Harrison to receive AFI's Life Achievement Award

November 2, 1999
Press Release

From John Ford to Harrison Ford, prestigious AFI honor spans 28 years.

November 2, 1999 (Los Angeles) -- The American Film Institute (AFI) has selected Harrison Ford to receive the 2000 AFI Life Achievement Award, it was announced today by AFI Board Chairman Tom Pollock. Ford becomes the 28th recipient of the prestigious award-  widely considered the highest honor given for a career in film-joining such film artists as Dustin Hoffman, Clint Eastwood, James Cagney, Bette Davis, Alfred Hitchcock, James Stewart, Fred Astaire, Gregory Peck and Jack Nicholson.Ford will receive the AFI Life Achievement Award at a special tribute to take place on February 17th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Later that spring, the tribute will be broadcast on CBS Television (airdate to be announced)."It is fitting that AFI begin the new millennium by honoring Harrison Ford — the most popularly acclaimed actor of our day," says Pollock. "To movie audiences around the world, Harrison represents the quintessential American film hero, and when the history of the 20th Century art form is written, Harrison will play a leading role." Although Ford’s filmography dates back to 1966 (DEAD HEAT ON A MERRY-GO-ROUND), his roles in 1977’s STAR WARS and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK in 1981 made him a box office superstar. His first acting jobs in Hollywood (after leaving Chicago, where he was born in 1942, via Ripon College in Wisconsin) were small roles on such landmark TV series as GUNSMOKE and THE VIRGINIAN. In 1973, he gained recognition with his role in George Lucas’ AMERICAN GRAFFITI.

The next year, he played a memorably snippy corporate assistant in THE CONVERSATION. But, it was his role as "Han Solo," the intergalactic swashbuckler in STAR WARS, that won fans and hearts in every galaxy. With 1981’s RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, Ford created another American film icon — the rascally, tenacious archaeologist Indiana Jones — and defined the action hero in films of the decade. Films then ranged from the third STAR WARS installment, RETURN OF THE JEDI, and a second Indiana Jones film, to Ridley Scott’s cult classic, BLADE RUNNER, his Academy Award-nominated performance in WITNESS (1985), his daring performance in THE MOSQUITO COAST, to Roman Polanski’s FRANTIC, Alan J. Pakula’s adaptation of Scott Turow’s PRESUMED INNOCENT and Mike Nichols’ REGARDING HENRY.In the early 1990s, Ford took the role of "Jack Ryan" in PATRIOT GAMES and CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER (1992 and 1994, respectively), again redefining the role of the contemporary leading man.

Memorable performances in THE FUGITIVE (1993) and AIR FORCE ONE (1997) followed.Created by the board of trustees in 1973, the AFI Life Achievement Award is regarded as the highest honor that recognizes a distinguished career in film. The AFI Board chooses a single honoree each year "whose talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art; whose accomplishment has been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers and the general public; and whose work has stood the test of time." In 1993, the AFI Board extended the criteria to encompass individuals with active careers and work of significance yet to be accomplished.

The 28 Life Achievement Award recipients are:

1973 John Ford 
1974 James Cagney 
1975 Orson Welles 
1976 William Wyler 
1977 Bette Davis 
1978 Henry Fonda 
1979 Alfred Hitchcock 
1980 James Stewart 
1981 Fred Astaire 
1982 Frank Capra 
1983 John Huston 
1984 Lillian Gish 
1985 Gene Kelly 
1986 Billy Wilder 
1987 Barbara Stanwyck 
1988 Jack Lemmon 
1989 Gregory Peck 
1990 Sir David Lean 
1991 Kirk Douglas 
1992 Sidney Poitier 
1993 Elizabeth Taylor 
1994 Jack Nicholson 
1995 Steven Spielberg
1996 Clint Eastwood 
1997 Martin Scorsese 
1998 Robert Wise 
1999 Dustin Hoffman 
2000 Harrison Ford

AFI trustees participating in the board meeting at which Harrison Ford was selected were: AFI Director and CEO Jean Picker Firstenberg, Merv Adelson, Gilbert Amelio, Jon Avnet, Jeff Berg, Richard Brandt, John Calley, Mark Canton, Al Checchi, Suzanne de Passe, John DiBiaggio, Richard Frank, Steven O. Frankfurt, Charles W. Fries, David Greenblatt, Larry Herbert, Fay Kanin, Jerry Katzman, Kathleen Kennedy, Richard Masur, Barry Meyer, Leslie Moonves, Michael Nesmith, Mace Neufeld, Daniel Petrie, Sr., Frederick Pierce, Tom Pollock, Robert Rehme, Kelly A. Rose, Jill Sackler, Jack Shea, Vivian Sobchack, George Stevens, Jr., Howard Stringer, Barbara Tannenbaum, David Wolper and Bud Yorkin.AFI is the preeminent organization dedicated to advancing and preserving the art of film, television and other forms of the moving image.

AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers, coordinates nationwide film preservation efforts and explores new technologies in movie-making. AFI also presents the best of film through the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival, the AFI National Theater in the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the annual AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor given for a career in film.