Tearful Harrison Ford, 81, kisses wife Calista Flockhart, 59, as he scoops Critics Choice Career Achievement award – and pays loving tribute: ‘She supports me when I need a lot of support’.NH
Harrison Ford teared up while receiving the Career Achievement award at the 29th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards on Sunday.
The Indiana Jones star, 81, was supported by wife Calista Flockhart, 59, who gave him a tender kiss before he made his way to the stage.
Calista was also seen with tears in her eyes as she watched the Star Wars actor pay tribute to her in his speech, after getting a standing ovation from the star-studded crowd.
‘I’d like to thank my lovely wife,’ he said, as his voice broke. ‘She supports me when I need a lot of support and I need a lot of support.’
‘I’m really happy to be here tonight to see what our business is turning into and all of the talented people that are getting opportunities that probably would not have existed in the early part of my career,’ he went on.
‘I’m very happy about that. I’m here because of a combination of luck and the work of wonderful directors, writers, film makers.’
The Hollywood icon continued: ‘I feel enormously lucky. I’m happy for this honor and appreciate it very much.’
‘I’m grateful for all of the fine actors that I have worked with.’
He wrapped up his speech saying: ‘I’m deeply happy to have had the opportunities that I have had and I’m grateful. Thank you. I won’t take any more of your time. Thank you.’
While introducing Ford, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold compared the actor’s legacy to a ‘hypergiant star.’
‘A hypergiant is so big that 5 billion of our suns can be contained within it, and they’re so weighty that they pull other heavenly bodies toward them,’ he said.
‘Of course, Harrison Ford is a star, but I submit tonight that he is a variable hypergiant.’
He went on, ‘A star so big, he contains multitudes. A star so unique he attracts other stars, a star so bright he has warmed each of our lives in this room, in our audience and, likely, on this planet.’
Mangold then gave a rundown of Ford’s 55 feature films including Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now, The Fugitive, Presumed Innocence, American Graffiti, Working Girl, Air Force One, calling his characters ‘unforgettable, and utterly human.’
Over his illustrious five-decade career Harrison has captured audiences with his roles, including in the iconic Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.
Before Ford was introduced to the stage by Mangold, host Chelsea Handler took to the stage and joked that Ford has been ‘revving up my hormones since I hit puberty at the age of 8.’
Earlier in the night, she addressed the Blade Runner star and Robert De Niro, 80, in her opening monologue, while talking about her preference for older men.
‘I prefer my men old and hot men who have been alive since the railway was invented. Speaking of which, Robert Deniro and Harrison Ford are here. I’m looking at the two of you.’
‘I don’t know which one of you is more of a smokeshow, but you both have been so hot for decades and just keep getting hotter. It’s enough already.’
‘I know you’re both spoken for, so I’m not hitting on you. But I am hitting on you,’ she added, while Harrison’s wife Calista laughed.
Earlier in the night the pair radiated happiness as they arrived on the red carpet.
Ford looked handsome in a classic black tuxedo at the event, held in Santa Monica, as he held hands with his wife of almost 24 years.
The Ally McBeal actress wore a gorgeous, sleeveless gown featuring a floral print in a slightly deeper shade of purple.
The mom-of-one accessorized her violet frock with sheer black opera-length gloves and wore her hair pulled back with face-framing tendrils.
Aside from being honored with the Career Achievement Award, Ford’s AppleTV+ show, Shrinking, is nominated for Best Comedy Series and he earned an additional nod for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dr. Paul Rhoades.
The longtime couple stayed glued to each other as they walked the red carpet and at several points stopped to look adoringly at each other.
Ford and Calista met at the 2002 Golden Globe Awards. He proposed to her over Valentine’s Day weekend in 2009, and they married in 2010, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
They are the parents of son Liam, 22, whom Flockhart adopted before meeting Ford. The actor later adopted him as well.
Ford has been married a total of three times.
His first wife was Mary Marquardt, to whom he was wed from 1964 until their divorce in 1979. The former pair share two sons, Benjamin, 57, and Willard, 54.
He was later married to late screenwriter Melissa Mathison from March 1983 until their divorce in 2004. They share son Malcolm, 36, and daughter Georgia, 33.
