Ronald William Howard, popularly known as Ron Howard, is one of the most popular Directors and filmmakers of this generation. He is widely recognized for his role in the shows “The Andy Griffin Show” and “Happy Days,” as well as the plays he directed, “Apollo 13” and “A beautiful mind.”
Growing up with actors as parents, he first started in the industry as a child actor. His first appearance was in The Journey in 1959 and in the series The Andy Griffin Show, where he acted as Opie. He gained more popularity by appearing in more films as a child and teenager, including Happy days (1974), American Graffiti, and The Shootist.
In 1980, Howard left acting and decided to focus on Producing and directing his own movies.
His Director’s portfolio includes notable films which garnered popularity and won multiple awards, as we will see going forward.
A few of his accreditations include the Academy Award for Best Director and the Academy Award for Best Picture for his movie A beautiful mind, The Oscar award, The national medal of arts in 2003, and induction into the Television hall of fame in 2013. He also got a rare two stars on the Hollywood walk of fame for his contributions to Hollywood.
Quick Facts
| Full Name: | Ronald William Howard |
| Popular Name: | Ron Howard |
| Gender: | Male |
| Birth Date: | March 1, 1954 |
| Current status: | Active |
| Profession: | American filmmaker and actor |
| Age: | 68 years |
| Parents: | Jean Speegle Howard and Rance Howard |
| Siblings: | Melrose Emmanuel Tyson, Emily Henry, Clint Howard (Brother) |
| Birth Place: | Duncan, Oklahoma, USA |
| Nationality: | American |
| Ethnicity: | German, English, Scottish, Irish, and Dutch |
| Education: | John Burroughs High School, University of Southern California’s of Cinematic Art (incompleted) |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Wife/Spouse: | Cheryl Alley (m: June 7, 1975) |
| Children: | Four children; Bryce Dallas Howard, Paige Howard, Jocelyn Howard, and Reed Cross Howard. |
| Grandchildren: | Theodore Norman Howard-Gabel, Beatrice Jean Howard-Gabel |
| Dating: | N/A |
| Net Worth: | $200 Million |
| Last updated: | April 2022 |
| Source of Wealth: | Acting, Directing, Television Company, Publishing. |
| Height: | 5ft8 (1.7m) |
| Weight: | 79kg (174.1lbs) |
Early Life and Career Information
Ron Howard was born to two actor parents, Rance Howard and Jean Speegle Howard, on March 1, 1954. He was born in Duncan, Oklahoma, but his family moved to Hollywood in 1958. After staying for three years, they moved to settle in Burbank.
He is of German, English, Scottish, Irish and Dutch ancestry. His father changed his last name from Beckenholdt to Howard’s to use as a stage name when he started acting in 1948 and passed it on to him.
He was not homeschooled like the average kid with famous parents. Instead, he attended Desilu studios and then John Burroughs High School. He then went on to the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts for further studies. However, he dropped out halfway to focus on his career.
He had a fairytale romance story, meeting his wife, Cherryl Alley, in high school and then went on to marry her in 1975. She is an accomplished writer, and they have four children together; Bryce Dallas Howard, Jocelyn and Paige Howard, who are twins, and Reed Cross. His Twins are both actresses, appearing in Twilight and The employer movies.
He had his first credited film role in the movie The journey in 1959, but his first appearance was when he was eighteen months old in The Frontier woman(1955). As a child, his most notable movie was The Andy Griffith Show, where he acted as Opie. The show ran for eight years, from 1960 to 1968.
After that, he moved on to more prominent roles and was on the series Happy days, where his character was named Richie Cunningham. The show went up till 1980.
At this point, he had taken an interest in Directing. After spending two years juggling his career with college, he dropped out in 1977 to focus on his career in directing. His debut was with the movie “Grand Theft Auto,” and the commercial success paved the way for more opportunities for him.
He moved on to more significant projects like the Night Shift (1982), Splash(1984), and Parenthood(1989). He then directed Apollo 13(1995), a documentary drama fashioned after the namesake spacecraft’s flight that almost ended in a disaster.
The movie turned out to be a huge commercial success and gained him immense popularity and recognition. He was also critically acclaimed for his films A Beautiful Mind and Da Vinci Code. His other films include Nightshift (1982), Splash (1984), and Cocoon (1985).
Ron Howard’s Net Worth
Ron Howard made a fortune from his acting and directing career. He also published a book alongside his brother, “The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family.” Howard’s highest-grossing film is Da Vinci Code, which made a whopping $758 million.
His other high-grossing films include; Apollo 13 ($331 million), Angels and Demons ($489 million), and A beautiful mind ($313.5 million). He also established a production company, “Imagine Entertainment,” which he owns alongside his friend Brian Grazer. Summing up all of this, Ron Howard is worth $200 million.
Lessons Learnt from the Life of Ron Howard
Pursue Your Dreams
“Your creativity has value. You’re not wasting your time dreaming.” ~Ron Howard
Ron dropped out of college shortly before graduating because he wanted to follow his passion for directing. He said he would pick the director job if he chose between a fabulous acting job and a good directing job. That was how much he loved and pursued his dreams.
Forge Your Own Path
Ron came from a family of actors. Everyone around him and everyone he came across was in the show business. Ron did not stay in the shadows for long. He made a name for himself in a saturated niche of Actors and Directors.
