Movie Musings: Disney and More

Ron Howard: Child Actor-turned-Director

Ron Howard began his career as a child actor, appearing in The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968) and The Music Man (1962), continuing later as a teenager in Happy Days (1974-1984) and American Graffiti (1973). Early on, however, he developed an interest in directing and decided to pursue it. Today his nearly 60-year show business career is best known, not for work  as a television child star, but as an accomplished movie director.

Born in Duncan, Oklahoma on March 1st, 1954, Ronny Howard was born into a show business family. His father, Rance Howard, was a director, writer, and actor, and his mother, Jean Speagle Howard, was also an actor. He appeared as a baby with his parents in the film Frontier Woman in 1955. When Ronny was four years old, his family relocated to Hollywood (in 1958), where his younger brother, actor Clint Howard was born. In Hollywood, the Howards rented a house on the block of the Desilu Studios where young Ronny would make his television big break as Opie Taylor in “Andy Griffith,” (which was filmed at Desilu). Prior to being cast in “Andy Griffith,” Howard also made his first credited film appearance at five years of age in the film The Journey (1959). During his run on “Griffith,” he appeared in the Warner Bros. film adaptation of Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man (1962) as Winthrop Paroo, the younger brother of Marian Paroo the librarian (played by Shirley Jones). The year after that film he was reunited with Jones in the film The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963). 

The Howards lived in Hollywood for three years, and later moved to Burbank where Ron attended John Burroughs High School. And after that he attended the University of Southern California’s Cinematic School of Arts, but didn’t graduate. At age 15, he appeared in the Disneyland record Story and Song from The Haunted Mansion, and after his appearance on the record, he acted in the live-action Disney film The Wild Country (1970), opposite Steve Forrest, Vera Miles, and his brother Clint. His time at USC was interrupted when he was cast by George Lucas (who would later become his directing mentor) in “American Graffiti.” The next year he landed the role of Ritchie Cunningham on Happy Days (1974-1984). 

During his run on “Happy Days,” he became very close with co-stars Henry Winkler and Tom Bosley. After the first two season on the show, he married his high school sweetheart Cheryl Alley in 1975. In 1977, he made his directorial debut with the low-budget Grand Theft Auto, the same year his mentor George Lucas released Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977). His wife, Cheryl, brother, Clint, and father Rance, all had roles in the film, as did his television mother, Marion Ross. He finally left “Happy Days,” in 1980, after six seasons and a total of 167 episodes, to permanently focus on his directing career (He did return for the series finale in 1984).

After directing the made-for-television movies Cotton Candy (1978), which he co-wrote with his brother, Clint, Skyward (1980), and The Time Crystal (1981), Ron finally directed his second theatrical film Night Shift (1982), which starred Michael Keaton, Shelley Long, and his “Happy Days,” buddy, Henry Winkler. His first child, actress Bryce Dallas Howard, was born the same year that “Time Crystal,” aired on television. After that film, he was hired by the Walt Disney Studios to direct the film Splash (1984) a fantasy/romantic comedy which starred Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. “Splash,” would be a special film for both Disney and Ron Howard because it would be the first film ever to be produced by Disney’s division company Touchstone Pictures, founded by Walt Disney’s son-in-law, Ron Miller, and it would also be Ron Howard’s first of five collaborations with Tom Hanks. (“Splash,” was also a huge hit, and later led to Disney producing The Little Mermaid (1989)). Ron Howard’s next film would be Cocoon (1985), which became the first film where he directed an actor in an Oscar-winning performance. (Don Ameche, won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar that year for his performance as Art Selwyn in the film.) The film also won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. Ron Howard also became the father of twin girls that year, Jocelyn Howard Carlyle, and Paige Howard. He had a fourth child, a son, Reed Cross Howard in 1987.

In 1986, Ron Howard founded the film company Imagine Entertainment with Brian Grazer, in which they began producing films released under the labels of Tri-Star, Universal, Fox, and other various companies. (That same year, he reprised his trademark role as Opie Taylor in the television movie, Return to Mayberry). The first Imagine Entertainment film directed by Howard was Willow (1988), which was written and executive produced by George Lucas, and released under Lucasfilm ltd, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. After “Willow,” he directed Parenthood (1989) and then Backdraft (1991), with Kurt Russell, Far and Away (1992), with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman (it led to their marriage), and The Paper (1994) which reunited him with Michael Keaton. Tom Hanks joined him again the next year in Apollo 13 (1995), which earned him the Director’s Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures. 

In 2000, he directed the live-action adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carrey as the Grinch—his first fantasy-based film since “Cocoon.” His father, brother, and daughter, all played citizens of Whoville in that film. Ron Howard finally reached the pinnacle of his career, when he was nominated for and won the Best Director Oscar for A Beautiful Mind (2001), a drama based on the life of mathematician John Nash. Despite it not being the status quo in filmmaking, he filmed every scene in that movie in chronological order. The film also won the Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress for Jennifer Connelly for her performance as Nash’s wife, Alicia, and Best Motion Picture of the Year. Ron Howard dedicated his Oscar win to his mother, Jean Speagle Howard, who had tragically passed away just the year prior. Howard jokingly claimed that his mother had said that he would win the Best Director Oscar for every film he made. There is also a special dedication to his mother at the end of “The Grinch,” which reads “For Jean Speagle Howard,” who liked Christmas the most.”

In 2004, Ron Howard produced The Alamo (2004) for Touchstone Pictures under the direction of John Lee Hancock. In 2006, he reunited with Tom Hanks for the third time on The Da Vinci Code, and he directed Hanks again in “Da Vinci Code’s,” prequel Angels & Demons (2009) and sequel Inferno (2016). In 2008, he directed Frost/Nixon, his first film based on a Broadway play. The film starred Michael Sheen as David Frost and Frank Langella as Richard Nixon, both of whom had originated their respective roles on Broadway. (Langella also won a Tony for the performance.) The film earned five Oscar Nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Langella and Ron Howard’s second Best Director Nomination. In 2013, he teamed up with Chris Hemsworth in the biopic Rush and he directed Hemsworth a second time with In the Heart of the Sea. His most recent directorial was this past summer’s Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), which was produced by Lucasfilm, ltd, and released under Disney.

Ron Howard’s work makes it easy to see that he is unbelievably passionate about telling stories. A family-based man, he often casts his family in his movies. From genre to genre, Ron Howard continually proves his status as one of Hollywood’s best directors—all from the child T.V. actor who got interested in making movies.