Ron Howard

Ron Howard

Ronald William Howard is an American film director, producer and actor. He 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 in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show from 1960 through 1968. Howard is also known for directing the children’s fantasy film How the Grinch Stole Christmas as well as the Robert Langdon film series, The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and Inferno. Howard received the Academy Award for Best Director and Oscar for Best Picture for A Beautiful Mind and was nominated again for the same awards for FrostNixon.

About Ron Howard in brief

Summary Ron HowardRonald William Howard is an American film director, producer 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 in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show from 1960 through 1968. In 1980, Howard left Happy Days to focus on directing, producing and occasionally writing variety films and television series. Howard is also known for directing the children’s fantasy film How the Grinch Stole Christmas as well as the Robert Langdon film series, The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and Inferno. Howard received the Academy Award for Best Director and Oscar for Best Picture for A Beautiful Mind and was nominated again for the same awards for FrostNixon. 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. He is the elder son of Jean Speegle Howard, an actress, and Rance Howard, a director, writer, and actor who took the stage name ‘Howard’ in 1948. His father was born with the surname ‘Beckenholdt’ and took the name ”Howard’ for his acting career. Howard was tutored at Desilu Studios in his younger years. He continued his schooling at Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary and David Star Jordan Junior High when not working in television, eventually graduating from John Burroughs High School.

He later attended the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts but did not graduate. He has German, English, Scottish, Irish, and Dutch ancestry. Howard’s father was serving three years in the United States Air Force at the time of Ron’s birth. The family moved to Hollywood in 1958, the year before the birth of his younger brother Clint Howard. They lived in Hollywood for at least three years, before moving to Burbank. Howard played Timmy in the CBS anthology series The DuPont Show with June Allyson in the episode ‘Child Lost’ in 1959. He appeared in a few episodes of the first season of the sitcom Dennis the Menace, as Stewart, one of Dennis’s friends; and several first- and second-season episodes of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. He also appeared in the 1962 film version of The Music Man with the child actors Robert Preston and Shirley Jones; he also starred in the film with the lisp lisp and Shirley Preston. In 1995, Howard gained widespread praise and recognition in the historical docudrama Apollo 13 and directed Solo: A Star Wars Story and the documentary films, The Beatles: Eight Days a Week, and Pavarotti. He played Richie Cunningham in Happy Days, a role he would play from 1974 through 1980. In 1959, Howard had his first credited film role, in The Journey. Credited as Ronny Howard in his film and television appearances from 1959 to 1973.