Ron Howard
13 FOLLOWERS • 173 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
Johnny Ringo
Daniel Boone
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.
The Danny Thomas Show
Lancer
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
Gentle Ben
Five Fingers
I Spy
The Shootist: The Legend Lives On
Greatest Geek Year Ever! 1982
The Independent
The Andy Griffith Show
Insight
The Shootist
The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang
HBO First Look
The Making of 'American Graffiti'
Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10
American Graffiti
Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel
The Migrants
Locusts
Smoke
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Happy Days
Willow: Behind the Magic
Grand Theft Auto
Act of Love
Production Credits
Under the Banner of Heaven
Splash
Earnhardt
Willow
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years
Rush
On Pointe
Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with Dave Letterman
Far and Away
Backdraft
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel
Parenthood
Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!
Curious George: Go West, Go Wild
The Gringo Hunters
Sports Night
Judy Blume Forever
Willow
Harlem Ice
From the Earth to the Moon
We Are: The Brooklyn Saints
Parenthood
Ransom
I'm Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders
Apollo 13
Downfall: The Case Against Boeing
Lucy and Desi
Changeling
Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet
Cowboys & Aliens
Bossy Bear
Curious George
Hillbilly Elegy
A Beautiful Mind
Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields
Choir
Arrested Development
Who Are You, Charlie Brown?
Frida
Parenthood
Angels & Demons
Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest
Gung Ho
Clean and Sober
Cinderella Man
The Tiny Chef Show
Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series
The 'Burbs
Katy Perry: Part of Me
Thirteen Lives
In the Heart of the Sea
Splash
Cocoon
Night Shift
The Spy Who Dumped Me
Music by John Williams
Jim Henson Idea Man
The Day Sports Stood Still
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
tick, tick... BOOM!
Taiwan Crime Stories
Gossip
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Inferno
Curious George
The Beanie Bubble
The Super Models
Inventing the Abbotts
Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer
68 Whiskey
Tetris
David Blaine Do Not Attempt
The Beast
Eden
LIGHT & MAGIC
Churchill at War
The Fixer
Grand Theft Auto
The Dark Tower
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol
Genius
The Dynasty: New England Patriots
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