Biography for
Ron Howard (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

1 March 1954, Duncan, Oklahoma, USA

Birth Name

Ronald William Howard

Height

5' 9" (1.75 m)

Mini Biography

Ron was born in Oklahoma, into an acting family - his father had realized a boyhood dream of acting by attending the University of Oklahoma and majoring in drama, and his mother went through acting school in New York. He was in his first movie at 18 months, Frontier Woman (1956), although his first real part was at the age of 4. Soon a regular on "Playhouse 90" (1956), he was cast as Opie on "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960), and later moved from a child in Mayberry to America's teenager as Richie Cunningham in "Happy Days" (1974). The life of a child star is certainly not routine, but Ron's parents wanted his life to be as normal as possible - he attended public schools and at age 15 even took nine months off to play a basketball season. The transition from child actor to adult actor is always difficult, but for Ron the real transition was from child actor to adult director. There were some film roles, such as The Shootist (1976) for which he received a Golden Globe nomination, but his dream and now his focus was directing. He had begun shooting films at age 15 with a Super-8 camera, and after high school spent two years in a film program at the University of Southern California, but then left, feeling he could learn more from actual experience. That first film was the hardest to finance, but he struck a deal with Roger Corman - he would star in Eat My Dust (1976) and Corman would produce Grand Theft Auto (1977) which Howard would direct (he also wrote the script and starred). It was a success, and his directorial career was jump-started. Married since 1975 to his high school sweetheart, he, in 1997, is enjoying a life of telling stories as one of Hollywood's top directors.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Bruce Cameron

Spouse

Cheryl Howard

(7 June 1975 - present) 4 children

Trade Mark

Frequently casts father Rance Howard and brother Clint Howard in supporting roles.

Frequently uses music by James Horner and songs by 'Randy Newman'.

Frequently casts Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Russell Crowe,and Michael Keaton.

Trivia

In 1971, was a contestant on "The Dating Game" (1965) and ended up choosing Bachelorette #2, Nola Green.

Son of actor/director Rance Howard and actress Jean Speegle Howard.

Brother of Clint Howard.

Went to high school with actress Rene Russo.

Daughters: Bryce Dallas Howard (b. 1981), Jocelyn Carlyle (twin, b. 1985), Paige Howard (twin, b. 1985). Son: Reed Cross (b. 1987).

All of Howard's four children are named after the places they were conceived: Bryce Dallas in Dallas, Texas, Paige Carlyle and Jocelyn Carlyle at the Hotel Carlyle in New York City, and Reed Cross after a specific road, according to Bryce Dallas Howard.

Acted with Kathleen Quinlan in American Graffiti (1973), then directed her in Apollo 13 (1995).

Cast both of his parents in Apollo 13 (1995). Daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, also had a cameo appearance.

Ranked #26 in Premiere's 2003 annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #29 in 2002.

Recipient of a (USA) National Medal of Arts, 2003.

Born on the same day as Catherine Bach, who is best known as "Daisy Duke" from "The Dukes of Hazzard" (1979).

Directed 8 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Don Ameche, Dianne Wiest, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan, Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Giamatti, and Frank Langella. Ameche and Connelly won Oscars for their performances in one of Howard's movies.

Ranked #27 on Premiere's 2005 Power 50 List. Had ranked #30 in 2004.

Ranked #7 in Vh1's of the "100 Greatest Kid Stars".

Is apparently a big fan of cricket. Attended the final Ashes test match between England vs. Australia on 12th September 2005 whilst filming The Da Vinci Code (2006), and was spotted mingling with players in the Australian dressing room.

When he was a child actor, his father was very involved in his career, protecting him from unfair treatment, and being strict with him (when necessary).

He was awarded the National Medal of Arts from the National Endowment of the Arts in 2003.

Has directed two films on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time. They are A Beautiful Mind (2001) at #93 and Apollo 13 (1995) at #12.

Ranked #22 on Premiere's 2006 "Power 50" list. Had ranked #27 in 2005.

Father-in-law of Seth Gabel.

Played Winthrop Paroo in The Music Man (1962), and the title role in Huckleberry Finn (1975) (TV). Both roles were previously played by Eddie Hodges.

He has Dutch, Scottish, English, Irish, German and Cherokee ancestry.

Became a grandfather when his daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, had a baby boy on February 16, 2007.

Was interested in directing D-Tox (2002) at one point, but decided to direct How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).

Stepson of L.A. Times columnist and playwright Judy Howard.

In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his 2006 earnings to be approximately $35 million.

Henry Winkler is the godfather of Howard's daughter Bryce Dallas Howard.

Best known on TV for his starring roles as Opie Taylor on "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960) and as Richard "Richie" Cunningham on "Happy Days" (1974).

Started two production companies - Major H Productions (which ran until 1985) and then, in 1985, Imagine Films Entertainment.

Has cast three fellow cast members of the American Graffiti movies in films he later directed. Kathleen Quinlan appeared in Apollo 13 (1995), Delroy Lindo appeared in Ransom (1996), and Scott Glenn appeared in Backdraft (1991).

Personal Quotes

[When asked about the transition from child star to adolescent actor] "You're 14 or 15, and they can hire an 18-year-old and not have the child-labor law restrictions, and so they do. Just at the point when you're feeling confused and vulnerable, you're being rejected."

It was always my dream to be a director. A lot of it had to do with controlling my own destiny, because as a young actor you feel at everyone's disposal. But I wanted to become a leader in the business.

[When asked what his future holds in 1979] "If I had to choose between a great acting job and a good directing job, I'd choose the directing job."

I've always been interested in the Depression as this very dramatic pivotal period in American history. My dad grew up on a farm in Oklahoma and remembers playing with his toy tractor under the table while the local farmers talked with his grandfather about forming a local militia to protect the crops because they were afraid unemployed people from the town would come in and grab the crops.

"There is something inherently tough about Americans. They will not accept defeat. The astronauts of Apollo 13 (1995) would not give up, John Nash in A Beautiful Mind (2001) would not give up, and Jim Braddock would not surrender to poverty".

I've acted with all types, I've directed all types. What you want to understand as a director, is what actors have to offer. They'll get at it however they get at it. If you can understand that, you can get your work done.

I'm not a caterer. I just have to stay with my creative convictions. At some point, you have to just get past the special-interest groups and do what you're there to do, which is make a movie.

It was always our goal to try to present schizophrenia in a very personal way. So the delusional characters are symbols, you know, manifestations. It's all a bit more allegorical, it's not pure case study, it's not a clinical presentation.

[On the death of Don Knotts]: Outside of his loving family, I'm sure that Andy Griffith was Don Knotts's greatest fan. When I summon up memories of working with Don on "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960), the first images are of Andy laughing and reveling in Don's genius. Don had been funny before the show and sustained his comedy superstardom later in movies and on TV. But I will always remember the transformation that would begin as mild-mannered Don rehearsed his scene, tweaked the dialogue, refined the timing - and then took off and soared as cameras rolled. The only question: Could Andy keep from falling out of his chair laughing in the middle of the take? Nine times out of 10, Andy, the consummate pro, held on until the director yelled 'Cut!' and he and the rest of us could finally release the pressure valve and let the laughter out. On the rare times when Andy would blow the take, he was always forgiven - even by Don, who knew deep down there was plenty more comedy where that came from.

[On the death of Bea Arthur]: What she did in television and the characters that she created broke new ground, and she was a great artist.

Salary

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

$10,000,000

Where Are They Now

(January 2006) Currently resides in the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.

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