AwardsWatch

Indiana Jones himself will be on the scene when the Santa Barbara International Film Festival will present its fifth annual Kirk Douglas Award For Excellence In Film to legendary actor/producer Harrison Ford. The black-tie Gala, which serves as a fundraiser for the Festival will take place at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara on Friday, November 19.

Ford, one of the planet's biggest stars for more than 3 decades, has made an astonishing 43 feature films, 12 of which have grossed over $100 million. He is one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, fearlessly moving between comedies and dramas, with action films and thrillers also part of his impressive oeuvre. As one of film's  most recognizable faces and most loved performers, Ford, who rarely makes public appearances, is a movie star in the old mold.

He first turned heads with his role as a macho guy in the George Lucas hommage to the 1960s, AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973). But it was his cocky rebel starship pilot in STAR WARS (1978) that made Han Solo a famous name throughout the world and Harrison Ford a major Hollywood icon. Although he followed up his mega-success with an even more iconic performance as the fedora-wearing Indiana Jones in Steven Spielberg's rollicking RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) and its various sequels, Ford continued to surprise critics and audiences with sensitve and vulnerable portrayals in such films as HANOVER STREET (1978), WITNESS (his only Oscar nominated role in 1985),  THE MOSQUITO COAST (1986), WORKING GIRL (1988) and PRESUMED INNOCENT (1990). He is perhaps most liked on screen as a cerebral action hero, delighting audiences in such films as PATRIOT GAMES (1992), THE FUGITIVE (1993), CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER (1994) and AIR FORCE ONE (1997).

His newest film is MORNING GLORY, a sharp satire on the dysfunctional world of morning television programs, with Ford playing a legendary news anchor who is brought on to save a failing morning show where he wrangles with his co-anchor, a delicious Diane Keaton. The busy actor will also strut his stuff opposite Daniel Craig in the upcoming film COWBOYS AND ALIENS, directed by Jon Favreau. James Bond and Indiana Jones....I smell a hit.

Sandy Mandelberger, Awards Watch Editor