How Old Indiana Jones Is In Every Movie

Harrison Ford plays the iconic archeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones in four movies to date (with a fifth on the way), each of which sees him at a different age in his life. Dr. Henry Jones, Jr. may be a professor of archeology, but his headstrong thirst for knowledge and penchant for danger, more often than not, places him in the field on daring pursuits for priceless treasures. With the majority of the film series set during the buildup to World War II, Indiana Jones is often pitted against the Nazis in exotic lands full of mystery, death, and, unfortunately, snakes. The Indiana Jones films take place out of chronological order and span over 40 years of the character’s life, which can make keeping track of the intrepid archeologist’s age a bit difficult.

The dashing hero from the minds of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg first appeared in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark in a race against the Nazis to uncover the Ark of the Covenant. To avoid a repeat use of Nazis as villains, Lucas imagined the second film, 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, as a prequel. Darker in tone and disturbing to many viewers, the movie follows Indiana to the jungles of India where he encounters a mysterious religious cult. The filmmakers returned to the character’s roots for the third installment, 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, a thrilling adventure full of Nazis that pairs Indiana with his father on a harrowing quest for the Holy Grail. Released nineteen years later, 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull sees a considerably older Indiana venture back into the field with his son as they become entangled in a Soviet plot to harness the power of a telepathic skull.

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, a television series from 1992-1993, places the famed archeologist’s birth on July 1, 1899 in Princeton, New Jersey. Indiana Jones is 37 years old in Raiders of the Lost Ark, which takes place in 1936 during the buildup to World War II. The prequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, is set one year earlier in 1935, placing the archeologist’s age at 36. Indy is 39 years old when his father joins him in their 1938 quest for the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The series jumps 18 years later to 1957 for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, featuring a 58 year-old Indy.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is the only movie to star another actor other than Harrison Ford in the title role, something that occurs during a flashback sequence in the film’s prologue. While exploring Utah’s Arches National Park with his Boy Scout troop, Indiana lifts the Cross of Coronado off a group of thieves to ensure its rightful place in a museum. The flashback takes place in 1912 and stars River Phoenix as the 13-year-old Indiana Jones. The scene not only provides the youngest depiction of Indiana Jones in a film to date, but it also reveals the source of the archeologist’s iconic chin scar and fear of snakes, both of which won’t be leaving him anytime soon.

Harrison Ford is set to reprise his iconic role in Indiana Jones 5, currently scheduled for a summer 2022 release. It’s unclear exactly when the film will take place, or if it will include any flashbacks, but director James Mangold may have inadvertently hinted at a 1960s setting. If the character’s age progression is to be roughly aligned with that of Harrison Ford’s, the film will need to take place at the end of the decade. This would make Indy about 68-70 years old in Indiana Jones 5. However, Indiana may not be the same man audiences knew years ago. After all, it’s not the years, it’s the mileage.

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