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Ron Howard

Ron Howard

Director · b. 1954 · Duncan, Oklahoma, USA

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.

Movies24

  • Movie7.9

    A Beautiful Mind

    2001 · 11K votes

  • Movie6.9

    Dads

    2019 · 38 votes

  • Movie8.0

    Music by John Williams

    2024 · 97 votes

  • Movie7.9

    John Candy: I Like Me

    2025 · 118 votes

  • Movie6.5

    Osmosis Jones

    2001 · 1.1K votes

  • Movie7.1

    American Graffiti

    1973 · 1.6K votes

  • Movie8.0

    Marty, Life Is Short

    2026 · 33 votes

  • Movie7.1

    The Shootist

    1976 · 396 votes

  • Movie4.3

    Willow: Behind the Magic

    2023 · 16 votes

  • Movie6.1

    Night Shift

    1982 · 245 votes

  • Movie6.3

    The Journey

    1959 · 27 votes

  • Movie5.9
  • Movie8.0
  • Movie5.2

    More American Graffiti

    1979 · 112 votes

  • Movie5.3
  • Movie5.9
  • Movie7.0

    Corman's World

    2011 · 88 votes

  • Movie7.1

    The Music Man

    1962 · 201 votes

  • Movie5.3

    Grand Theft Auto

    1977 · 61 votes

  • Movie6.3

    Radioman

    2012 · 9 votes

  • Movie7.8
  • Movie5.0

    The First Nudie Musical

    1976 · 25 votes

  • Movie6.3
  • Movie5.0

Series24

  • TV6.1
  • TV4.9
  • TV5.8
  • TV5.1
  • TV8.0

    The Simpsons

    1989 · 11K votes

  • TV6.4

    The Daily Show

    1996 · 660 votes

  • TV6.3

    The Kelly Clarkson Show

    2019 · 72 votes

  • TV4.3

    The View

    1997 · 113 votes

  • TV6.9

    Saturday Night Live

    1975 · 527 votes

  • TV5.8

    The Mike Douglas Show

    1961 · 11 votes

  • TV7.0

    The Colbert Report

    2005 · 313 votes

  • TV5.3

    Jimmy Kimmel Live!

    2003 · 217 votes

  • TV7.2

    The Graham Norton Show

    2007 · 290 votes

  • TV5.3
  • TV7.7

    Frasier

    1993 · 936 votes

  • TV6.0

    Real Time with Bill Maher

    2003 · 248 votes

  • TV7.0

    Golden Globe Awards

    1944 · 20 votes

  • TV5.4
  • TV8.2

    This Is Us

    2016 · 1.7K votes

  • TV7.6

    Top Gear

    2002 · 912 votes

  • TV6.1

    Great Performances

    1971 · 25 votes

  • TV7.5

    Bonanza

    1959 · 500 votes

  • TV7.9

    M*A*S*H

    1972 · 770 votes

  • TV5.6

    The Ellen DeGeneres Show

    2003 · 179 votes