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Ron Howard

Known for: Directing

Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of The Twilight Zone. Howard 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.

Filmography 92

A Beautiful Mind 2001Movie Director, Producer
Angels & Demons 2009Movie Amazon Prime Video Director, Producer
Rush 2013Movie Director, Producer
Thirteen Lives 2022Movie Amazon Prime Video Director, Producer
Inferno 2016Movie HBO Max Director, Producer
Eden 2025Movie Amazon Prime Video Director, Story
Cinderella Man 2005Movie Director, Producer
Far and Away 1992Movie Director, Story
The Missing 2003Movie Director, Producer
Frost/Nixon 2008Movie Director, Producer
Osmosis Jones 2001Movie as Tom Colonic (voice)
The Shootist 1976Movie as Gillom Rogers
Hillbilly Elegy 2020Movie Netflix Director, Producer
The Dilemma 2011Movie HBO Max Director, Producer
Parenthood 1989Movie Director, Story
EDtv 1999Movie Director, Producer
The Music Man 1962Movie as Winthrop Paroo
We Feed People 2022Movie Director, Producer
The Journey 1959Movie as Billy Rhinelander
Pavarotti 2019Movie Director, Producer
Corman's World 2011Movie as Self - Filmmaker
Made in America 2013Movie Director, Producer
Act of Love 1980Movie as Leon Cybulkowski
Eat My Dust 1976Movie Plex as Hoover Niebold
Tom Hanks: The Nomad 2023Movie Filmzie as Self (archive footage)
Television: The First Fifty Years 1999Movie Plex as Self / Opie Taylor / Ritchie Cunningham (archive footage)