McCall's Vol. CXXVII, No. 7, April 2000. ©2000 Gruner+Jahr USA Publishing.
Celebrity close-up

Ladies’ man

What is it about Harrison Ford that makes women swoon? A revealing look at his softer side.
Harrison Ford has made a career of playing the rough-and-ready hero (“He looks as if he's carrying a gun, even if he isn't,” Star Wars's Carrie Fisher once observed). But his appeal to women undoubtedly lies in the suspicion that lurking beneath the gruff exterior is a teddy bear. “There's nothing that makes a man sexier to a woman than realizing he's a good guy,” says Anne Archer, his movie Mrs. in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. “Harrison's a very good guy.”

One of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, Ford, who appears this summer in the thriller What Lies Beneath, with Michelle Pfeiffer, is a devoted father who rarely turns up in paparazzi shots of the hottest parties. Instead, he prefers spending time in the country, hiking and hanging out with his family. Here, he talks openly about marriage, his kids and (of all things) loving Bambi.

Spouses...
Ford was married to Mary Louise Marquardt from 1964 to 1979. They have two kids, Benjamin, 33, a chef, and Willard, 30, a teacher with a six-year-old son, Eliel (making Ford a grandpa). According to his longtime manager, he and his ex are still great friends. Since 1983 he's been married to screenwriter Melissa Mathison (who wrote E.T. and Kundun). They have two children, Malcolm, 13, and Georgia, nine. “We have a good marriage. We enjoy our life together. But I don't have a recipe for other people to use. We just believe in doing what works for us.”

... and houses
Ford divides his time between Jackson Hole, Wyo.; Los Angeles; and New York City. “The first time I saw Jackson Hole, I said, ‘This is the place that's been in my mind all the time.’ It was a grand expression of nature. When I need to relax, I can mentally go for a walk through my woods. When I'm in New York, I take a stroll in Central Park or go for a motorcycle ride. I've got many bikes that are suitable for my many different moods.”

The protective pop
“I dislike the culture of celebrity. Giving up privacy is giving up the most important thing - you'd better get something for it. What I've gotten is considerable, and I can't complain, but I am concerned for my children. I try to instill the obvious values in them - respect for other people and honesty. Being the child of an actor is never easy. I spend summers in Wyoming with the kids every year, then I go back to work when they're in school. Being there for them is important.”
 
Photo: Michael O’Neill/Corbis Outline
 

He's gotta have it
“There's a certain point when my brain gets itchy. I'm a person who needs to work, and making movies is the only area where I have enough expertise to make it interesting. As for playing Indiana Jones again, I'm ready when they're ready. But I also enjoy making romantic films.”

A kid at heart
“I'm not a big movie buff. I've never seen Casablanca or The Sixth Sense. When I was growing up, I went to a lot of Saturday matinees of Gene Autry films and Disney movies - I actually liked Bambi.”

The best part of moviemaking
“Doing interviews. No, just kidding. Actually, I love the process of working with people. I like the sense of community. I think sometimes of not acting, but I can't imagine my life without it.”

- By Bonnie Siegler