Rance Howard (born Harold Engle Beckenholdt; November 17, 1928 – November 25, 2017) was an American actor who starred in film and on television. He was the father of actor and filmmaker Ron Howard and actor Clint Howard, and grandfather of actresses Bryce Dallas Howard and Paige Howard. Howard appeared in films such as Cool Hand Luke (1967), Chinatown (1974), Splash (1984), Ed Wood (1994), Apollo 13 (1995), Independence Day (1996), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Cinderella Man (2005), Frost/Nixon (2008), Nebraska (2013), and Max Rose (2016). He received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program for co-producing the television film The Time Crystal (1981).

Filmography

• 2019Apple Seed — Carl
• 2019The Christ Slayer — Devil as Old Man
• 2017Broken Memories — Jasper
• 2017Chasing the Star — Devil as an Old Man
• 201640 Nights — Devil as an Old Man
• 2016Kalebegiak — José Mari
• 2016Max Rose — Walter Prewitt
• 2016Talk Radio — Lou
• 2015Chez Upshaw — Harry
• 2015Solemates — Older Man
• 2013Gone Dark — Charles
• 2013Huff — Scotty
• 2013Nebraska — Uncle Ray
• 2013Second Chances — Wilbur
• 2013The Lone Ranger — Engineer
• 2012Easy Rider: The Ride Back — Andrew Jackson Bennett
• 2011Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 — Preacher
• 2011Harley's Hill — Charlie
• 2011InSight — Cemetery Presider
• 2011Let Go — Dimples
• 2011Night Club — Chuck
• 2011Redemption: For Robbing the Dead — Doctor
• 2011Rosewood Lane — Fred Crumb
• 2011Spooky Buddies — Mr. Johnson
• 2011The Dilemma — Burt
• Workaholics — Jerry
• 2010Jonah Hex — Telegrapher
• 2010Once Fallen — Harry
• 2010The Child Wanderers — Old Knut
• 2010The Genesis Code — Dr. Tolley
• 2010The Trial — Judge Danielson
• 2010Valentine's Day — Bistro Gardens Diner
• 2009Angels & Demons — Cardinal Beck
• 2009Boppin' at the Glue Factory — Walker Bill
• Lie to Me — Joe Metz
• NCIS: Los Angeles — Eugene
• 2009Play the Game — Mervin Lavine
• 2009Within — Deli Owner
• 2008Audie & the Wolf — Dr. Maleosis
• 2008Drillbit Taylor — Older Man
• 2008Frost/Nixon — Ollie
• 2008Ghost Town: The Movie — Sheriff Tom Parker
• 2008Grizzly Park — Ranger Howard
• 2008Keith — Old Man (uncredited)
• 2007Be My Baby — Zippy
• 2007Georgia Rule — Dog Bite Man
• 2007Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story — Preacher
• 2006Harrison Bergeron — Narrator
• 2006Sasquatch Mountain — Harris Zeff
• 2006Sister Aimee: The Aimee Semple McPherson Story — James Kennedy
• Twenty Good Years — Henry
• 2005Back By Midnight — Priest
• Bones — Jerold Norsky
• 2005Cinderella Man — Announcer Al Fazin
• Ghost Whisperer — Dirk Abrams
• Grey's Anatomy — Martin Carroll
• 2005Miracle at Sage Creek — Doctor Babcock
• CSI: NY — Samuel Cooper
• 2004Death and Texas — Circuit Court Judge
• 2004Ghost Rock — Cash
• 2004The Alamo — Governor Smith
• 2004Toolbox Murders — Chas Rooker
• Arrested Development — Rance Howard
• Cold Case — Buddie
• 2003Legend of the Phantom Rider — Doc Fisher
• That's So Raven — Murphy
• 2003The Long Ride Home — Old Man
• 2003The Missing — Telegraph Operator
• 2002D-Tox — Geezer
• 2002Jumping for Joy
• That '80s Show — Mr. Bailey
• 2001A Beautiful Mind — White-Haired Patient
• 2001A Crack in the Floor — Floyd Fryed
• 2001Joe Dirt — Bomb Squad Cop
• 2001Ping! — Old Man
• 2001Rat Race — Feed the Earth Spokesman
• 2000Big Wind on Campus — Grandpa Morton
• 2000How the Grinch Stole Christmas — Elderly Timekeeper
• 2000Love & Sex — Earl
• Son of the Beach
• The Huntress
• 1999Abilene — Arliss
• Angel — Marcus Roscoe
• 1999Happy, Texas — Ely
• 1999Malevolence — Dr. Burns
• 1998Chairman of the Board — Rev. Hatley
• 1998Evasive Action — Train Engineer
• 1998Land of the Free — Hotel Manager
• 1998Psycho — Mr. Lowery
• 1998Small Soldiers — Husband
• 1998The Night Caller — Hank
• Two of a Kind — Mr. Fillmore
• Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction — Reginald Hannon (segment "The Viewing")
• 1997Busted — Mayor Davies
• 1997Holiday in Your Heart — Blind Man
• Just Shoot Me! — Blind Flower Guy
• 1997Money Talks — Reverend
• 1997Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest — Jarvis Bean
• 1997The Second Civil War — Arnold Tooney, Jr.
• 1997Traveller — Farmer
• 7th Heaven — Old Man in Park
• Clueless
• 1996Ghosts of Mississippi — Ralph Hargrove
• 1996Independence Day — Chaplain
• 1996Mars Attacks! — Texan Investor
• 1996Sgt. Bilko — Mr. Robbins
• 1996Tiger Heart — Mr. Johnson
• 1996Where Truth Lies — Judge Bloom
• 1995Apollo 13 — Reverend
• Baywatch Nights
• 1995Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest — Employer
• 1995Killing Cupid — Zeke
• 1995Problem Child 3 — The Janitor
• 1995The Colony — Stan Benson
• Babylon 5 — David Sheridan
• 1994Bigfoot: The Unforgettable Encounter — Todd
• ER — Dr. Oliver Kostin
• 1994Ed Wood — Old Man McCoy
• 1994Forced to Kill — Rance
• 1994Little Giants — Father Kelly
• Rebel Highway — Minuteman
• 1994Runaway Daughters — Minute Man 3
• 1994Terminal Velocity — Stunt Pilot/Chuck
• 1994The Paper — Alicia's Doctor
• Diagnosis: Murder — Driver
• 1993Ed and His Dead Mother — Rev. Praxton
• 1993Fearless — Bald Cabby
• 1993Snapdragon — Priest
• The X-Files — Old Man
• 1993Ticks — Sheriff Parker
• 1992Boris and Natasha — Polygraph Man
• 1992Far and Away — Tomlin
• 1992I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore — Elderly Man
• Melrose Place — Motel Manager
• 1992Universal Soldier — John Devreux
• 19919 1/2 Ninjas! — Ninja Negotiator
• 1991Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter — Bernie
• Switched at Birth — Frank Hill
• B.L. Stryker
• 1989B.O.R.N. — Robert Morrison
• Baywatch — Joe, Fireman
• Coach — Herman Van Dam
• 1989Limit Up — Chuck Feeney
• 1989Listen to Me
• 1989Parenthood — Dean at College
• Quantum Leap — Doc Graves
• Seinfeld — Blind Man, Farmer
• Tales from the Crypt — Des
• 1989The 'Burbs — Detective #2
• 1989Trust Me — Vern
• 1988Dark Before Dawn — Logan
• Superboy — Colonel
• 1987Innerspace — Supermarket Customer
• Married... with Children — Edwin, Reverend
• Wiseguy — Ernest Haynes
• 1986A Smoky Mountain Christmas — Dr. Jennings
• 1986Gary Coleman: For Safety's Sake — Captain Truck
• 1986Gung Ho — Mayor Conrad Zwart
• 1986Return to Mayberry — Preacher
• 1986Two Soldiers — Paw
• A Death in California — Ralph Lee
• 1985Cocoon — St. Petersburg Dectective
• 1985Creator — Mr. Spencer
• 1985Playing with Fire — Fireman Goodwin
• 1985Scandal Sheet — Mr. Bell
• The Long Hot Summer — Wilk
• Finder of Lost Loves — Hank
• Murder, She Wrote — Fillmore
• 1984Splash — McCullough
• 1984The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins — Policeman
• 1984The Lonely Guy — Minister
• 1983Forever and Beyond — Technician
• 1983Love Letters — Joseph Chesley
• 1983Rita Hayworth: The Love Goddess — Still Photographer
• 1983The Kid with the 200 I.Q. — Bus Driver
• The Thorn Birds — Doc Wilson
• 1982Airplane II: The Sequel — Person #1 (uncredited)
• 1982The Executioner's Song — Lt. Nelson
• 1982The Kid with the Broken Halo — Coach Ramsdell
• Dynasty
• 1981Smokey Bites the Dust — Football Coach
• 1981The Miracle of Kathy Miller — Dr. Jewell
• 1981Through the Magic Pyramid — Producer, Writer
• 1980Scout's Honor — The Captain
• 1980Skyward — Pilot #2
• 1979Flatbed Annie & Sweetie Pie: Lady Truckers — Mr. Murray
• 1979The Kid from Left Field — Harry the Bartender
• Battlestar Galactica — Farnes
• 1978Cotton Candy — Mr. Bremmercamp, Co-Producer
• 1978Huckleberry Finn — Pap Finn
• Mork & Mindy — Guard
• 1978Mr. No Legs — Lou
• 1977Another Man, Another Chance — Wagonmaster
• 1977Grand Theft Auto — Ned Slinker, Writer, Associate Producer
• 1977The Legend of Frank Woods — Howard Blacker
• 1976Eat My Dust — Clark
• 1976Image in a Bottle — The Doctor
• Laverne & Shirley
• 1976The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe
• Switch — Collins
• 1974Chinatown — Irate Farmer
• Happy Days — Mr. Burkhart
• Little House on the Prairie — Simpson
• 1974Locusts — Aaron
• 1974Where the Lilies Bloom — Roy Luther
• 1973The Red Pony — Sheriff Bill Smith
• ABC Afterschool Special — Myron Faraday
• 1972Bloody Trail — Jake
• Kung Fu — Sheriff Byrd
• The Rookies — Writer
• The Waltons — Dr. McIvers
• Nichols — Deputy
• Dan August — Hobbs
• Night Gallery — Cameraman (segment "The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes")
• 1970The Wild Country — Cleve
• Then Came Bronson — Carl Mueller
• 1967Cool Hand Luke — Sheriff
• Gentle Ben — Henry Boomhauer, Writer
• 1967Gentle Giant — Tater Coughlin
• 1966An Eye for an Eye — Harry
• The Monroes
• The F.B.I. — Ranger
• 1965Village of the Giants — Deputy
• 1963The Courtship of Eddie's Father — Camp Counselor (uncredited)
• The Virginian — Luka
• The Andy Griffith Show — Treasury agent, Bus Driver, The Governor's Chauffeur, Writer
• The Flintstones — Writer
• Bat Masterson — Fletcher
• Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre — Deputy Shaker
• 1956Frontier Woman — Prewitt
• Gunsmoke — Judge Alan Franklin, Frank Benton
• The Danny Thomas Show — TV Crewman
• Kraft Television Theatre

Appearances as themselves (3)

• 2019Dads — Self
• 1978Steve Martin: A Wild and Crazy Guy — Self
• The Mike Douglas Show — Self