1 Mayıs 1916 tarihinde Kanada'nın Quebec kentinde doğan Ford, çocuk yaşta Kaliforniya'ya taşındı.

1939 yılında Columbia Pictures'da çalışmaya başladı. 53 yıllık kariyeri boyunca, 100'den fazla filmde yer aldı, romantik ya da komedi alanındaki filmlerde genellikle sert, ketum kahramanları canlandırdı.

Kariyerine ilk başladığı dönemde ise sayısız ikinci sınıf filmde yer aldı. Kariyerine kısa bir süre için İkinci Dünya Savaşı'nda piyade olarak görev yaptığı sırada ara verdi. Rita Hayworth ile arka arkaya oynadığı altı filmle Hollywood’daki yerini sağlamlaştırdı. Gilda, The Big Heat ve Midway gibi filmlerle üne kavuştu. 1978 yılında çekilen Süpermen filminde de Clark Kent'in babasını canlandırmıştı. En çok kovboy filmlerindeki rolleriyle hatırlanır. The Desperados, The Fastest Gun Alive - Yaman Silahşör ve Kovboy gibi filmleri bu tarzın en iyileri arasında kabul edilmektedir. "It started with a kiss - Her şey bir öpücükle başladı" gibi romantik komedilerde de rol aldı. 76 yaşındayken dördüncü kez evlendi.

Filmografi
- Final Verdict (1991) (TV) as Rev. Rogers
- Raw Nerve (1991) as Captain Gavin
- Border Shootout (1990) as Sheriff John Danaher
- Casablanca Express (1989) as Major Gen. Williams
- Law at Randado (1989) (TV)
- My Town (1986) (TV) as Lucas Wheeler
- Happy Birthday to Me (1981) as Dr. David Faraday
- Fukkatsu no hi (a.k.a. Virus) (1980) as President Richardson
- Superman II (opening title flashback - uncredited) as Jonathan Kent
- Day of the Assassin (1979) as Christakis
- The Gift (1979) (TV) as Billy Devlin
- Beggarman, Thief (1979) (TV) as David Donnelly
- The Sacketts (1979) (TV) as Tom Sunday
- The Visitor (1979) as Det. Jake Durham
- Superman (1978) as Jonathan Kent
- Evening in Byzantium (1978) (TV) as Jesse Craig
- The 3,000 Mile Chase (1977) (TV) as Paul Dvorak/Leonard Staveck
- Midway (1976) as RAdm. Raymond A. Spruance
- Punch and Jody (1974) (TV) as Peter 'Punch' Travers
- The Greatest Gift (1974) (TV) as Rev. Holvak
- The Disappearance of Flight 412 (1974) (TV) as Colonel Pete Moore
- Santee (1973) as Santee
- Jarrett (1973) (TV) as Sam Jarrett
- Cade's County (1971) (TV) as Sam Cade
- The Brotherhood of the Bell (1970) (TV) as Prof. Andrew Patterson
- Heaven with a Gun (1969) as Jim Killian/Pastor Jim
- Smith!' (1969) as Smith
- Day of the Evil Gun (1968) as Lorne Warfield
- The Last Challenge (1967) as Marshal Dan Blaine
- A Time for Killing (1967) as Maj. Tom Wolcott
- Rage (1966) as Doc Reuben
- Is Paris Burning? (1966) as Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley
- The Money Trap (1965) as Joe Baron
- The Rounders (1965) as Ben Jones
- Dear Heart (1964) as Harry Mork
- Fate Is the Hunter (1964) as Sam C. McBane
- Advance to the Rear (1964) as Capt. Jared Heath
- Love Is a Ball (1963) as John Lathrop Davis
- The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963) as Tom Corbett
- Experiment in Terror (1962) as John 'Rip' Ripley
- Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962) as Julio Desnoyers
- Pocketful of Miracles (1961) as Dave 'the Dude' Conway
- Cry for Happy (1961) as CPO Andy Cyphers
- Cimarron (1960) as Yancey 'Cimarron' Cravat
- The Gazebo (1959) as Elliott Nash
- It Started with a Kiss (1959) as Sgt. Joe Fitzpatrick
- Torpedo Run (1958) as Lt. Cmdr. Barney Doyle
- Imitation General (1958) as MSgt. Murphy Savage
- The Sheepman (1958) as Jason Sweet
- Cowboy (1958) as Tom Reese
- Don't Go Near the Water (1957) as Lt. J.G. Max Siegel
- 3:10 to Yuma (1957) as Ben Wade
- The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956) as Capt. Fisby
- The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) as George Temple/George Kelby, Jr.
- Jubal (1956) as Jubal Troop
- Ransom! (1956) as David G. 'Dave' Stannard
- Trial (1955) as David Blake
- Interrupted Melody (1955) as Dr. Thomas 'Tom' King
- Blackboard Jungle (1955) as Richard Dadier
- The Violent Men (1955) as John Parrish
- The Americano (1955) as Sam Dent
- Human Desire (1954) as Jeff Warren
- City Story (1954) as Narrator
- Appointment in Honduras (1953) as Steve Corbett
- The Big Heat (1953) as Det. Sgt. Dave Bannion
- Plunder of the Sun (1953) as Al Colby
- The Man from the Alamo (1953) as John Stroud
- Time Bomb aka Terror on a Train (1953) as Maj. Peter Lyncort
- Affair in Trinidad (1952) as Steve Emery
- Young Man with Ideas (1952) as Maxwell Webster
- The Green Glove (1952) as Michael 'Mike' Blake
- The Secret of Convict Lake (1951) as Jim Canfield
- Follow the Sun (1951) as Ben Hogan
- The Redhead and the Cowboy (1951) as Gil Kyle
- The Flying Missile (1950) as Cmdr. William A. Talbot
- Convicted (1950) as Joe Hufford
- The White Tower (1950) as Martin Ordway
- The Doctor and the Girl (1949) as Dr. Michael Corday
- Mr. Soft Touch (1949) as Joe Miracle
- Lust for Gold (1949) as Jacob 'Dutch' Walz
- The Undercover Man (1949) as Frank Warren
- The Return of October (1948) as Prof. Bentley Bassett Jr.
- The Loves of Carmen (1948) as Don José Lizarabengoa
- The Man from Colorado (1948) as Col. Owen Devereaux
- The Mating of Millie (1948) as Doug Andrews
- Framed (1947) as Mike Lambert
- Gallant Journey (1946) as John Joseph Montgomery
- A Stolen Life (1946) as Bill Emerson
- Gilda (1946) as Johnny Farrell/Narrator
- Destroyer (1943) as Mickey Donohue
- The Desperadoes (1943) as Cheyenne Rogers
- Flight Lieutenant (1942) as Danny Doyle
- The Adventures of Martin Eden (1942) as Martin Eden
- Go West, Young Lady (1941) as Sheriff Tex Miller
- Texas (1941) as Tod Ramsey
- So Ends Our Night (1941) as Ludwig Kern
- Blondie Plays Cupid (1940) as Charlie
- The Lady in Question (1940) as Pierre Morestan
- Babies for Sale (1940) as Steve Burton aka Oscar Hanson
- Men Without Souls (1940) as Johnny Adams
- Convicted Woman (1940) as Jim Brent (reporter)
- My Son Is Guilty (1939) as Barney
- Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence (1939) as Joe
- Night in Manhattan (1937) on-camera host