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.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0000165
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q103646
Facebook: https://facebook.com/RealRonHoward
Instagram: No data
Filmography (Movies)
John Candy: I Like Me
Character:Self - Director, Splash (archive footage)
Release Date:04/09/2025
The Studio: How to Shoot a Oner
Character:Self
Release Date:20/08/2025
Enterprise or Love: The Story of Far and Away
Character:Self
Release Date:17/12/2024
Music by John Williams
Character:Self - Filmmaker
Release Date:01/11/2024
Tom Hanks: The Nomad
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:20/05/2023
John Wayne: Cowboys & Demons
Character:Self
Release Date:23/03/2023
Willow: Behind the Magic
Character:Self - Director, Willow, 1988 / Executive Producer, Willow, 2022
Release Date:25/01/2023
'Tis the Season: The Holidays on Screen
Character:Self
Release Date:27/11/2022
Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel
Character:Self
Release Date:16/10/2022
1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever!
Character:Self
Release Date:08/10/2022
Fuck Coin
Character:Self
Release Date:16/02/2021
Roger Corman, the Pope of Pop Cinema
Character:Self
Release Date:19/01/2021
The Happy Days of Garry Marshall
Character:Self
Release Date:12/05/2020
The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration
Character:Wilcox Boy (archive footage)
Release Date:14/11/2019
Dads
Character:Self
Release Date:06/09/2019
Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10
Character:Self
Release Date:18/05/2019
Kasdan on Kasdan
Character:Self
Release Date:25/09/2018
Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies
Character:Self
Release Date:12/11/2017
Tom Hanks: A League of His Own
Character:Self
Release Date:14/10/2016
Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie
Character:Himself
Release Date:10/02/2016
The Arrested Development Documentary Project
Character:Self
Release Date:02/05/2013
Don't Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck
Character:Self
Release Date:28/04/2013
From Morf to Morphing: The Dawn of Digital Filmmaking
Character:Self - Director
Release Date:05/04/2013
Radioman
Character:Self
Release Date:07/12/2012
Corman's World
Character:Self - Filmmaker
Release Date:16/12/2011
Classic TV Bloopers Uncensored
Character:Richie Cunningham (archive footage)
Release Date:01/01/2011
Sheldon Leonard's Wonderful Life
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/2011
Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible
Character:Self
Release Date:12/11/2010
Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story
Character:Self
Release Date:25/07/2010
Ron Howard: 50 Years in Film
Character:Self
Release Date:29/12/2008
Cannes: All Access
Character:Self
Release Date:27/10/2007
George Lucas: Creating an Empire
Character:Self
Release Date:27/01/2005
Tell Them Who You Are
Character:Self
Release Date:06/09/2004
Making a 'Splash'
Character:Self - Director
Release Date:30/03/2004
Weezer: Video Capture Device - Treasures from the Vault 1991-2002
Character:Richie Cunningham ("Buddy Holly") (archive footage)
Release Date:23/03/2004
Christopher Plummer: A Man For All Stages
Character:Self
Release Date:07/11/2002
Inside a Beautiful Mind
Character:Self
Release Date:03/03/2002
A Beautiful Mind
Character:Man at Governor's Ball (uncredited)
Release Date:14/12/2001
Osmosis Jones
Character:Tom Colonic (voice)
Release Date:10/08/2001
The Shootist: The Legend Lives On
Character:Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Release Date:24/07/2001
The Independent
Character:Ron Howard
Release Date:10/11/2000
Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation
Character:Self
Release Date:08/11/2000
Welcome to Hollywood
Character:Ron Howard
Release Date:27/10/2000
From Star Wars to Star Wars: The Story of Industrial Light & Magic
Character:Self
Release Date:15/06/1999
Television: The First Fifty Years
Character:Self / Opie Taylor / Ritchie Cunningham (archive footage)
Release Date:01/01/1999
The Making of 'American Graffiti'
Character:Self
Release Date:15/09/1998
Henry Fonda: Hollywood's Quiet Hero
Character:Self
Release Date:18/03/1997
Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
Character:Self
Release Date:06/02/1997
Frank Capra's American Dream
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/1997
Lost Moon: The Triumph of Apollo 13
Character:Self
Release Date:16/07/1996
Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial
Character:Herbert Biberman
Release Date:27/02/1996
Hollywood on Hollywood
Character:Host
Release Date:16/08/1993
The Magical World of Chuck Jones
Character:Self
Release Date:23/10/1992
First Works
Character:Self
Release Date:10/10/1989
Channel 99
Character:
Release Date:04/08/1988
Willow: The Making of an Adventure
Character:Self - Director
Release Date:26/04/1988
Return to Mayberry
Character:Opie Taylor
Release Date:13/04/1986
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:01/01/1985
Night Shift
Character:Annoying Sax Player (uncredited)
Release Date:30/07/1982
Fire on the Mountain
Character:Lee Mackie
Release Date:23/11/1981
Bitter Harvest
Character:Ned De Vries
Release Date:18/05/1981
Act of Love
Character:Leon Cybulkowski
Release Date:24/09/1980
More American Graffiti
Character:Steve Bolander
Release Date:03/08/1979
A Walking Tour of Sesame Street
Character:Richie Cunningham (archive footage)
Release Date:01/03/1979
Sitcom: The Adventures of Garry Marshall
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/1979
NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney
Character:Self - Host
Release Date:13/09/1978
Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel
Character:Self
Release Date:06/04/1978
Huckleberry Finn
Character:Huckleberry Finn
Release Date:31/03/1978
Grand Theft Auto
Character:Sam Freeman
Release Date:16/06/1977
I'm a Fool
Character:Andy
Release Date:05/04/1977
A Special: Olivia Newton-John
Character:
Release Date:17/11/1976
The Shootist
Character:Gillom Rogers
Release Date:21/07/1976
Eat My Dust
Character:Hoover Niebold
Release Date:01/04/1976
The First Nudie Musical
Character:Auditioning Actor
Release Date:01/01/1976
Locusts
Character:Donny Fletcher
Release Date:09/10/1974
The Spikes Gang
Character:Les
Release Date:11/04/1974
The Migrants
Character:Lyle Barlow
Release Date:03/02/1974
Happy Mother's Day, Love George
Character:Johnny
Release Date:17/08/1973
American Graffiti
Character:Steve Bolander
Release Date:11/08/1973
The Wild Country
Character:Virgil Tanner
Release Date:16/12/1970
Smoke
Character:Chris (as Ronny Howard)
Release Date:01/02/1970
A Boy Called Nuthin’
Character:Richie 'Nuthin'' Caldwell
Release Date:10/12/1967
Village of the Giants
Character:Genius
Release Date:20/10/1965
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
Character:Eddie Corbett
Release Date:27/03/1963
The Music Man
Character:Winthrop Paroo
Release Date:19/06/1962
Five Minutes to Live
Character:Bobby Wilson
Release Date:07/12/1961
The Journey
Character:Billy Rhinelander
Release Date:11/02/1959
Television Appearances
The Studio
Character:Ron Howard
Greatest Geek Year Ever! 1982
Character:Self
100 Years of Warner Bros.
Character:Self
LIGHT & MAGIC
Character:Self - Academy Award Winning Filmmaker
LIGHT & MAGIC
Character:Self
LIGHT & MAGIC
Character:Self - Director, Cocoon
LIGHT & MAGIC
Character:Self - Director, Willow
Only Murders in the Building
Character:Ron Howard
How To with John Wilson
Character:Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Reunited Apart
Character:Self
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Character:Self
This Is Us
Character:Ron Howard (uncredited)
Chelsea
Character:Self
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Character:Self
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Character:
The Odd Couple
Character:Stanley
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Character:Self
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Character:Self
Off Camera with Sam Jones
Character:Self
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Character:Self - Guest
The Graham Norton Show
Character:Self
The Colbert Report
Character:
Kulturplatz
Character:Self
Arrested Development
Character:Narrator
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Character:Self
Real Time with Bill Maher
Character:Self
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Character:Self - Guest
Top Gear
Character:Self
Where Are They Now?
Character:Self
The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn
Character:Self - Guest
The View
Character:Self
The View
Character:Self - Guest
E! True Hollywood Story
Character:
The Daily Show
Character:Self
MADtv
Character:Self
Inside the Actors Studio
Character:Self
Frasier
Character:Stephen (voice)
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Character:
The Simpsons
Character:Ron Howard (voice)
The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang
Character:Richie Cunningham
Battle of the Network Stars
Character:
The Captain and Tennille
Character:Self - Guest
Laverne & Shirley
Character:
Donny & Marie
Character:Self
Saturday Night Live
Character:Self - Host
Saturday Night Live
Character:Contestant #2 (uncredited)
People's Choice Awards
Character:Self - Winner
Dinah!
Character:Self
Happy Days
Character:
Happy Days
Character:Richie Cunningham
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Character:Self
M*A*S*H
Character:Wendell
The Waltons
Character:
Great Performances
Character:Self
The Smith Family
Character:Bob Smith
The Headmaster
Character:
Love, American Style
Character:Richie Cunningham
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
Character:Cory Merlino
Lancer
Character:
Mayberry R.F.D.
Character:Opie Taylor
Land of the Giants
Character:Jodar
Gentle Ben
Character:Jerry
Gentle Ben
Character:Jody Cutler
Judd for the Defense
Character:
The Monroes
Character:
The F.B.I.
Character:Jess Orkin
I Spy
Character:Alan Loden
The Big Valley
Character:Tommy
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Character:Opie Taylor
Daniel Boone
Character:Luke
The Great Adventure
Character:Daniel Waterhouse
The Danny Kaye Show
Character:Self
The Fugitive
Character:Gus
The Mike Douglas Show
Character:Self
The Mike Douglas Show
Character:Self - Co-Host
The New Breed
Character:Tommy Simms
Dr. Kildare
Character:Jerry Prentice
Route 66
Character:
The Andy Griffith Show
Character:Opie Taylor
Pete and Gladys
Character:
Dennis the Menace
Character:
Five Fingers
Character:
Dennis the Menace
Character:Stewart
Johnny Ringo
Character:Ricky Parrott
The Twilight Zone
Character:Wilcox Boy
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
Character:
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
Character:Little Boy Eating Candy Bar
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
Character:Little Boy with Ray Gun
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Character:Wim
Bonanza
Character:Ted Hoag
Gunsmoke
Character:Jamie
The Wonderful World of Disney
Character:Chris
Lassie
Character:
The Danny Thomas Show
Character:Opie Taylor
The Oscars
Character:Self
General Electric Theater
Character:Barnaby Baxter
General Electric Theater
Character:Randy
The Bob Hope Show
Character:Self
Golden Globe Awards
Character:Self - Presenter
Golden Globe Awards
Character:Self - Nominee
Golden Globe Awards
Character:Self - Accepting Award for Best Motion Picture Drama / Nominee
Images
