A little bit of wit and a lot of talent, box office giant Harrison Ford (1942-) was born on this day in Chicago, Illinois.

The handsome actor taught himself carpentry to survive the lean years and liked the steady income woodworking generated so much, he almost turned down George Lucas' offer to star in American Graffiti because the role only paid $500 a week.

In 1977, he exploded on the screen as Star Wars' Han Solo...and the rest is movie history. A successful and bankable actor, in 1999 he had starred in seven of the 30 top-grossing films of all time. Of his popularity, the humble Ford has said, "My occupation is assistant storyteller. It is not 'icon'."

Storyteller or icon, Ford is still hot. A highly-anticipated fourth installment of the Indiana Jones saga is planned with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas for a future release.

"We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance," Ford said.

The winner of countless accolades, perhaps the most unique is the one he received in 1993 when the American Museum of Natural History named a new species of spider, Calponia harrisonford.

Make yourself, and others, smile.