Ron Howard
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.
47 directing credits · 175 acting credits
Directing · 47
The Da Vinci Code
2006
A Beautiful Mind
2001
Solo: A Star Wars Story
2018
Eden
2025
Apollo 13
1995
Rush
2013
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
2000
Angels & Demons
2009
Ransom
1996
Inferno
2016
Hillbilly Elegy
2020
In the Heart of the Sea
2015
Willow
1988
Splash
1984
Thirteen Lives
2022
Parenthood
1989
Far and Away
1992
Backdraft
1991
Cinderella Man
2005
Cocoon
1985
The Missing
2003
Breakthrough
2015
Frost/Nixon
2008
The Paper
1994
EDtv
1999
Night Shift
1982
Gung Ho
1986
Jim Henson Idea Man
2024
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years
2016
The Dilemma
2011
Grand Theft Auto
1977
Pavarotti
2019
Skyward
1980
Alone at Dawn
—
The Shrinking of Treehorn
—
Rebuilding Paradise
2020
Made in America
2013
We Feed People
2022
Cotton Candy
1978
Through the Magic Pyramid
1981
The Fixer
—
Presidential Reunion
2010
Untitled Firefighter Film
—
Deed of Daring-Do
1969
Avedon
2026
Old Paint
1969
Cards, Cads, Guns, Gore, and Death...
1969
Acting · 175
The Simpsons
1989
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
The Daily Show
1996
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
The Graham Norton Show
2007
Saturday Night Live
1975
Real Time with Bill Maher
2003
Frasier
1993
The Colbert Report
2005
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
Bonanza
1959
Golden Globe Awards
1944
The Andy Griffith Show
1960
Top Gear
2002
The Fugitive
1963
This Is Us
2016
M*A*S*H
1972
The View
1997
Arrested Development
2003
Love, American Style
1969
Lassie
1954
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
Great Performances
1971
The Waltons
1972
The Twilight Zone
1959
Dr. Kildare
1961
Only Murders in the Building
2021
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
Happy Days
1974
The F.B.I.
1965
The Big Valley
1965
Daniel Boone
1964
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
Route 66
1960
The Red Skelton Show
1951
Laverne & Shirley
1976
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
1964
The Oscars
1953
Gunsmoke
1955
People's Choice Awards
1975
Off Camera with Sam Jones
2014
Chelsea
2016
Dinah!
1974
Land of the Giants
1968
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
1959
The Bob Hope Show
1950
Dennis the Menace
1959
Lancer
1968
The Studio
2025
Judd, for the Defense
1967
Mayberry R.F.D.
1968
The Danny Thomas Show
1953
Kulturplatz
2004
Where Are They Now?
1999
Johnny Ringo
1959
I Spy
1965
The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn
1999
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
1959
Battle of the Network Stars
1976
A Beautiful Mind
2001
The Odd Couple
2015
Reunited Apart
2020
The Danny Kaye Show
1963
The Great Adventure
1963
Pete and Gladys
1960
The New Breed
1961
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973
100 Years of Warner Bros.
2023
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
1969
Gentle Ben
1967
The Monroes
1966
Donny & Marie
1976
LIGHT & MAGIC
2022
The Wonderful World of Disney
1954
How To with John Wilson
2020
Marty, Life Is Short
2026
The Captain and Tennille
1976
General Electric Theater
1953
American Graffiti
1973
The Smith Family
1971
Osmosis Jones
2001
Five Fingers
1959
Music by John Williams
2024
Night Shift
1982
E! True Hollywood Story
1996
The Shootist
1976
MADtv
1995
John Candy: I Like Me
2025
The Headmaster
1970
Greatest Geek Year Ever! 1982
2023
Radioman
2012
Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie
2016
The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang
1980
The Music Man
1962
Inside the Actors Studio
1994
The Arrested Development Documentary Project
2013
Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies
2017
More American Graffiti
1979
Willow: Behind the Magic
2023
Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation
2000
Sitcom: The Adventures of Garry Marshall
1979
The Spikes Gang
1974
Act of Love
1980
From Star Wars to Star Wars: The Story of Industrial Light & Magic
1999
'Tis the Season: The Holidays on Screen
2022
Dads
2019
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
1985
Lost Moon: The Triumph of Apollo 13
1996
The First Nudie Musical
1976
The Happy Days of Garry Marshall
2020
Corman's World
2011
The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration
2019
Don't Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck
2013
Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
1997
Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible
2010
The Journey
1959
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
1963
Weezer: Video Capture Device - Treasures from the Vault 1991-2002
2004
Television: The First Fifty Years
1999
The Independent
2000
Grand Theft Auto
1977
Tom Hanks: The Nomad
2023
Happy Mother's Day, Love George
1973
Sheldon Leonard's Wonderful Life
2011
The Making of 'American Graffiti'
1998
Smoke
1970
The Wild Country
1970
Eat My Dust
1976
NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney
1978
Cannes: All Access
2007
A Walking Tour of Sesame Street
1979
Welcome to Hollywood
2000
Frank Capra's American Dream
1997
Bitter Harvest
1981
Return to Mayberry
1986
George Lucas: Creating an Empire
2005
Tell Them Who You Are
2004
Village of the Giants
1965
Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial
1996
Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story
2010
Willow: The Making of an Adventure
1988
Five Minutes to Live
1961
Christopher Plummer: A Man For All Stages
2002
The Magical World of Chuck Jones
1992
Classic TV Bloopers Uncensored
2011
Inside a Beautiful Mind
2002
Fire on the Mountain
1981
The Migrants
1974
Tom Hanks: A League of His Own
2016
Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel
2022
Making a 'Splash'
2004
Henry Fonda: Hollywood's Quiet Hero
1997
From Morf to Morphing: The Dawn of Digital Filmmaking
2013
Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10
2019
A Boy Called Nuthin’
1967
The Shootist: The Legend Lives On
2001
Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel
1978
A Special: Olivia Newton-John
1976
First Works
1989
Fuck Coin
2021
Roger Corman, the Pope of Pop Cinema
2021
Kasdan on Kasdan
2018
John Wayne: Cowboys & Demons
2023
Locusts
1974
Channel 99
1988
Ron Howard: 50 Years in Film
2008
Enterprise or Love: The Story of Far and Away
2024
I'm a Fool
1977
The Horror Hall of Fame II
1991
The Death and Return of Superman
2011
Huckleberry Finn
1978
Hollywood on Hollywood
1993