Denise Clements

As a young actress I was selected to read the Epic Poem, John Browns Body by Steven Vincent Millay at the Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach, California, not far from where I lived at the time. I had done another production at Laguna Beach Playhouse (Rashoman) under the direction of Doug Rowe earlier that year. A young man that was selected to read the poem with me, had a car accident during rehearsals and was unable to continue in his role. An agent who knew Doug Rowe mentioned that he had a talented young man who needed some exposure and might be a good fit to fill that role. Doug decided to give him a try. So, Harry Ford, began rehearsal with me reading John Browns Body and we went on to do the production together. Ian Bernard, musical director of Laugh In did a beautiful job creating the music for that production. After that production, Doug suggested that I audition for a new company called South Coast Repertory. I did join them and did many productions with them, I met my second husband, David Clements, when we were cast opposite each other in the Glass Menagerie. David and I did many productions with SCR in the beginning years until work and family, David adopted my two children from my first marriage and we have a beautiful daughter of our own. I didn’t put together the fact that the Harry Ford that I worked with at Laguna Playhouse was, Harrison Ford, the multi talented actor. Whenever, I would run into Ian Bernard, as we both moved to Santa Ynez California and when my husband and I moved again to Southern Oregon where I would run into Doug Rowe. Both men would introduce me to the people they were with, as the woman who was in the production of John Browns Body in Laguna Beach with Harry Ford. it took me several years to realize that Harry Ford was Harrison Ford of movie fame. The people I was introduced to where impressed but it took me a while to put it all together. Now, Doug and Ian have both saddly passed on. I think they both would have a laugh about my lack of knowledge of who Harry Ford really was in my life!!