Ron Howard: Child Star and Gifted Director

by Marjorie Dorfman | More from this Blogger

03 Jun 2006 08:04 AM

Ronald William Howard was born on March 1, 1954, to an acting family in Oklahoma. His father, Rance Howard, majored in drama at the University of Oklahoma and his mother, Jean Speegle Howard, attended acting school in New York. He made his movie debut at the tender age of 18 months, when he appeared in "Frontier Woman" (1956). His first real part was in 1958 at the age of four. He became a regular on "Playhouse 90," and in 1960 was cast as Andy Griffith's precocious son in the "The Andy Griffith Show." In his shift from child star to teenager, he became Richie Cunningham in the highly successful television series of the 1970s, "Happy Days."

But his real love was for the other side of the camera, and at the age of 15, he began shooting films with a Super-8 camera. After high school, he studied film at the University of Southern California but left, feeling that he could learn much more from first-hand experience. He still did films, notably "The Shootist" (1976), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. As a director, he is known for his versatility and his willingness to explore different genres of film, including comedy, drama and fantasy. In 2003, he was awarded the "National Medal of Arts" from the National Endowment of The Arts.

He has made many hit films, which starred the biggest and the best stars in the business: Tom Hanks in "Splash" (1996), Russell Crowe in "A Beautiful Mind" (2001) "The Da Vinci Code" (also Tom Hanks 2006) and Mel Gibson in "Ransom" (1996), just to name a few.

Ron Howard has been married to his childhood sweetheart, Cheryl, since 1975, and they have four children, three daughters and one son. Three of his children are named after the places where they were conceived: Bryce Dallas in Dallas; Paige Carlyle and Jocelyn Carlyle in the Hotel Carlyle in New York City. Ron Howard is a fine filmmaker. What are some of YOUR favorites? Please share.

Related Articles: "Woody Allen: A Unique Filmmaker" http://blogs.families.com/admin/b2browse.php?blog=30&p=5831 "Peter Weir: Outstanding Filmmaker" http://blogs.families.com/admin/b2browse.php?blog=30&p=5882

Learn more about Marjorie Dorfman

Marjorie Dorfman is a freelance writer and former teacher originally from Brooklyn, New York.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger