Harrison Ford

Ford studied at Ripon College before dropping out just short of graduating and moving to Los Angeles, where a contract with Columbia Pictures went nowhere and he spent years taking small, forgettable television roles while building a parallel career as a professional carpenter to support his young family.

The carpenter Lucas hired to read lines for other actors' auditions became the face of two of cinema's biggest mythologies — and, as Deckard, the weary center of its greatest noir future. Before his acting career took off, he built cabinetry for clients including members of the Doors, work he continued even after Star Wars made him famous, reportedly out of genuine enjoyment of the craft.

He was a late, reluctant addition to the Blade Runner cast, brought on after his Star Wars success, and has spoken candidly for decades about his mixed feelings toward the finished film — including a since-softened dislike of its theatrical voiceover narration — even as it became one of his most critically acclaimed performances.