If you’re looking for an actor who is solid no matter how versatile his character role is, Ed Harris is the one. At 71 years old, his acting resume only seems to get more refined as he ages. He’s rubbed shoulders with elite actors such as Russel Crowe, Nicholas Cage, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Tom Cruise. Let’s take a close look at 10 of the highest-grossing movies of the living legend, Ed Harris.
10 Gravity
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First on the list of iconic movies starring Ed Harris is the sci-fi thriller, Gravity. Released in 2013 on a $100 million budget, Harris plays the role of Mission Control in Houston, which isn’t exactly the most glorified character in the movie. Nevertheless, the main characters are Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowolshi (George Clooney) who embark on a routine mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. Things take a turn for the worse when the Russian shoot down one of their satellites, leaving the two astronauts stranded in space inside a damaged spacecraft with depleting oxygen levels. As one of Harris’ star movies, Gravity grossed $688.2 million at the global box office.
9 National Treasure: Book Of Secrets
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Harris is known for playing high-intensity action roles, and he put that on display in 2007’s National Treasure: Book of Secrets. The action/adventure film follows the protagonist, Ben Franklin Gates (Nicholas Cage), and his father Patrick Gates (Jon Voight) as they travel to Washington, England, and France to defend the honor of their ancestor. Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) is a black market antique dealer who causes Ben’s great-great-grandfather of treason. And, of course, his character portrays the main antagonist, a role he executed quite well. Although it was heavily criticized, the film was a major hit, grossing $457 million at the box office.
8 The Rock
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Before getting any wrong idea, this movie is not autobiographical on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The Rock is actually an action/mystery film directed by Michael Bay in 1996. Once again, as the main protagonist in the movie, Ed Harris plays the role of Gen. Francis X. Hummel who threatens to launch a chemical weapon on Alcatraz Island, directed toward San Francisco. His demand is for $100 million in restitution to be paid to the families of war servicemen who died while performing covert operations. Stanley Goodspeed (Nicholas Cage) and ex-British spy John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery) is sent on a mission to stop Gen. Hummel and neutralize the threat before time runs out. With a line-up of exciting actors in a high-action movie, The Rock grossed $336 million at the box office.
7 Apollo 13
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There is probably not a single movie starring Ed Harris with a poor lineup of celebrities. In 1995, he was cast in Apollo 13, a Hollywood dramatization of the real-life events that took place on the Apollo 13 lunar mission from April 11-April 17, 1970. Harris played the pivotal role of Gene Kranz, who at the time of the Apollo program served as NASA’s Chief Flight Director and aerospace engineer. He worked together with other astronauts like Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), Jeff Haise (Bill Paxton), and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon). The iconic movie grossed an impressive $335.8 million.
6 A Beautiful Mind
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You would think that Ed Harris would get a break in the romance drama, A Beautiful Mind, and reveal a softer, less volatile side of his personality. But, that isn’t the case with this movie, as we see Harris’ character, Parcher, display some really ruthless behavior. But as the story unfolds, you come to realize that Parcher isn’t actually real. You see, the movie is inspired by the real-life events surrounding John Forbes Nash Jr. (Russel Crowe) whose mathematical genius is about to make him internationally known. But he also suffers from schizophrenia, and Parcher is a result of the delusions he faces. John Forbes Nash Jr.’s wife, Alicia Nash, is also played by Jennifer Connelly. The gripping film managed to gross $317.7 million at the global box office.
5 The Firm
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The Firm, released in 1993, is a legal thriller based on the 1991 novel, The Firm, written by Josh Grisham. The movie, The Pelican Brief, starring Denzel Washington, was also inspired by another of Josh Grisham’s novels. Similar to the character of Keanu Reeves in The Devil’s Advocate, Tom Cruise plays the role of Mitch McDeere, a young, brilliant law graduate who is offered a generous job with Bendini, Lambert & Lock, a boutique law firm in Memphis Tennessee. Mitch accepts and moves with his wife, Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn) to Memphis. But it’s not long before he realizes that most of BL&L’s wealthiest clients are into illegal businesses, encouraged by his senior partner, Avery Tolar. When the FBI is called in to investigate the law firm, FBI Agent Wayne Tarrance (Ed Harris) is in charge of the investigation. The film did well, grossing $270.2 million at the box office.
4 The Truman Show
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Movie-lovers know by now that any movie that Jim Carrey is cast in is hilarious. So when the psychological comedy/drama film, The Truman Show, came out in 1998, fans knew what to expect. The movie follows the life of Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) who appears to be living a normal life. However, unbeknownst to him, everything from the place he grew up in, to the townspeople, down to his wife, are all scripted. His life is being recorded as a reality TV show called The Truman Show and Christof (Ed Harris) is the show’s creator and director. Truman begins “waking up to the matrix,” if you will, and seeks to live a normal life, all while the world is watching. This classic film grossed an easy $264 million at the box office.
3 Geostorm
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It can tend to be reminiscent of the 2004 action-sci-fi, The Day After Tomorrow, but 2017’s Geostorm has a bit of a twist. Starring Gerard Butler as Jake Lawson, Jim Sturgess as Max, Abbie Cornish as Sarah Wilson, and Andy Garcia as President Andrew Palma; the film blends the double-threat of climate change and technology. When the world leaders unite to combat climate change by using satellites to manage the globe’s weather patterns, they never imagine that their technology would turn against them by attacking earth and forming the ultimate storm that could possibly wipe out the entire population of earth. Behind the mayhem is Leonard Dekkom, who plans to decimate all countries opposed to globalization by opposing the United States. The controversial film grossed $221.6 million worldwide.
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2 Stepmom
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Stepmom, released in 1998, is one of the few movies showcasing the flexibility of Ed Harrison as an actor. The romance/drama highlights Harris as Luke Harrison, a father of two who has divorced the mother of his children, Jackie Harrison (Susan Sarandon), and is now moving on with a much younger candidate, Isabel Kelly (Julia Roberts). However, his children have her under a microscope and aren’t trading in their mother for Ms. Kelly so easily. Jackie, also, is not in favor of the younger woman. But when Luke proposes to Isabel, it’s clear that she will indeed be the children’s stepmother. It is then revealed that Jackie has been silently battling cancer, which has worsened. The emotionally-charged movie raked in $160 million at the global box office, along with the tears of some viewers.
1 Planes: Fire And Rescue
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Here’s a movie fans never thought the tough Ed Harris would be a part of – Planes: Fire and Rescue. The family animation comedy centers around the performance racing plane, Dusty, played by Dane Cook. When he learns that his engine is damaged, he goes in search of another career. Dusty joins a team of firefighting aircraft trained in protecting Piston Peak National Park. But when danger strikes in the form of a widespread wildfire, Dusty and his team, made up of Blade Runner (Ed Harrison), Lil’ Dipper (Julie Bowen), Cabbie (Dale Dye), and other friends learn that there is no “I” in team. Other actors include Brad Garrett, Cedric The Entertainer, Regina King, and Wes Judi. The PG film grossed $156.4 million at the global box office.
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Sources: Pure Evil Wiki, Shmoop, Screenrant, TVTropes
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