Ron Howard Biography

He appeared in his first movie, ‘Frontier Woman’ (1955), at eighteen months, and made his stage debut aged two. Howard was soon a regular on ‘Playhouse 90’, and appeared in the film ‘The Journey’ in 1959.

Cast as Opie on the ‘Andy Griffith’s Show’ in 1960, he became nationally famous, growing up onscreen during the sixties. Protected by his father, he maintained a public school education, and began to dabble in amateur filmmaking.

Following the show with a new series, ‘The Smith Family’ in 1971, he starred opposite Henry Fonda, who encouraged his ambition. As a result, he landed a role in George Lucas’ 1973 teen film ‘American Grafitti’. The film spawned the 1950s revival craze, and, ultimately, the hit show ,‘Happy Days’, in 1974, in which Howard became a superstar, playing Richie Cunningham.

Appearing in films on the side - such as the John Wayne movie ‘The Shootist’ (1976)- Howard persuaded producer Roger Corman to let him direct and star in ‘Grand Theft Auto’ in 1977, for which he also co-wrote the screenplay.

Howard’s first directorial hit was with ‘Nightshift’ in 1982, and he formed Imagine Films Entertainment in 1985. With ‘Splash’ for Disney in 1984, featuring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah, Howard became a top director.

Movies such as ‘Cocoon’ (1985) and ‘Willow’(1988) confirmed his status, and, after the flops of ‘Backdraft’(1991) and ‘Far And Away’(1992), he came back with the blockbuster ‘Apollo 13’ in 1995, winning a Director’s Guild Association Outstanding Feature award for the movie.

Following 'EdTV’ in 1999, Howard directed Jim Carrey in ‘The Grinch Who Stole Christmas’.

In 2001, his movie ‘A Beautiful Mind’ took home Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Picture and Best Director.