The unstoppableStar Wars: The Force Awakenshas taken another record, although this time it’s personal. The box office dominance ofJ.J. Abrams’ sequel has pushed the total U.S. gross ofHarrison Ford’s filmography to $4.7 billion, allowing him to surpassSamuel L. Jacksonand become the highest grossing actor in U.S. history. This isn’t the first time Ford has held this title. He was the country’s highest grossing actor until Jackson overtook him, mainly thanks toThe Incrediblesand, yes, theStar Warsprequels—screen time doesn’t factor into these totals, so no matter how little Jackson appeared in theStar Warsfilms compared to Ford, it still counts!
Films like the originalStar Warsmovies and theIndiana Jonesseries certainly bolster Ford’s numbers, but the icon has enjoyed immense box office success across a multitude of genres for decades, from the “action hero” Ford in films likeThe Fugitive,Patriot GamesandAir Force One(which grossed a swell $172 million in the U.S.), to less expected fare likeCowboys & Aliens,42, andAnchorman 2. There are also a couple of curiosities to be found on Ford’s box office chart, chiefly the staggering $155.4 million gross ofRobert Zemeckis’ Hitchcokian thrillerWhat Lies Beneath, a movie time seems to have forgotten. Plus there’s the revelation that Ford’sAnne Hechetwo-handerSix Days, Seven Nightsgrossed nearly twice as much asThe Expendables 3with $74.3 million.
Who else reigns supreme on the individual actor box office chart? Ford is followed by the aforementioned Jackson at $4.6 billion, withTom HanksandMorgan Freemannot terribly far behind with $4.33 billion and $4.31 billion, respectively. You have to go all the way to #15 to find a female on the list withCameron Diaz, whose total stands at $3.03 billion thanks in no small part to theShrekfranchise. Indeed, the one thing Forddoesn’thave on his resume is an animated film, which Jackson, Hanks, Freeman, and #5Eddie Murphyall share.
You can see the full box office chart over atBox Office Mojo. For now, withThe Force Awakensseemingly having no end in sight, it doesn’t look like Jackson will be catching up to him anytime soon. Well, untilThe Incredibles 2, that is.
