Harrison Ford will receive an award for his philanthropy Tuesday night from the global surgery and training nonprofit Operation Smile. But the star of the “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars” film franchises, as well as this year’s “Captain America: Brave New World,” says all the attention should go to the award’s namesake – Ford’s friend, the late humanitarian and noted plastic surgeon Dr. Randy Sherman.
Like Ford, Sherman, who was director of the Cedars-Sinai Division of Plastic Surgery in Los Angeles and a specialist in reconstructive surgery who developed numerous training programs, was an avid pilot and they bonded when they shared the same home airport. Sherman told Ford of his volunteer work with Operation Smile, providing cleft palate surgery to children in countries where access to such services is limited, and Angel Flight West, which provides free medical transportation to patients.
“The things that he contributed to my life and to my family’s lives are beyond anybody’s wildest imagination,” Ford said of Sherman, who died in 2023 when his plane experienced engine failure and crashed in New Mexico. “He was a very important person to me and, by the way, to all of the people that he’s associated with in the medical community. All of them recognize his selfless service.”
