Indiana Jones and the Audition Room: How Harrison Ford Beat the Odds in Hollywood

The 2024 Critics Choice Awards further immortalized Harrison Ford’s action-packed legacy with a career achievement award on Sunday night.

Ford, 81, accepted the award to a standing ovation from the room after a video compilation featuring some of his biggest film successes played. “First of all, I’m really happy to be here tonight to see what our business is turning into, and all of the talented people who are getting opportunities that probably wouldn’t have existed in the early part of my career,” he said.

He continued, “I’m here because of a combination of luck and the work of wonderful writers, directors and filmmakers. I feel enormously lucky. I’m happy for this honor, and I appreciate it very much.”

Ford also took time to thank his wife, Calista Flockhart, for offering him “support.”

“I want to thank my lovely wife, Calista Flockhart, who supports me when I need a lot of support,” he said. “And I need a lot of support.”

Both Ford and Flockhart, 59, appeared to tear up during the reference to their marriage.

“I’m deeply happy to have had the opportunities that I’ve had, and I’m grateful,” he said before wrapping up his speech by adding, “I won’t take any more of your time. Thank you.”

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold presented Ford with the statuette during the CW’s broadcast, comparing the legacy actor to a “hypergiant star.”

“A hypergiant is so big that 5 billion of our suns can be contained within it, and they’re so weighty that they pull other heavenly bodies toward them,” Mangold said. “Of course, Harrison Ford is a star, but I submit tonight that he is a variable hypergiant.”

He continued, “A star so big, he contains multitudes. A star so unique he attracts other stars, a star so bright he has warmed each of our lives in this room, in our audience and, likely, on this planet,” he continued.

Mangold outlined the impact of Ford’s 55 feature films, naming American Graffiti, Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, Blade Runner, Witness, The Mosquito Coast, Working Girl, Air Force One, The Fugitive, Presumed Innocence, and Patriot Games before handing Ford the achievement award — naming characters “unforgettable, and utterly human.”

Over an unparalleled five-decade career, the dry-witted Chicago native has carried films, including the epic Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, that have grossed nearly $10 billion worldwide.

This year, Ford starred in the Apple TV+ show Shrinking, which earned him a nod for best supporting actor in a comedy series. He also played opposite Helen Mirren in the Yellowstone spinoff 1923 and will soon make his Marvel debut as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in Captain America: Brave New World.

The actor previously said on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? that he has no plans to retire from acting. “I probably enjoy making movies more now than I ever did,” he said.

In 2023, Ford was honored with a Palme d’Or for lifetime achievement at the new Indiana Jones movie’s world premiere at Cannes Film Festival, where he paused to take in the film industry and fans’ affection for his work.

“I was just trying to keep myself composed,” he later told PEOPLE of the event. “There was very generous applause from the crowd [and] it was positive and humbling and nice.”

The Critics Choice Awards, hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler, honors excellence in the film and television industry within the last year. Among the nominees are the cast and crew of Barbie with a record-setting 18 nominations across several categories, from best actress for Margot Robbie to best supporting actor for Ryan Gosling. In addition, Oppenheimer and Poor Things earned 13 nominations each.