Willard Ford is an American entrepreneur, fitness coach, and businessman best known as the son of legendary Hollywood actor Harrison Ford and his first wife, Mary Marquardt. Although his father’s career includes iconic roles in Star Wars and Indiana Jones, Willard has established a professional identity outside the entertainment industry.
His work spans fitness training, fashion, furniture design, and commercial real estate. From developing a historic Los Angeles theater into a creative business space to founding Strong Sports Gym, his career reflects interests that extend well beyond his family’s Hollywood connections.
Willard Ford is Harrison Ford’s second-oldest son, born on May 14, 1969, to the actor and Mary Marquardt. He is an entrepreneur and fitness professional who studied at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His business ventures include Strong Sports Gym, Ludwig Clothing, and the former Kim Sing Theatre in Los Angeles.
Family Profile
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Willard Ford |
| Date of Birth | May 14, 1969 |
| Age | 57 years old (as of November 2026) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known For | Entrepreneur, fitness coach, and Harrison Ford’s son |
| Father | Harrison Ford |
| Mother | Mary Marquardt |
| Older Brother | Benjamin Ford |
| Half-Siblings | Malcolm Ford and Georgia Ford |
| Adoptive Brother | Liam Flockhart Ford |
| Children | Eliel Ford and Guiliana Ford |
| Education | University of California, Santa Cruz |
| Degree | Bachelor’s degree in American Studies |
| Profession | Entrepreneur and fitness coach |
| Notable Businesses | Strong Sports Gym, Ludwig Clothing, and Ford & Ching |
| Former Property Venture | Kim Sing Theatre, Los Angeles |
Early Life and the Ford Family
Willard was born on May 14, 1969, the younger of two sons Harrison Ford had with Mary Marquardt. His older brother, Benjamin Ford, was born in 1966. Harrison and Mary married in 1964, years before the actor became a household name, and divorced in 1979. Their sons therefore spent their earliest years during a period when their father was still working to establish himself in Hollywood.
The family’s circumstances changed considerably as Harrison secured prominent screen roles. He appeared in American Graffiti in 1973, followed by his breakthrough as Han Solo in Star Wars in 1977.
Willard also has two younger half-siblings, Malcolm and Georgia, from Harrison’s marriage to screenwriter Melissa Mathison. Liam Flockhart Ford, whom Harrison adopted, is his younger adoptive brother. As documented in People’s profile of Harrison Ford’s five children, Benjamin became a chef and restaurateur, while Willard pursued business, design, and athletics—different careers within the same well-known family.
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Education and His First Professional Ventures
Willard attended the University of California, Santa Cruz, earning a bachelor’s degree in American studies. In an interview with The Hundreds, he described subsequently entering an education graduate program at San Francisco State University, which he left before completing. His account offers a more detailed picture than biographies that begin with his later Los Angeles businesses.
His early work crossed several fields. He repaired bicycles, worked as a machinist and screen printer, taught in Oakland, and became involved in nonprofit organizations and foundations. He also helped operate an adventure travel business offering trips in Southeast Asia. Rather than following a single professional track, he accumulated experience in technical work, education, tourism, and organizational management.
The Kim Sing Theatre: His Most Visible Property Project
One of Willard Ford’s best-documented ventures was the historic Kim Sing Theatre in Los Angeles’ Chinatown. The building opened in 1926 as a vaudeville venue and later operated as a movie theater. Ford acquired the property around 2000, when it had been out of use, and undertook a substantial renovation with XTen Architects.
Rather than erase the building’s history, the project retained features including its neon marquee and exposed bow-truss ceilings. The redesigned interior made room for a courtyard, commercial showrooms, event functions, and a residential loft. The result was not simply a refurbished theater: it became a place where several of Ford’s commercial interests could operate alongside one another.
His showroom businesses included Ford & Ching, which represented furniture and design products, and 722 Figueroa, a fashion showroom. In his interview with The Hundreds, Ford discussed the different demands of selling furniture and clothing and the complexities of dealing with retailers and suppliers. That firsthand account gives substance to descriptions of him as a design entrepreneur.
The venture also attracted attention from the business and real estate press. According to the Los Angeles Times, Ford bought the property for $300,000 and sold it to Indra & Co. for $3.3 million in 2016. Those figures document the purchase and sale; they should not be mistaken for his personal profit, since renovation expenses, financing, and other costs affect the financial outcome.
Ludwig Clothing and His Work in Fashion
Fashion was another branch of his Chinatown business activity. Willard partnered with designer Mike Dytri on Ludwig, a men’s clothing label that combined contemporary streetwear with references to classical music and popular culture. Its identity drew particularly on composer Ludwig van Beethoven and the film A Clockwork Orange.
California Apparel News covered the brand in 2008 and reported the opening of a dedicated Ludwig store in June 2009. Located within the Kim Sing Theatre complex, the shop placed apparel alongside furniture and other design-related activities. The collection included shirts, jackets, casual pants, and accessories.
The reporting is important because it describes Ludwig as a collaborative business rather than a brand Willard developed entirely alone. While older profiles sometimes refer to Ludwig Clothing Company as one of his businesses, those reports do not establish that the same retail operation remains active today.
Strong Sports Gym and His Fitness Career
Fitness has become one of the clearest continuing threads in Willard Ford’s working life. He founded Strong Sports Gym with his longtime training partner Kengo Ura in 2006, drawing on experience in martial arts, cycling, boxing, and strength training. The gym developed as a coaching-focused business rather than a conventional celebrity-branded fitness venture.
The current Strong Sports website identifies Ford as its founder, owner, and head coach in Pasadena, California. It describes a private training facility offering strength and conditioning, endurance work, and boxing. Its programming emphasizes individual assessment, technique, and ongoing coaching, with options for small-group training.
Ford’s professional biography on the gym’s website says he has worked in training and coaching for more than three decades. The site’s FAQ also lists coaching credentials in boxing and strength training. These are claims made by the organization he operates, but they provide direct evidence of how he presents his present-day professional role.
His commitment to physical training began long before the gym opened. In his interview with The Hundreds, he recalled studying several martial arts as a youngster before training more seriously in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kickboxing. That history connects his athletic interests with his decision to establish a training business.
Cycling and a Shared Adventure With Harrison Ford
Cycling provides a particularly concrete example of Willard’s work intersecting with his father’s interests. He raced bicycles while growing up in Los Angeles and helped found VeloAsia, a cycling and adventure travel venture, during the 1990s. His involvement in long-distance riding extended beyond recreation into organizing trips for others.
In 2021, Harrison Ford joined a group ride along much of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. A 2025 Mexico News Daily report identified Willard as the organizer of that journey. The story later described how another cyclist contacted him when planning a similar adventure.
It is a rare publicly documented collaboration between father and son outside the film industry. The event does not require assumptions about their private relationship: it shows that they participated in a substantial cycling undertaking and that Willard’s experience helped make the trip possible.
Wife, Children, and Public Misconceptions
Willard is also a father. Published family profiles identify two children, Eliel and Guiliana Ford. Coverage of his family is much less extensive than reporting on his businesses, however, and reliable mainstream profiles have not established a spouse or a current marriage status. It would be misleading to name a wife without dependable evidence.
Searches about Willard Ford’s net worth also often lead to unsupported figures. The publicly reported Kim Sing Theatre sale provides a transaction price, not a calculation of his personal assets or earnings. Similarly, searches involving Ford dealerships may refer to unrelated automotive businesses; his documented career centers on design, fitness, clothing, and property projects.
Conclusion
Willard Ford is Harrison Ford and Mary Marquardt’s younger son, but his career stands on its own documented record. His work with the Kim Sing Theatre, Ludwig Clothing, and Strong Sports Gym shows sustained involvement in creative businesses and athletic coaching. For readers asking who he is today, the clearest answer comes from those ventures rather than speculation about the Ford family’s private life.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How old is Willard Ford?
Willard Ford is 57 years old as of November 2026; he was born May 14, 1969.
2. Who are Willard Ford’s parents?
His parents are actor Harrison Ford and Mary Marquardt, who were married from 1964 to 1979.
3. Does Willard Ford have children?
Yes, published family profiles identify two children, Eliel Ford and Guiliana Ford.
4. What does Willard Ford do for a living?
He is an entrepreneur and fitness coach who owns Strong Sports Gym in Pasadena, California.
5. Is Willard Ford married?
Reliable public reporting does not establish Willard Ford’s current marital status or identify a spouse.
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