Why Harrison Ford pierced his ear

harrison ford
harrison ford

Harrison Ford celebrates his 70th birthday on Friday, and there's something he's famous for besides his iconic roles as Indiana Jones and Han Solo: His pierced left ear.

The actor got the ear accessory back in 1997, when he was 55.

What's not surprising: It began with male bonding. What is surprising: Claire's Accessories was involved. (If you're not a 12-year-old girl, picture a store stacked with racks of earrings, scarves, and other doodads -- not normally where action hunks hang out.)

The "Air Force One" star told People magazine he had been lunching with buddies Jimmy Buffett and the late "60 Minutes" correspondent Ed Bradley.
"We all had the same phones and watches," he said, adding, "but I realized I didn't have an earring like they did."

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So after lunch, Ford and his then-wife, screenwriter Melissa Mathison, ducked into the Lexington Avenue boutique. The employee on duty, Tavora Escossery, did the deed.

She has said Ford (who is now married to actress Calista Flockhart) "didn't flinch, and when it was done, he said, 'That didn't hurt.'" Afterward he signed a notepad: "To Tavora. You made a hole in me. Harrison Ford."

Watch the trailer for 'The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray Collection':

'The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-Ray Collection' Trailer