduating from high school in 1960. The aspiring actor, however, thought that the degree did little to open doors to employment opportunities. An old statement of his stated that he had “prepared yourself to do nothing but teach philosophy or write” after majoring in philosophy in college. “I wanted a job that would push me to my limits while also giving me a wide range of experiences.”

The 81-year-old has many interests, including a connection to philosophy, acting, and aviation. Both helicopters and planes, or fixed-wing aircraft, are within his flying capabilities. Actually, he has been able to offer emergency helicopter services on multiple occasions thanks to his flying abilities.

Even a lost child has been rescued by him.

The actor volunteered to aid Sarah George in July 2000 after she became too thirsty to continue climbing Table Mountain in Wyoming, a 5-hour ascent. He brought her to a secure location by landing his chopper close to her location and then transported her there with medical assistance.

Cody Clawson, a 13-year-old boy scout, became lost in a forest near Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. A year later, Ford saved his life. Clawson expressed her gratitude for the rescue and asserted that the actor had given her the most exceptional present imaginable. “Cody said the kids asked if he got an autograph, and he said, ‘No, but I got a hug and a handshake, and that’s better than an autograph.’” Clawson’s mother recounted.

He got the part of Han Solo in the Star Wars series because of his background as a carpenter.

Brazilian Bossa Nova musician Sérgio Mendes once shared a vintage photo of Harrison Ford (far right) with a group of carpenters on his Facebook page. An accomplished carpenter by the name of Harrison Ford existed before Han Solo. In 1970, the day he completed constructing her recording studio, this is the musician with his workers, the singer stated in the caption.

George Lucas, the man behind the Star Wars films, was initially acquainted to him through his job as a carpenter. How did Ford get his start in Hollywood as a carpenter? “I was actually installing a door for Francis Ford Coppola as a favor to his art director, who had built the door and couldn’t find anyone to install it,” he explained. “You, George Lucas, were walking with Richard Dreyfuss as I was finishing up the door.”

Two different kinds of animals bear the actor’s name.

An honorary spider species was initially bestowed to Ford, a lifelong environmentalist. The American arachnologist Norman I. Platnick described the Calponia harrisonfordi and named it after the Indiana Jones star “in recognition of his efforts on behalf of the American Museum.”

Additionally, he was honored with the naming of an ant species. Although American researcher Edward Osborne Wilson chose the name Pheidole harrisonfordi, the species is primarily found in Central America. Also acknowledged was “his outstanding contribution in service and support to tropical conservation, hence the habitats in which the Pheidole ants will continue to exist” as a result of his environmental work, which brought about this act.

Affair with Carrie Fisher occurred during their time together on the set of Star Wars.

The late Carrie Fisher admitted in 2016 that she had an affair with Harrison Ford when filming the 1976 original Star Wars picture. Fisher played Princess Leia in those films. She remembered the experience saying, “It was so intense.” at an interview. “During the week, it was Han and Leia, and on the weekends, it was Carrie and Harrison.”

The actress reflected fondly on the experience, even though it came to an end the moment filming completed for the movie. She explained, “I trusted something about him,” despite her lack of expertise. A kind guy, he was.

He went to Claire’s Accessories and pierced his ear.

Even though he was 55 years old in 1997, Ford went ahead and pierced his ear. Even though he has stated that he did it for convenience’s sake, he still went with Claire’s Accessories. This transpired during his lunch break with Jimmy Buffett, a singer-songwriter, and Ed Bradley, a reporter for 60 Minutes. He remembered that everyone had the identical watch and phone. “However, I quickly noticed that I was missing an earring compared to them.”

Following this, he took his then-wife Melissa Mathison to a Claire’s store to get his ears pierced. According to Tavora Escossery, the employee who performed the act, he “didn’t flinch, and when it was done, he said, ‘That didn’t hurt.'” The star gave her an autograph, signed in jest, just before they left. Regarding Tavora. You ripped a hole in my heart. “Harrison Ford,” it stated.

His portrayal of Indiana Jones spans more than four decades.

Raiders of the Lost Ark, the debut film in the Indiana Jones series, was released when Ford was a mere 38 years old. The actor’s return to the iconic character for the sequel and third films in the franchise did not take long at all, but his comeback for the fourth film was nearly twenty years in the making. Released in 2008, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull came out at the age of 65.

In the recently released Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, fans of the explorer were finally rewarded after a fifteen-year wait with Ford reprising one of his most recognizable roles. Oh, what an adventure!

However, there are many more interesting actors working in Hollywood than Harrison Ford. One of Leonardo DiCaprio’s many surprising qualities is his distant adoption of a little South African kid.

Preview photo credit ScreenProd / Photononstop / Alamy Stock Photo, Witness / Paramount Pictures and co-producer