Iconic actor Harrison Ford has been named the 61st recipient of SAG-AFTRA’s highest honor: the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award for his career and humanitarian accomplishments. Ford will be presented with the union’s top tribute at The 32nd Annual Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA, which will stream live on Netflix Sunday, March 1, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall.
Given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession,” the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award will be the latest recognition in Ford’s remarkable six-decade career. Over the years, Ford has captivated global audiences with genre-defining performances and characters that have become woven into the fabric of our culture, while also contributing meaningfully to various humanitarian and environmental causes.
Defined by iconic film and television roles, and a legacy as one of cinema’s most enduring leading men, Ford’s career has been feted worldwide with numerous accolades including the Critic’s Choice Career Achievement Award (2024), Golden Globes Cecil B. DeMille Award (2002), AFI Life Achievement Award (2000) and more.
SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin said, “Harrison Ford is a singular presence in American life; an actor whose iconic characters have shaped world culture. His career has been endlessly exciting, always returning to his love of acting. We are honored to celebrate a legend whose impact on our craft is indelible.”
Harrison Ford said, “I am deeply honored to be chosen as this year’s recipient of the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award. To be acknowledged by my fellow actors means a great deal to me. I’ve spent most of my life on film sets, working alongside incredible actors and crews, and I’ve always felt grateful to be part of this community.”
Film
Harrison Ford’s film career began in the 1960s. It was his breakthrough role as Bob Falfa in American Graffiti (1973) that set the stage for the defining roles that followed. Ford achieved worldwide stardom in 1977 with his portrayal of Han Solo in Star Wars, a role he reprised in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). His performance helped propel the franchise into a cultural phenomenon.
In 1981, Ford debuted another iconic role: archaeologist Indiana Jones in Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. He returned in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023).
Ford’s extensive and acclaimed filmography includes Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017), where his portrayal of Rick Deckard remains among his most celebrated dramatic performances. Additional highlights include Witness (1985), for which he received a Best Actor Academy Award nomination, The Mosquito Coast (1986), Working Girl (1988), Presumed Innocent (1990), Regarding Henry (1991), Patriot Games (1992), The Fugitive (1993), Clear and Present Danger (1994), Sabrina (1995), Air Force One (1997), What Lies Beneath (2000), 42 (2013), The Age of Adaline (2015), The Call of the Wild (2020), and Captain America: Brave New World (2025).
Television
Harrison Ford began his television career in the late 1960s and early 1970s, appearing in series such as Gunsmoke, Ironside, The Virginian, The F.B.I., Love, American Style, and Kung Fu.
After decades focused primarily on film, Ford returned to television in a major way in the 2020s. In 2022, he starred alongside Helen Mirren in the Paramount+ western drama 1923, a prequel series within Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe. He further expanded his television work with the Apple TV comedy-drama Shrinking (2023). The series received widespread praise, with Ford earning nominations for a Golden Globe Award, a Critics’ Choice Television Award, his first Actor® nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series, and his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Ford’s renewed presence on television, more than 50 years after his first roles, highlights his enduring versatility and ability to bring depth, humor, and humanity to every performance.
Activism
Harrison Ford has been a prominent environmental and humanitarian advocate for decades, serving as vice-chair of Conservation International and lending his voice to global conservation efforts through EarthShare, Restore Hetch Hetchy and the climate-focused documentary series Years of Living Dangerously. His on-the-ground activism has included high-profile environmental inquiries in Indonesia and an impassioned 2019 address at the United Nations Climate Action Summit, earning him multiple species named in his honor and the inaugural E.O. Wilson Legacy Award for Transformative Conservation Leadership in 2025. Beyond environmental work, Ford has been an advocate for human rights including testifying before the U.S. Senate in support of the Dalai Lama and has voiced his political views across several presidential election cycles. He also supports global archaeological preservation as a General Trustee of the Archaeological Institute of America.
