Ron Howard
13 FOLLOWERS • 172 CREDITS • MAR 1, 1954 • 71
Biography
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Ronald William Howard is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of The Twilight Zone. He gained national attention for playing young Opie Taylor, the son of Sheriff Andy Taylor (played by Andy Griffith) in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show from 1960 through 1968. During this time, he also appeared in the musical film The Music Man (1962), a critical and commercial success. He was credited as Ronny Howard in his film and television appearances from 1959 to 1973. Howard was cast in one of the lead roles in the coming-of-age film American Graffiti (1973), which received widespread acclaim and became one of the most profitable films in history. The following year, Howard became a household name for playing Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days, a role he would play from 1974 through 1984. Howard continued appearing in films during this time, such as the western film The Shootist (1976) and the comedy film Grand Theft Auto (1977), which also marked his directorial debut. In 1984, Howard left Happy Days to focus on directing, producing and occasionally writing variety films and television series. His films include the science-fiction/fantasy Cocoon (1985), the fantasy Willow (1988), the thriller Backdraft (1991), the historical docudrama Apollo 13 (1995), the Christmas comedy How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), the biographical drama A Beautiful Mind (2001), the biographical sports drama Cinderella Man (2005), the thriller The Da Vinci Code (2006), the historical drama Frost/Nixon (2008), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), and the documentary Pavarotti (2019). For A Beautiful Mind, Howard won the Academy Award for Best Director and Academy Award for Best Picture. He was nominated again for the same awards for Frost/Nixon. In 2003, Howard was awarded the National Medal of Arts. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2013. Howard has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions in the television and motion pictures industries.
Overview
Ronald William Howard is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of The Twilight Zone. He gained national attention for playing young Opie Taylor, the son of Sheriff Andy Taylor (played by Andy Griffith) in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show from 1960 through 1968. During this time, he also appeared in the musical film The Music Man (1962), a critical and commercial success. He was credited as Ronny Howard in his film and television appearances from 1959 to 1973. Howard was cast in one of the lead roles in the coming-of-age film American Graffiti (1973), which received widespread acclaim and became one of the most profitable films in history. The following year, Howard became a household name for playing Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days, a role he would play from 1974 through 1984. Howard continued appearing in films during this time, such as the western film The Shootist (1976) and the comedy film Grand Theft Auto (1977), which also marked his directorial debut. In 1984, Howard left Happy Days to focus on directing, producing and occasionally writing variety films and television series. His films include the science-fiction/fantasy Cocoon (1985), the fantasy Willow (1988), the thriller Backdraft (1991), the historical docudrama Apollo 13 (1995), the Christmas comedy How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), the biographical drama A Beautiful Mind (2001), the biographical sports drama Cinderella Man (2005), the thriller The Da Vinci Code (2006), the historical drama Frost/Nixon (2008), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), and the documentary Pavarotti (2019). For A Beautiful Mind, Howard won the Academy Award for Best Director and Academy Award for Best Picture. He was nominated again for the same awards for Frost/Nixon. In 2003, Howard was awarded the National Medal of Arts. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2013. Howard has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions in the television and motion pictures industries.
Known For
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Saturday Night Live
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
General Electric Theater
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The Graham Norton Show
Gunsmoke
Golden Globe Awards
Frasier
The Twilight Zone
The Daily Show
The Wonderful World of Disney
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
E! True Hollywood Story
The F.B.I.
The Simpsons
Dr. Kildare
Top Gear
MADtv
The Fugitive
Real Time with Bill Maher
The Big Valley
Lassie
Only Murders in the Building
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
Land of the Giants
The Colbert Report
Laverne & Shirley
The Danny Kaye Show
This Is Us
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Route 66
From the Earth to the Moon
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Chelsea
The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn
The Waltons
Daniel Boone
Johnny Ringo
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
100 Years of Warner Bros.
Bonanza
Dennis the Menace
M*A*S*H
Pete and Gladys
LIGHT & MAGIC
The Odd Couple
How To with John Wilson
Mayberry R.F.D.
Lancer
The Danny Thomas Show
The Studio
A Beautiful Mind
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The Oscars
The First Nudie Musical
Night Shift
Showbiz Kids
The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration
Music by John Williams
Arrested Development
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
Osmosis Jones
More American Graffiti
Greatest Geek Year Ever! 1982
Gentle Ben
I Spy
The Shootist: The Legend Lives On
The Independent
Five Fingers
The Andy Griffith Show
Insight
The Shootist
HBO First Look
The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang
The Making of 'American Graffiti'
The Migrants
Locusts
Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel
American Graffiti
Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10
Smoke
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Willow: Behind the Magic
Happy Days
Grand Theft Auto
Act of Love
Production Credits
Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series
Parenthood
Angels & Demons
68 Whiskey
Changeling
I'm Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders
Churchill at War
Gossip
Harlem Ice
Solo: A Star Wars Story
We Are: The Brooklyn Saints
Apollo 13
Lucy and Desi
Arrested Development
The Beanie Bubble
Eden
The Day Sports Stood Still
From the Earth to the Moon
The Super Models
The Dynasty: New England Patriots
The Beast
Grand Theft Auto
Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!
Splash
Thirteen Lives
Under the Banner of Heaven
Curious George: Go West, Go Wild
On Pointe
David Blaine Do Not Attempt
Earnhardt
Choir
Gung Ho
Hillbilly Elegy
Cinderella Man
Genius
Jim Henson Idea Man
Frida
Music by John Williams
The Da Vinci Code
Cowboys & Aliens
Ransom
Tetris
Willow
Willow
Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields
The Fixer
Far and Away
Parenthood
tick, tick... BOOM!
A Beautiful Mind
The Gringo Hunters
Splash
Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with Dave Letterman
In the Heart of the Sea
Curious George
Backdraft
Katy Perry: Part of Me
The Spy Who Dumped Me
Downfall: The Case Against Boeing
The 'Burbs
Bossy Bear
The Tiny Chef Show
The Dark Tower
Cocoon
Rush
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel
Curious George
Taiwan Crime Stories
Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet
Inferno
Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol
Sports Night
Clean and Sober
Parenthood
LIGHT & MAGIC
Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer
Who Are You, Charlie Brown?
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years
Inventing the Abbotts
Night Shift
Judy Blume Forever
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