Ron Howard's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Happy Days Richard 'Ri… The Andy Griffith Show Opie Taylor Fonz and the Happy Days Gang Richie Cunn… The Captain and Tennille Ron Howard Sunday Morning Shootout Ron Howard

Main Movie Roles 2004 - Tell Them Who You Are 2001 - A Beautiful Mind 2001 - Osmosis Jones 2000 - The Grinch 1982 - Night Shift 1977 - Grand Theft Auto 1976 - Eat My Dust 1976 - The First Nudie Musical 1976 - The Shootist 1974 - The Spikes Gang 1973 - American Graffiti 1965 - Village of the Giants 1963 - The Courtship of Eddie's Father 1962 - The Music Man 1961 - Five Minutes to Live

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.


TRIVIA:

• Became a grandfather when his daughter, 'Bryce Dallas Howard' (qv), had a baby boy on February 16, 2007.
• Played Winthrop Paroo in _The Music Man (1962)_ (qv), and the title role in _Huckleberry Finn (1975) (TV)_ (qv). Both roles were previously played by 'Eddie Hodges' (qv).
• 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' (qv).
• 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).
• Ranked #22 on Premiere's 2006 "Power 50" list. Had ranked #27 in 2005.
• He has Dutch, Scottish, English, Irish, German and Cherokee ancestry.
• Born on the same day as 'Catherine Bach' (qv), who is best known as "Daisy Duke" from _"The Dukes of Hazzard" (1979)_ (qv).
• Has directed two films on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time. They are _A Beautiful Mind (2001)_ (qv) at #93 and _Apollo 13 (1995)_ (qv) at #12.