Grew up in Park Ridge and Morton Grove, Illinois

Professional debut in a variety of musicals and dramas in summer stock in Williams Bay, Wisconsin

Moved to Laguna Beach, California and appeared in a local production of "John Brown's Body"

Signed a seven-year contract with Columbia Pictures at $150 per week

Film acting debut, a one-line appearance as a bellboy in "Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round"

Moved over to Universal from Columbia; featured in film "Journey to Shiloh"

Gave up acting and worked as a carpenter; built Sergio Mendes' $100,000 recording studio; also built elaborate entrance for Francis Ford Coppola's offices at Goldwyn Studios

TV-movie debut, "The Intruders" (NBC)

First major success, George Lucas' "American Graffiti"

Breakthrough role, playing Han Solo in George Lucas' "Star Wars"

Reprised the role of Han Solo for "The Empire Strikes Back"

First feature starring role, playing the swashbuckling archaeologist Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark"; executive produced by Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg

Portrayed android bounty hunter in Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner"

Returned to the role of Han Solo for "Return of the Jedi"

Reprised role of Indy for "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"

Earned a Best Actor Academy Award nomination as a detective in Peter Weir's "Witness"

Teamed with Weir again for "The Mosquito Coast"

Did rare comic turn opposite Melanie Griffith in Mike Nichols' "Working Girl"

Donned the fedora again for "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"

Played an adulterous husband with a terrible secret in Alan J Pakula's "Presumed Innocent"

Played a ruthless litigator transformed by a brain injury in Mike Nichols' "Regarding Henry"

Assumed the Jack Ryan Character (replacing Alec Baldwin) in Tom Clancy's "Patriot Games"

Cast as Dr. Richard Kimble in big screen adaptation of "The Fugitive"

Reprised role of Jack Ryan in "Clear and Present Danger"

Played role originated by Humphrey Bogart in Sydney Pollack's ill-advised remake of "Sabrina"

Starred as a NYC detective opposite Brad Pitt's Irish terrorist in "The Devil's Own"

Portrayed the President of the United States in Wolfgang Petersen's "Air Force One"

Played a cargo pilot opposite Anne Heche in the romantic comedy "Six Days, Seven Nights"

Starred as widower cop obsessed with learning details of his late wife's affair in Pollack's "Random Hearts"

Played a professor whose wife (Michelle Pfeiffer) is haunted by a ghost in "What Lies Beneath"

Received a reported $25 million salary to star as a Russian submarine officer in "K-19: The Widowmaker"

Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (June)

Cast as a security specialist, forced into robbing a bank in order to protect his family in the thriller, "Firewall"

Reprised role of Indy for the fourth installment of the adventure series, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"; film re-teamed Ford with George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg