Ron Howard
Directing • Born 1954-03-01
Biography
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
188 credits
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
Movie • 1985
Self (archive footage)
The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration
Movie • 2019
Wilcox Boy (archive footage)
American Graffiti
Movie • 1973
Steve Bolander
Willow: Behind the Magic
Movie • 2023
Self - Director, Willow, 1988 / Executive Producer, Willow, 2022
Classic TV Bloopers Uncensored
Movie • 2011
Richie Cunningham (archive footage)
The Shootist
Movie • 1976
Gillom Rogers
More American Graffiti
Movie • 1979
Steve Bolander
Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
Movie • 1997
Self
The Music Man
Movie • 1962
Winthrop Paroo
Village of the Giants
Movie • 1965
Genius
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
Movie • 1963
Eddie Corbett
Five Minutes to Live
Movie • 1961
Bobby Wilson
The Spikes Gang
Movie • 1974
Les
Eat My Dust
Movie • 1976
Hoover Niebold
Grand Theft Auto
Movie • 1977
Sam Freeman
Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible
Movie • 2010
Self
Corman's World
Movie • 2011
Self - Filmmaker
The Journey
Movie • 1959
Billy Rhinelander
Sheldon Leonard's Wonderful Life
Movie • 2011
Self
Roger Corman, the Pope of Pop Cinema
Movie • 2021
Self
Frank Capra's American Dream
Movie • 1997
Self
Huckleberry Finn
Movie • 1978
Huckleberry Finn
Lost Moon: The Triumph of Apollo 13
Movie • 1996
Self
Happy Mother's Day, Love George
Movie • 1973
Johnny
Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial
Movie • 1996
Herbert Biberman
The Arrested Development Documentary Project
Movie • 2013
Self
Don't Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck
Movie • 2013
Self
Smoke
Movie • 1970
Chris (as Ronny Howard)
The Magical World of Chuck Jones
Movie • 1992
Self
Tom Hanks: The Nomad
Movie • 2023
Self (archive footage)
Radioman
Movie • 2012
Self
The Wild Country
Movie • 1970
Virgil Tanner
Locusts
Movie • 1974
Donny Fletcher
George Lucas: Creating an Empire
Movie • 2005
Self
Bitter Harvest
Movie • 1981
Ned De Vries
Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel
Movie • 1978
Self
The Migrants
Movie • 1974
Lyle Barlow
John Wayne: Cowboys & Demons
Movie • 2023
Self
Night Shift
Movie • 1982
Annoying Sax Player (uncredited)
Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel
Movie • 2022
Self
The First Nudie Musical
Movie • 1976
Auditioning Actor
Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies
Movie • 2017
Self
'Tis the Season: The Holidays on Screen
Movie • 2022
Self
Fire on the Mountain
Movie • 1981
Lee Mackie
Henry Fonda: Hollywood's Quiet Hero
Movie • 1997
Self
Television: The First Fifty Years
Movie • 1999
Self / Opie Taylor / Ritchie Cunningham (archive footage)
Kasdan on Kasdan
Movie • 2018
Self
Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie
Movie • 2016
Himself
The Making of 'American Graffiti'
Movie • 1998
Self
Osmosis Jones
Movie • 2001
Tom Colonic (voice)
Sitcom: The Adventures of Garry Marshall
Movie • 1979
Self
The Independent
Movie • 2000
Ron Howard
NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney
Movie • 1978
Self - Host
Music by John Williams
Movie • 2024
Self - Filmmaker
Act of Love
Movie • 1980
Leon Cybulkowski
Welcome to Hollywood
Movie • 2000
Ron Howard
Return to Mayberry
Movie • 1986
Opie Taylor
First Works
Movie • 1989
Self
A Special: Olivia Newton-John
Movie • 1976
Cannes: All Access
Movie • 2007
Self
I'm a Fool
Movie • 1977
Andy
Tell Them Who You Are
Movie • 2004
Self
Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10
Movie • 2019
Self
A Boy Called Nuthin’
Movie • 1967
Richie 'Nuthin'' Caldwell
From Star Wars to Star Wars: The Story of Industrial Light & Magic
Movie • 1999
Self
Dads
Movie • 2019
Self
The Shootist: The Legend Lives On
Movie • 2001
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation
Movie • 2000
Self
Inside a Beautiful Mind
Movie • 2002
Self
Making a 'Splash'
Movie • 2004
Self - Director
Weezer: Video Capture Device - Treasures from the Vault 1991-2002
Movie • 2004
Richie Cunningham ("Buddy Holly") (archive footage)
Willow: The Making of an Adventure
Movie • 1988
Self - Director
From Morf to Morphing: The Dawn of Digital Filmmaking
Movie • 2013
Self - Director
The Happy Days of Garry Marshall
Movie • 2020
Self
A Walking Tour of Sesame Street
Movie • 1979
Richie Cunningham (archive footage)
Christopher Plummer: A Man For All Stages
Movie • 2002
Self
Ron Howard: 50 Years in Film
Movie • 2008
Self
Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story
Movie • 2010
Self
A Beautiful Mind
Movie • 2001
Man at Governor's Ball (uncredited)
Fuck Coin
Movie • 2021
Self
Channel 99
Movie • 1988
Tom Hanks: A League of His Own
Movie • 2016
Self
Enterprise or Love: The Story of Far and Away
Movie • 2024
Self
Hollywood on Hollywood
Movie • 1993
Host
John Candy: I Like Me
Movie • 2025
Self - Director, Splash (archive footage)
The Andy Griffith Show
TV • 1960
Opie Taylor
The Great Adventure
TV • 1963
Daniel Waterhouse
Inside the Actors Studio
TV • 1994
Self
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
TV • 1959
The Simpsons
TV • 1989
Ron Howard (voice)
M*A*S*H
TV • 1972
Wendell
The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang
TV • 1980
Richie Cunningham
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
TV • 2003
Self
The F.B.I.
TV • 1965
Jess Orkin
The Daily Show
TV • 1996
Self
Route 66
TV • 1960
The View
TV • 1997
Self
E! True Hollywood Story
TV • 1996
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
TV • 1992
Happy Days
TV • 1974
Happy Days
TV • 1974
Richie Cunningham
Donny & Marie
TV • 1976
Self
Laverne & Shirley
TV • 1976
Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Jamie
General Electric Theater
TV • 1953
Barnaby Baxter
Lassie
TV • 1954
The Colbert Report
TV • 2005
MADtv
TV • 1995
Self
I Spy
TV • 1965
Alan Loden
The Waltons
TV • 1972
Arrested Development
TV • 2003
Narrator
The Monroes
TV • 1966
Dennis the Menace
TV • 1959
Battle of the Network Stars
TV • 1976
The Fugitive
TV • 1963
Gus
Daniel Boone
TV • 1964
Luke
Lancer
TV • 1968
The Headmaster
TV • 1970
The Big Valley
TV • 1965
Tommy
Pete and Gladys
TV • 1960
Judd for the Defense
TV • 1967
The New Breed
TV • 1961
Tommy Simms
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
TV • 1973
Self
Johnny Ringo
TV • 1959
Ricky Parrott
Where Are They Now?
TV • 1999
Self
Dr. Kildare
TV • 1961
Jerry Prentice
Five Fingers
TV • 1959
The Oscars
TV • 1953
Self
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
TV • 1959
Wim
The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn
TV • 1999
Self - Guest
The Smith Family
TV • 1971
Bob Smith
The Captain and Tennille
TV • 1976
Self - Guest
Gentle Ben
TV • 1967
Jerry
Gentle Ben
TV • 1967
Jody Cutler
The View
TV • 1997
Self - Guest
Late Night with Seth Meyers
TV • 2014
Self
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Self - Host
Dennis the Menace
TV • 1959
Stewart
100 Years of Warner Bros.
TV • 2023
Self
Mayberry R.F.D.
TV • 1968
Opie Taylor
Frasier
TV • 1993
Stephen (voice)
Bonanza
TV • 1959
Ted Hoag
Chelsea
TV • 2016
Self
The Graham Norton Show
TV • 2007
Self
General Electric Theater
TV • 1953
Randy
The Odd Couple
TV • 2015
Stanley
The Twilight Zone
TV • 1959
Wilcox Boy
Greatest Geek Year Ever! 1982
TV • 2023
Self
The Bob Hope Show
TV • 1950
Self
The Mike Douglas Show
TV • 1961
Self
The Mike Douglas Show
TV • 1961
Self - Co-Host
This Is Us
TV • 2016
Ron Howard (uncredited)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TV • 2015
Self - Guest
Love, American Style
TV • 1969
Richie Cunningham
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
TV • 1969
Cory Merlino
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TV • 2015
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
TV • 2003
Self - Guest
Land of the Giants
TV • 1968
Jodar
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
TV • 2009
Self - Guest
The Danny Thomas Show
TV • 1953
Opie Taylor
Reunited Apart
TV • 2020
Self
Real Time with Bill Maher
TV • 2003
Self
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
TV • 2014
Self
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
TV • 1959
Little Boy Eating Candy Bar
The Kelly Clarkson Show
TV • 2019
Self
Off Camera with Sam Jones
TV • 2014
Self
Kulturplatz
TV • 2004
Self
Dinah!
TV • 1974
Self
The Danny Kaye Show
TV • 1963
Self
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
TV • 1964
Opie Taylor
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
TV • 1959
Little Boy with Ray Gun
Only Murders in the Building
TV • 2021
Ron Howard
Top Gear
TV • 2002
Self
Golden Globe Awards
TV • 1944
Self - Presenter
Great Performances
TV • 1971
Self
Golden Globe Awards
TV • 1944
Self - Nominee
How To with John Wilson
TV • 2020
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Golden Globe Awards
TV • 1944
Self - Accepting Award for Best Motion Picture Drama / Nominee
The Wonderful World of Disney
TV • 1954
Chris
LIGHT & MAGIC
TV • 2022
Self - Academy Award Winning Filmmaker
LIGHT & MAGIC
TV • 2022
Self
LIGHT & MAGIC
TV • 2022
Self - Director, Cocoon
LIGHT & MAGIC
TV • 2022
Self - Director, Willow
The Studio
TV • 2025
Ron Howard
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Contestant #2 (uncredited)
People's Choice Awards
TV • 1975
Self - Winner
The Red Skelton Show
TV • 1951
Joey
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
TV • 2003
Self