Written by Anthony Watkins
Over the past several decades, very few Hollywood directors have risen to the top in the manner of two-time Academy Award winner Ron Howard. Born on March 1, 1954 in Duncan, Oklahoma, Howard was raised in a film-oriented family, as his mother was an actress and his father was an actor and director.
Howard was put into the film business at an extremely early age, as his first screen appearance came in Frontier Woman (Ron Ormond, 1956) when he was just 18 months old. Furthermore, his first theatre experience came in a production of The Seven Year Itch when he was merely 2 years old. From here, he began to make several appearances in television shows. Following these appearances, Howard soon made an appearance in his first feature film, The Journey (Anatole Litvak, 1959), starring opposite Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, and Jason Robards. For his strong performance in the film, Howard was soon approached by several producers, and earned a regular role in the TV series Playhouse 90 (Biography). Importantly, it was during this time that his father closely monitored him to prevent exploitation by directors, as his presence as a child actor was rapidly growing. Howard was given confidence while acting in that his father always made time to be on set with him (Fandango).
Howard gained much attention for these early roles; however, it was the role of Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show that really jumpstarted his career. Playing Andy Griffith’s six year old mischievous but adorable and lovable son, Howard gained fame across the nation as a talented child actor. His parents, and in particular his father, closely monitored Howard’s shooting schedule and ensured that he still had a productive and authentic childhood. His father also insisted he get a good education, and placed Howard in public school (Biography).
Howard was put into the film business at an extremely early age, as his first screen appearance came in Frontier Woman (Ron Ormond, 1956) when he was just 18 months old. Furthermore, his first theatre experience came in a production of The Seven Year Itch when he was merely 2 years old. From here, he began to make several appearances in television shows. Following these appearances, Howard soon made an appearance in his first feature film, The Journey (Anatole Litvak, 1959), starring opposite Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, and Jason Robards. For his strong performance in the film, Howard was soon approached by several producers, and earned a regular role in the TV series Playhouse 90 (Biography). Importantly, it was during this time that his father closely monitored him to prevent exploitation by directors, as his presence as a child actor was rapidly growing. Howard was given confidence while acting in that his father always made time to be on set with him (Fandango).
Howard gained much attention for these early roles; however, it was the role of Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show that really jumpstarted his career. Playing Andy Griffith’s six year old mischievous but adorable and lovable son, Howard gained fame across the nation as a talented child actor. His parents, and in particular his father, closely monitored Howard’s shooting schedule and ensured that he still had a productive and authentic childhood. His father also insisted he get a good education, and placed Howard in public school (Biography).
Ron Howard charmed audiences with his portrayal of "Opie Taylor" in the hit TV series The Andy Griffith Show, which ran from 1960-1968.
After The Andy Griffith Show came to a close in 1968, Howard maintained his presence as an actor and made a smooth transition to The Smith Family, starring opposite Henry Fonda, who became one of his mentors who encouraged him to pursue creative growth. After the close of The Smith Family after one season, Howard attended the University of Southern California’s film school, being interested in film since experimenting with a super-8 camera when he was 15 years old. However, his time at the university was cut short as he was cast in a role in George Lucas’ American Grafitti (1973). The film ended up inspiring the hit TV series Happy Days, for which Howard landed the role of Richie Cunningham. His role in the series skyrocketed his already well-established stardom. He also appeared in feature films during breaks of the show. One of these films was The Shootist (Don Siegel, 1976), in which he starred alongside John Wayne and Lauren Bacall, and what turned out to be John Wayne’s final film.
Howard's role as "Richie Cunningham" in the hit TV show Happy Days further elevated his status as a talented actor in Hollywood.
Directorial Debut
In his early twenties, Howard wanted to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a director. Producer Roger Corman, who cast Howard in Eat My Dust! (1976), helped make that dream a reality by letting him direct Grand Theft Auto (1976). Notably, Howard also co-wrote the screenplay with his father and starred in the film. Overall, the directional debut of Howard turned out to be a success, as critics praised the film for its fast pacing and action sequences (Fandango).
Howard successfully launched his career as a director in 1976 with Grand Theft Auto. Written together with his father, the film focuses on a rich girl who steals her dad's Rolls Royce and heads to Las Vegas to get married.
After leaving Happy Days in 1980, Howard focused his attention solely on directing. He met and solidified a relationship with producer Brian Grazer in 1981, and they partnered to direct and produce the dark comedy Nightshift in 1982. The film became Howard’s first hit as a director, and led to another partnership with Grazer for the hit comedy Splash with Tom Hanks, Darryl Hannah, and John Candy in 1984. The film would go on to be Touchstone Pictures’ most successful live-action film to date. A year later, Howard directed the 2-time Academy Award winning film Cocoon, a film that firmly cemented his reputation as a Hollywood director.
In 1985, Howard founded a production company, Imagine Films Entertainment, with his recent producer Grazer. He would use this company to produce several of his films in the ‘90’s, including Backdraft (1991), Apollo 13 (1995), and Ransom (1996). Apollo 13 was an international smash hit detailing the failed and nearly disastrous 1970 mission to the moon. The film reunited Howard with Tom Hanks, and the film garnered 9 Oscar nominations, winning 2 for Best Sound and Best Film Editing. For the film, Howard also received the prized Director’s Guild Award (Fandango).
In 1985, Howard founded a production company, Imagine Films Entertainment, with his recent producer Grazer. He would use this company to produce several of his films in the ‘90’s, including Backdraft (1991), Apollo 13 (1995), and Ransom (1996). Apollo 13 was an international smash hit detailing the failed and nearly disastrous 1970 mission to the moon. The film reunited Howard with Tom Hanks, and the film garnered 9 Oscar nominations, winning 2 for Best Sound and Best Film Editing. For the film, Howard also received the prized Director’s Guild Award (Fandango).
Apollo 13 is Ron Howard's most critically and commercially successful film to date. Featuring a star-studded cast and strong performances in Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton, the film re-tells the dramatic and heroic 1970 failed mission to the moon.
Howard came out on top in 2002 with his film A Beautiful Mind, a film starring Russell Crowe that focuses on a brilliant, but socially withdrawn mathematician who’s life takes an extreme turn for the worst. A Beautiful Mind was nominated for 8 Oscars and won 4, including the highly-prized Best Picture Oscar as well as Best Director for Howard.
After A Beautiful Mind, Howard continued to produce critically and commercially successful films, including Cinderalla Man (2005) and The Da Vinci Code (2006). In 2008, he directed Frost/Nixon, for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Directing, and in 2009 he directed The Da Vinci Code’s sequel Angels and Demons. Most recently, he directed Rush (2013), a film starring Chris Hemsworth detailing the intense rivalry between British and Austrian racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. He is currently in post-production on In the Heart of the Sea, which tells the true story of the 1820 whaling ship incident that left the crew adrift for 90 days.
Today, Howard remains married to his high school sweetheart Cheryl, whom he married in 1975 during his run on Happy Days. They have 4 children together.
After A Beautiful Mind, Howard continued to produce critically and commercially successful films, including Cinderalla Man (2005) and The Da Vinci Code (2006). In 2008, he directed Frost/Nixon, for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Directing, and in 2009 he directed The Da Vinci Code’s sequel Angels and Demons. Most recently, he directed Rush (2013), a film starring Chris Hemsworth detailing the intense rivalry between British and Austrian racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. He is currently in post-production on In the Heart of the Sea, which tells the true story of the 1820 whaling ship incident that left the crew adrift for 90 days.
Today, Howard remains married to his high school sweetheart Cheryl, whom he married in 1975 during his run on Happy Days. They have 4 children together.
Trademarks
Ron Howard has worked in very diverse genres throughout his illustrious career, from comedy (Splash, Gung Ho), drama (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon), thriller (The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons), fantasy (Willow, How the Grinch Stole Christmas) and even western (The Missing). Despite all these different genres, Howard has also demonstrated an affinity for similarly-categorized films. For instance, he has done several films based on historical events (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man, Frost/Nixon, Rush, In the Heart of the Sea). Typically, these events are ones he personally lived through, and he uses this to his advantage in order to make them more realistic and authentic (Perno). Another category he has explored is the “man and machine” area (Grand Theft Auto, Apollo 13, Rush). So as you can see, despite exploring different genres, he has still produced closely related films.
Other trademarks include people he works with: he typically hires James Horner to compose his film scores (Cocoon, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) and typically casts A-list actors, including Tom Hanks (Apollo 13, The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons) and Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man). Finally, he typically casts his father Rance Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) and brother Clint Howard (Apollo 13, How the Grinch Stole Christmas) in supporting roles.
Other trademarks include people he works with: he typically hires James Horner to compose his film scores (Cocoon, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) and typically casts A-list actors, including Tom Hanks (Apollo 13, The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons) and Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man). Finally, he typically casts his father Rance Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) and brother Clint Howard (Apollo 13, How the Grinch Stole Christmas) in supporting roles.
Works Cited
IMDB. 2014. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://www.imdb.com>.
Perno, G.S. “Director’s Trademarks: Ron Howard.” Cinelinx. 2013. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://www.cinelinx.com/movie-stuff/item/4661-directors-trademarks-ron-howard.html>.
“Ron Howard.” The Biography Channel. 2014. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://www.biography.com/people/ron-howard-9542185#synopsis>.
“Ron Howard Biography.” Fandango. 2014. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://www.fandango.com/ronhoward/biography/P94983>.
Perno, G.S. “Director’s Trademarks: Ron Howard.” Cinelinx. 2013. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://www.cinelinx.com/movie-stuff/item/4661-directors-trademarks-ron-howard.html>.
“Ron Howard.” The Biography Channel. 2014. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://www.biography.com/people/ron-howard-9542185#synopsis>.
“Ron Howard Biography.” Fandango. 2014. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://www.fandango.com/ronhoward/biography/P94983>.
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