Harrison Ford was emotional and “humbled” as he was honored at the 2026 Actors Awards with SAG-AFTRA’s Lifetime Achievement accolade.
Ford, 83, was handed the award by friend Woody Harrelson, who called him an “esteemed living legend.”
“I’m quite humbled,” Ford began on stage. “I’m in a room of actors, many of whom are here because they’ve been nominated to receive a prize for their amazing work, while I’m here to receive a prize for being alive,” he joked.
“That said, it’s a little weird to get a lifetime achievement award at the half point of my career,” he quipped, as the audience cheered. “It’s a little early, isn’t it? I’m still a working actor.” The Star Wars actor, who is currently starring on Apple TV’s critically acclaimed Shrinking, said he remains “at the half point” of his career.
He acknowledged the struggles he faced “for 15 years,” adding that his later success was a collective effort. “None of this happened on my own,” he said, thanking past collaborators and supporters George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. He also paid a heartfelt tribute to his manager of 30 years, Pat McQueeney, and casting director, Fred Roos, saying he would “not be here without them.”
“They’re no longer with us, but it feels important that I thank them now. I feel them here tonight. They would be happy for me,” he said.
Ford continued to give a candid account of feeling “isolated and alone” while in college, until he found his people: “misfits and geeks.” He emphasized that he was “not an overnight success.”
“I found a calling, a life in storytelling. An identity in pretending to be other people. The work I do with other actors is one of the great joys of my life,” he said.
“Sometimes we make entertainment, sometimes we make art. Sometimes we’re lucky to make ‘em both at the same time, and if we’re really fortunate, we also get to make a living doing it,” Ford continued, becoming teary-eyed as he reflected on his journey as an actor.
He said everyone in the room “shares something fundamental: We share the privilege of working in the world of ideas, of empathy, of imagination.” Several audience members were seen visibly emotional as Ford spoke, including his wife Calista Flockhart, 61.
Ford is the 61st recipient of the honor, joining a long list of entertainment icons, including Mary Tyler Moore, Sidney Poitier, Sally Field, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Betty White, Jane Fonda, Robert De Niro, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Earl Jones.
“I want to say thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart, to my peers, to my extraordinary, beautiful wife Calista, and my family, who have given me love and courage through all of it, and thank you to SAG-AFTRA for honoring me with this prize,” Ford said.
“I’m indeed a lucky guy,” he said. “Lucky to have found my people. Lucky to have work that challenges me. Lucky to still be doing it. And I don’t take that for granted.”
