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Actor · Directing

Ron Howard

Born 1954-03-01
📍 Duncan, Oklahoma, USA

Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of The Twilight Zone. He 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 185

Marty, Life Is Short
as Self
2026
John Candy: I Like Me
as Self - Director, Splash (archive footage)
2025
The Studio
as Ron Howard
2025
Enterprise or Love: The Story of Far and Away
as Self
2024
Music by John Williams
as Self - Filmmaker
2024
Greatest Geek Year Ever! 1982
as Self
2023
100 Years of Warner Bros.
as Self
2023
Tom Hanks: The Nomad
as Self (archive footage)
2023
John Wayne: Cowboys & Demons
as Self
2023
Willow: Behind the Magic
as Self - Director, Willow, 1988 / Executive Producer, Willow, 2022
2023
'Tis the Season: The Holidays on Screen
as Self
2022
Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel
as Self
2022
LIGHT & MAGIC
as Self - Academy Award Winning Filmmaker
2022
LIGHT & MAGIC
as Self
2022
LIGHT & MAGIC
as Self - Director, Cocoon
2022
LIGHT & MAGIC
as Self - Director, Willow
2022
Only Murders in the Building
as Ron Howard
2021
Fuck Coin
as Self
2021
Roger Corman, the Pope of Pop Cinema
as Self
2021
How To with John Wilson
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2020
The Happy Days of Garry Marshall
as Self
2020
Reunited Apart
as Self
2020
The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration
as Wilcox Boy (archive footage)
2019
The Kelly Clarkson Show
as Self
2019
Dads
as Self
2019
Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10
as Self
2019
Kasdan on Kasdan
as Self
2018
Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies
as Self
2017
This Is Us
as Ron Howard (uncredited)
2016
Chelsea
as Self
2016
Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie
as Himself
2016
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Self - Guest
2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
The Odd Couple
as Stanley
2015
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as Self - Guest
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
as Self
2014
Off Camera with Sam Jones
as Self
2014
The Arrested Development Documentary Project
as Self
2013
Don't Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck
as Self
2013
From Morf to Morphing: The Dawn of Digital Filmmaking
as Self - Director
2013
Radioman
as Self
2012
Corman's World
as Self - Filmmaker
2011
Classic TV Bloopers Uncensored
as Richie Cunningham (archive footage)
2011
Sheldon Leonard's Wonderful Life
as Self
2011
Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible
as Self
2010
Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story
as Self
2010
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
as Self - Guest
2009
Ron Howard: 50 Years in Film
as Self
2008
Cannes: All Access
as Self
2007
The Graham Norton Show
as Self
2007
The Colbert Report
2005
George Lucas: Creating an Empire
as Self
2005
Tell Them Who You Are
as Self
2004
Kulturplatz
as Self
2004
Making a 'Splash'
as Self - Director
2004
Weezer: Video Capture Device - Treasures from the Vault 1991-2002
as Richie Cunningham ("Buddy Holly") (archive footage)
2004
Arrested Development
as Narrator
2003
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
as Self
2003
Real Time with Bill Maher
as Self
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self - Guest
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self
2003
Christopher Plummer: A Man For All Stages
as Self
2002
Top Gear
as Self
2002
Inside a Beautiful Mind
as Self
2002
A Beautiful Mind
as Man at Governor's Ball (uncredited)
2001
Osmosis Jones
as Tom Colonic (voice)
2001
The Shootist: The Legend Lives On
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2001
The Independent
as Ron Howard
2000
Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation
as Self
2000
Welcome to Hollywood
as Ron Howard
2000
From Star Wars to Star Wars: The Story of Industrial Light & Magic
as Self
1999
The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn
as Self - Guest
1999
The Making of 'American Graffiti'
as Self
1998
The View
as Self
1997
The View
as Self - Guest
1997
Frank Capra's American Dream
as Self
1997
Henry Fonda: Hollywood's Quiet Hero
as Self
1997
Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
as Self
1997
E! True Hollywood Story
1996
The Daily Show
as Self
1996
Lost Moon: The Triumph of Apollo 13
as Self
1996
Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial
as Herbert Biberman
1996
MADtv
as Self
1995
Inside the Actors Studio
as Self
1994
Frasier
as Stephen (voice)
1993
Hollywood on Hollywood
as Host
1993
The Magical World of Chuck Jones
as Self
1992
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
The Simpsons
as Ron Howard (voice)
1989
First Works
as Self
1989
Channel 99
1988
Willow: The Making of an Adventure
as Self - Director
1988
Return to Mayberry
as Opie Taylor
1986
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
as Self (archive footage)
1985
Night Shift
as Annoying Sax Player (uncredited)
1982
Fire on the Mountain
as Lee Mackie
1981
Bitter Harvest
as Ned De Vries
1981
The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang
as Richie Cunningham
1980
Act of Love
as Leon Cybulkowski
1980
More American Graffiti
as Steve Bolander
1979
A Walking Tour of Sesame Street
as Richie Cunningham (archive footage)
1979
NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney
as Self - Host
1978
Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel
as Self
1978
Huckleberry Finn
as Huckleberry Finn
1978
Grand Theft Auto
as Sam Freeman
1977
I'm a Fool
as Andy
1977
A Special: Olivia Newton-John
1976
Battle of the Network Stars
1976
The Captain and Tennille
as Self - Guest
1976
The Shootist
as Gillom Rogers
1976
Eat My Dust
as Hoover Niebold
1976
Laverne & Shirley
1976
Donny & Marie
as Self
1976
The First Nudie Musical
as Auditioning Actor
1976
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host
1975
Saturday Night Live
as Contestant #2 (uncredited)
1975
People's Choice Awards
as Self - Winner
1975
Dinah!
as Self
1974
Locusts
as Donny Fletcher
1974
The Spikes Gang
as Les
1974
The Migrants
as Lyle Barlow
1974
Happy Days
as Richie Cunningham
1974
Happy Days
1974
Happy Mother's Day, Love George
as Johnny
1973
American Graffiti
as Steve Bolander
1973
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
as Self
1973
M*A*S*H
as Wendell
1972
The Waltons
1972
Great Performances
as Self
1971
The Smith Family
as Bob Smith
1971
The Wild Country
as Virgil Tanner
1970
The Headmaster
1970
Smoke
as Chris (as Ronny Howard)
1970
Love, American Style
as Richie Cunningham
1969
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
as Cory Merlino
1969
Lancer
1968
Mayberry R.F.D.
as Opie Taylor
1968
Land of the Giants
as Jodar
1968
A Boy Called Nuthin’
as Richie 'Nuthin'' Caldwell
1967
Gentle Ben
as Jerry
1967
Gentle Ben
as Jody Cutler
1967
Judd, for the Defense
1967
The Monroes
1966
Village of the Giants
as Genius
1965
The F.B.I.
as Jess Orkin
1965
I Spy
as Alan Loden
1965
The Big Valley
as Tommy
1965
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
as Opie Taylor
1964
Daniel Boone
as Luke
1964
The Great Adventure
as Daniel Waterhouse
1963
The Danny Kaye Show
as Self
1963
The Fugitive
as Gus
1963
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
as Eddie Corbett
1963
The Music Man
as Winthrop Paroo
1962
The Mike Douglas Show
as Self - Co-Host
1961
The Mike Douglas Show
as Self
1961
Five Minutes to Live
as Bobby Wilson
1961
The New Breed
as Tommy Simms
1961
Dr. Kildare
as Jerry Prentice
1961
Route 66
1960
The Andy Griffith Show
as Opie Taylor
1960
Pete and Gladys
1960
Dennis the Menace
1959
Five Fingers
1959
Dennis the Menace
as Stewart
1959
Johnny Ringo
as Ricky Parrott
1959
The Twilight Zone
as Wilcox Boy
1959
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
1959
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
as Little Boy Eating Candy Bar
1959
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
as Little Boy with Ray Gun
1959
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
as Wim
1959
Bonanza
as Ted Hoag
1959
The Journey
as Billy Rhinelander
1959
Gunsmoke
as Jamie
1955
The Wonderful World of Disney
as Chris
1954
Lassie
1954
The Danny Thomas Show
as Opie Taylor
1953
The Oscars
as Self
1953
General Electric Theater
as Barnaby Baxter
1953
General Electric Theater
as Randy
1953
The Red Skelton Show
as Joey
1951
The Bob Hope Show
as Self
1950
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Presenter
1944
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Nominee
1944
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Accepting Award for Best Motion Picture Drama / Nominee
1944