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Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford attend the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 14, 2024 in Santa Monica, California© Getty Images

Meet Harrison Ford's Oscar-nominated wife he split from just before meeting Calista Flockhart

The Shrinking and 1923 actor has been married to Calista since 2010

Ahad Sanwari
Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
April 6, 2025
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Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart are coming up on a milestone 15 years of marriage, having tied the knot on June 15, 2010 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Harrison, 82, and Calista, 60, have been together since 2002, when they first met at the Golden Globe Awards that January and began dating soon after. The actor also adopted her son Liam after they tied the knot.

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However, just before meeting and sparking a romance, the Indiana Jones actor was coming off of a divorce from his second wife, who was a lot more prolific and accomplished than fans of the actor may remember. But first, walk down memory lane through his love story with Calista in the video below...

WATCH: Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart's Love Story
Melissa Mathison photographed holding a payphone and a dog for a photoshoot© Getty Images

Who was Harrison's second wife?

Harrison's second marriage was to Melissa Mathison. Melissa was a renowned Hollywood screenwriter, known especially for her frequent collaborations with Steven Spielberg.

Melissa was a native of Los Angeles and grew up as friends with the family of Francis Ford Coppola, even babysitting for his kids. It was through that association she got her first break in Hollywood.

Coppola offered her the position of his assistant on The Godfather Part II (1974), and he encouraged her to adapt the 1941 children's novel The Black Stallion into a film, which was released in 1979 and earned critical acclaim and two Oscar nominations.

She was then noticed by Spielberg, and she wrote the screenplay for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The film is considered one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time and earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, plus a Saturn Award win.

Her other notable writing credits include 1995's The Indian in the Cupboard, 1997's Kundun, acting as a consultant on 2008's Ponyo, and her final project, 2016's The BFG.

Harrison Ford and wife Melissa Mathison circa 1990 in New York City at a red carpet© Getty Images

Harrison and Melissa Mathison's relationship

Harrison and Melissa first met in 1976 on the set of Apocalypse Now, when he was still married to Mary Marquardt. He and Mary got divorced in 1979, but it took a while for him to begin dating Melissa.

They began a relationship in 1982 and finally tied the knot a year later, connected through their mutual prominent filmmaker friends Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg.

Georgia Ford, Harrison Ford during the 82nd Annual Golden Globes held at The Beverly Hilton on January 05, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California© Getty Images

Becoming parents

Harrison was already a dad-of-two through his marriage to Mary. In 1987, Harrison welcomed his third child and his first with Melissa, a son named Malcolm. While he made small acting appearances, his primary passion is music, working with a band named The Dough Rollers.

Their daughter Georgia was born in 1990. She also became an actress like her father and lives a more private life as well, most recently joining her dad at the Golden Globe Awards.

Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison during "Air Force One" Los Angeles Premiere at Cineplex Odeon Century Plaza Cinema in Century City, California, United States© Getty Images

Harrison and Melissa's divorce

By the end of 2000, Harrison and Melissa announced that after nearly two decades of marriage, they were separating. In 2002, he met Calista, but while the divorce was amicable, it was lengthy.

Their divorce proceedings drew out considerably due to the lack of a prenuptial agreement and their many shared assets, not being finalized until 2004. Melissa reportedly received an estimated $85 million in the settlement (some report it as high as $118 million), one of the largest in Hollywood history.

Hayao Miyazaki and Melissa Mathison during the special screening of Walt Disney Pictures' "Ponyo" after party at the Roosevelt Hotel, on July 27, 2009 in Hollywood, California© Getty Images

Melissa's life post-divorce

Melissa lived a quieter life after the end of her marriage but continued to work. She was most notably involved in activism, specifically for the Tibetan independence movement. She met the Dalai Lama while writing Kundun and was a member of the board of the International Campaign for Tibet.

Her work in screenwriting slowed down by the aughts, working as a story consultant with Studio Ghibli on Ponyo before teaming up with her old friend Steven Spielberg once again on The BFG. Sadly, she passed away in 2015 at the age of 65 from neuroendocrine cancer, with the film posthumously being released a year later.

Harrison Ford: 5 suprising facts

 Harrison Ford receives an honorary Palme D'Or during the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 18, 2023 in Cannes, France© Getty Images

1. Advertising man

Alongside his acting career, Harrison became a major figure in Japan due to his appearances in several commercials. His most notable endorsement was for Kirin Lager.

2. Hollywood heartthrob

In his younger years, Harrison portrayed iconic characters like Hans Solo and Indiana Jones, earning him swooning fans. Off camera, Harrison he was married three times and had a three-month romantic affair with Carrie Fisher during the filming of Star Wars

3. Real-life pilot

Harrison isn't just a pilot in The Expendables - he's a trained aviator who has saved people in real life. Though never asked by authorities, the actor owns multiple planes and helicopters putting his skills to good use. In 2001, he rescued a lost Boy Scout in Wyoming’s Yellowstone, according to ABC News.

4. Spider Ford

While celebrities often have planets named after them, Harrison has a spider species named in his honour. The spider species Calponia harrisonfordi was named after him according to the Sydney Morning Herald. 

5. Signature chin scar

One of Harrison's distinct features is his chin scar, which he explained to Parade was the result of "a fast car crash." When he was younger, he was driving to work and veered into a telephone pole while trying to put on his seatbelt.

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