As Harrison Ford Marks His 82nd Birthday, Go Inside His Marriage with Wife Calista Flockhart

The actor has said Calista Flockhart "supports me when I need a lot of support"

<p>Emma McIntyre/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty</p> Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart

Emma McIntyre/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty

Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart

After 22 years, Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart still support each other every step of the way.

Ford — who turns 82 on Saturday, July 13 — met Flockhart, now 59, at the 2002 Golden Globes. At the time, of course, Ford had already starred in the hit Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, and Flockhart was coming to the end of her run on the series Ally McBeal.

"I remember loving him in Mosquito Coast, but I didn't really think about him," Flockhart later said.

At the time, Ford was still married to Melissa Mathison, with whom he shared two kids, Malcolm and Georgia, though Mathison had filed for legal separation the year prior. (Ford also had two kids with his first wife Mary Marquardt, whom he met in his 20s before he launched his acting career.)

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford

Related: Harrison Ford's 5 Children: All About Benjamin, Willard, Malcolm, Georgia and Liam

Ford and Flockhart chased the initial spark, going on their first date later that year — a dinner and then drinks at Ford’s home, accompanied by none other than Flockhart's Ally McBeal costar James Marsden.

During an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2019, Marsden revealed that Flockhart had invited him along, joking, “I'm a harbinger of a wonderful, long relationship."

The two made their first appearance as an item in September 2002, hitting the red carpet of the K-19: The Widowmaker premiere. Over the next year, the pair were no stranger to the spotlight, attending fashion shows together and even speaking to PEOPLE about their shared love of flying.

J. Vespa/WireImage Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart
J. Vespa/WireImage Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart

By 2008, Ford was taking an active role in parenting his girlfriend’s son, 7-year-old Liam, whom Flockhart welcomed via adoption in 2001 before the pair started dating.

Speaking to Reader’s Digest, the star described Flockhart as "the best [mother] in the world."

"She's a mother by choice — she adopted Liam before we met, as a single parent, which is an awesome responsibility to take. She's devoted herself to Liam and has done a really wonderful job raising him. I'm happy to now have a part of the job,” he said at the time.

Over Valentine’s Day weekend in 2009, Ford proposed while on vacation.

Kevin Winter/ImageDirect Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart
Kevin Winter/ImageDirect Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart

The two married in 2010 at Governor’s Mansion in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in a ceremony officiated by then-Gov. Bill Richardson, who was a friend of the couple’s. The wedding site was not far from the set of Cowboys and Aliens, which Ford was filming at the time.

Their family experienced a scare in 2015 when Ford crashed his vintage plane on a Los Angeles golf course, hospitalizing him.

Flockhart opened up about the crash later that year, calling the experience a "really hard, scary time" for their family. “I think it just makes you realize once again that life can turn on a dime, and we just have to appreciate every second we're here, because you never know," she said.

In the years after, Ford continued to fly. In 2023, Ford said that Flockhart no longer would fly with him in vintage planes after his crash, describing the 2015 incident as “really hard on my family,” but noted that she would accompany him in other aircrafts.

Steve Granitz/WireImage Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford
Steve Granitz/WireImage Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford

Now empty-nesters, the couple have continued to keep busy, attending numerous industry events and each supporting the other's new projects.

In January as he accepted a lifetime achievement award at the Critics Choice Awards, the Blade Runner actor said, "I want to thank my lovely wife, Calista Flockhart, who supports me when I need a lot of support." And the Feud: Capote vs. The Swans actress returned the compliment, telling PEOPLE two weeks later, "He supports me a lot. It’s a mutual thing."

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