Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of The Twilight Zone. Howard 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

• 2027Alone at Dawn — Director, Producer
• 2026Avedon — Director, Producer
• 2026Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing — Executive Producer
• 2026Kyle Larson vs. The Double — Executive Producer
• 2026Marty, Life Is Short — Self, Executive Producer
• 2026Summer of '94 — Executive Producer
• 2026Whalefall — Producer
• 2025Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything — Executive Producer
• 2025Big Dreams: The Little League World Series 2024 — Executive Producer
• David Blaine: Do Not Attempt — Executive Producer
• Earnhardt — Producer
• 2025Eden — Producer, Director, Story
• Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series — Executive Producer
• Harlem Ice — Executive Producer
• 2025John Candy: I Like Me — Self - Director, Splash (archive footage)
• 2025Pets — Executive Producer
• The Gringo Hunters — Executive Producer
• The Studio — Ron Howard
• Choir — Executive Producer
• Churchill at War — Executive Producer
• 2024Frida — Executive Producer
• I'm Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders — Executive Producer
• 2024Jim Henson Idea Man — Director, Producer
• 2024Music by John Williams — Self - Filmmaker, Producer
• The Dynasty: New England Patriots — Executive Producer
• 2024The Lost Children — Executive Producer
• The Truth About Jim — Executive Producer
• 2023Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with Dave Letterman — Executive Producer
• Bossy Bear — Executive Producer
• 2023Carlos — Executive Producer
• 2023Judy Blume Forever — Executive Producer
• Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus, and Mayhem in the USA — Executive Producer
• Taiwan Crime Stories — Executive Producer
• 2023Tetris — Executive Producer
• 2023The Beanie Bubble — Producer
• 2023The Slumber Party — Executive Producer
• The Super Models — Executive Producer
• 2023Willow: Behind the Magic — Self - Director, Willow, 1988 / Executive Producer, Willow, 2022
• Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields — Executive Producer
• 2022Downfall: The Case Against Boeing — Executive Producer
• LIGHT & MAGIC — Self - Academy Award Winning Filmmaker, Self - Director, Cocoon, Self - Director, Willow, Executive Producer
• 2022Leave No Trace — Executive Producer
• 2022Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues — Executive Producer
• 2022Lucy and Desi — Executive Producer
• 2022Personality Crisis: One Night Only — Executive Producer
• The Tiny Chef Show — Executive Producer
• 2022The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari — Executive Producer
• 2022Thirteen Lives — Director, Producer
• Under the Banner of Heaven — Executive Producer
• 2022We Feed People — Director, Producer
• Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet — Executive Producer
• 2022Wedding Season — Executive Producer
• Willow — Executive Producer
• Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer — Executive Producer
• Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel — Executive Producer
• Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol — Executive Producer
• Gossip — Executive Producer
• 2021Julia — Executive Producer
• Only Murders in the Building — Ron Howard
• 2021Paper & Glue — Executive Producer
• 2021The Day Sports Stood Still — Executive Producer
• We Are: The Brooklyn Saints — Executive Producer
• 2021Who Are You, Charlie Brown? — Executive Producer
• 2021tick, tick... BOOM! — Producer
• 68 Whiskey — Executive Producer
• 2020Curious George: Go West, Go Wild — Executive Producer
• 2020D. Wade: Life Unexpected — Producer
• 2020Hillbilly Elegy — Director, Producer
• On Pointe — Executive Producer
• 2020Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band — Executive Producer
• 2020Rebuilding Paradise — Director, Producer
• The Astronauts — Executive Producer
• 2019Backdraft 2 — Executive Producer
• 2019Being Frank — Producer
• 2019Dads — Self, Producer
• 2019Pavarotti — Director, Producer
• 2019The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration — Wilcox Boy (archive footage)
• 2018Solo: A Star Wars Story — Director
• 2018The Spy Who Dumped Me — Executive Producer
• Genius — Executive Producer
• 2017The Dark Tower — Producer
• 2016Blood of the Tribades — Thanks
• 2016Inferno — Director, Producer
• Mars — Creator
• 2016The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years — Producer, Director
• This Is Us — Ron Howard (uncredited)
• Breakthrough — Director, Creator
• 2015Curious George 3: Back to the Jungle — Executive Producer
• 2015In the Heart of the Sea — Director, Producer
• 2015Magnetic — Thanks
• 2015Prophet's Prey — Executive Producer
• The Odd Couple — Stanley
• 2014The Good Lie — Producer
• 2013Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest — Executive Producer
• 2013Made in America — Director, Producer
• 2013Out of the Blue — Executive Producer
• 2013Rush — Director, Producer
• 2012Katy Perry: Part of Me — Producer
• 2011Classic TV Bloopers Uncensored — Richie Cunningham (archive footage)
• 2011Cowboys & Aliens — Producer
• 2011Restless — Producer
• 2011The Death and Return of Superman — Max's Son
• 2011The Dilemma — Director, Producer
• Parenthood — Producer, Executive Producer
• 2010Presidential Reunion — Director
• 2009Angels & Demons — Director, Producer
• 2009Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey! — Executive Producer
• 2009Mademoiselle Chambon — Thanks
• 2008Changeling — Producer
• 2008Frost/Nixon — Director, Producer
• 2006Curious George — Producer
• Curious George — Executive Producer
• 2006The Da Vinci Code — Producer, Director
• 2005Cinderella Man — Producer, Director
• 2005Inside Deep Throat — Producer
• The Colbert Report
• 2004The Alamo — Producer
• 2004Weezer: Video Capture Device - Treasures from the Vault 1991-2002 — Richie Cunningham ("Buddy Holly") (archive footage)
• Arrested Development — Narrator, Executive Producer
• 2003The Missing — Director, Producer
• 2001A Beautiful Mind — Man at Governor's Ball (uncredited), Producer, Director
• 2001Osmosis Jones — Tom Colonic (voice)
• 2001Silicon Follies — Executive Producer
• The Beast — Producer
• 2000How the Grinch Stole Christmas — Director, Producer
• 2000The Independent — Ron Howard
• 2000Welcome to Hollywood — Ron Howard
• Wonderland — Producer
• 1999Beyond the Mat — Producer
• 1999EDtv — Producer, Director
• The PJs — Executive Producer
• Felicity — Producer, Executive Producer
• From the Earth to the Moon — Producer, Creator
• Sports Night — Producer, Executive Producer
• Hiller and Diller — Producer
• 1997Inventing the Abbotts — Producer
• 1996Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial — Herbert Biberman
• E! True Hollywood Story
• 1996Ransom — Director
• 1996The Chamber — Producer
• 1995Apollo 13 — Director, Executive Music Producer
• 1994The Paper — Director
• Frasier — Stephen (voice)
• 1993Hollywood on Hollywood — Host
• 1992Far and Away — Producer, Director, Story
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
• 1991Backdraft — Director
• 1991Closet Land — Executive Producer
• Parenthood — Producer
• 1989Parenthood — Director, Story
• 1989The 'Burbs — Executive Producer
• The Simpsons — Ron Howard (voice)
• 1988Channel 99
• 1988Clean and Sober — Executive Producer
• 1988Vibes — Executive Producer
• 1988Willow — Director
• 1987No Man's Land — Executive Producer
• 1986Gung Ho — Director, Executive Producer
• 1986Return to Mayberry — Opie Taylor
• 1986The Lone Star Kid — Executive Producer
• 1985Cocoon — Director
• 1985Into Thin Air — Executive Producer
• 1985No Greater Gift — Executive Producer
• 1984Splash — Director
• 1983When Your Lover Leaves — Executive Producer
• 1982Night Shift — Annoying Sax Player (uncredited), Director
• 1981Bitter Harvest — Ned De Vries
• 1981Fire on the Mountain — Lee Mackie
• 1981Skyward Christmas — Executive Producer
• 1981Through the Magic Pyramid — Executive Producer, Director
• 1980Act of Love — Leon Cybulkowski
• 1980Leo and Loree — Executive Producer
• 1980Skyward — Executive Producer, Director
• The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang — Richie Cunningham
• 1979A Walking Tour of Sesame Street — Richie Cunningham (archive footage)
• 1979More American Graffiti — Steve Bolander
• 1978Cotton Candy — Director, Writer
• 1978Huckleberry Finn — Huckleberry Finn
• The South Bank Show
• 1977Grand Theft Auto — Sam Freeman, Writer, Director
• 1977I'm a Fool — Andy
• 1976A Special: Olivia Newton-John
• Battle of the Network Stars
• 1976Eat My Dust — Hoover Niebold
• Laverne & Shirley
• 1976The First Nudie Musical — Auditioning Actor
• 1976The Shootist — Gillom Rogers
• Saturday Night Live — Self - Host, Contestant #2 (uncredited)
• Happy Days — Richie Cunningham
• 1974Locusts — Donny Fletcher
• 1974The Migrants — Lyle Barlow
• 1974The Spikes Gang — Les
• 1973American Graffiti — Steve Bolander
• 1973Happy Mother's Day, Love George — Johnny
• M*A*S*H — Wendell
• The Waltons
• The Smith Family — Bob Smith
• 1970Smoke — Chris (as Ronny Howard)
• The Headmaster
• 1970The Wild Country — Virgil Tanner
• 1969Cards, Cads, Guns, Gore, and Death... — Director
• 1969Deed of Daring-Do — Director
• Love, American Style — Richie Cunningham
• 1969Old Paint — Director
• The Bold Ones: The New Doctors — Cory Merlino
• Lancer
• Land of the Giants — Jodar
• Mayberry R.F.D. — Opie Taylor
• 1967A Boy Called Nuthin’ — Richie 'Nuthin'' Caldwell
• Gentle Ben — Jerry, Jody Cutler
• Judd, for the Defense
• The Monroes
• I Spy — Alan Loden
• The Big Valley — Tommy
• The F.B.I. — Jess Orkin
• 1965Village of the Giants — Genius
• Daniel Boone — Luke
• Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. — Opie Taylor
• 1963The Courtship of Eddie's Father — Eddie Corbett
• The Fugitive — Gus
• The Great Adventure — Daniel Waterhouse
• 1962The Music Man — Winthrop Paroo
• Dr. Kildare — Jerry Prentice
• 1961Five Minutes to Live — Bobby Wilson
• The New Breed — Tommy Simms
• Pete and Gladys
• Route 66
• The Andy Griffith Show — Opie Taylor
• Bonanza — Ted Hoag
• Dennis the Menace — Stewart
• Five Fingers
• Johnny Ringo — Ricky Parrott
• The DuPont Show with June Allyson — Wim
• 1959The Journey — Billy Rhinelander
• The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis — Little Boy Eating Candy Bar, Little Boy with Ray Gun
• The Twilight Zone — Wilcox Boy
• Gunsmoke — Jamie
• Lassie
• The Wonderful World of Disney — Chris
• General Electric Theater — Barnaby Baxter, Randy
• The Danny Thomas Show — Opie Taylor
• The Red Skelton Show — Joey
• Curious George — Producer
• Dangerously Funny — Producer
• Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell — Producer
• Pa'l Pueblo: Fania for the People — Executive Producer
• Splash — Producer
• Spy vs. Spy — Producer
• The Fixer — Director
• The Shrinking of Treehorn — Director, Producer
• The Sound of Philadelphia — Executive Producer
• Untitled How the Grinch Stole Christmas Sequel — Director, Producer
• Untitled Ron Howard Firefighter Film — Director, Producer

Appearances as themselves (80)

• 2024Enterprise or Love: The Story of Far and Away — Self
• 100 Years of Warner Bros. — Self
• Greatest Geek Year Ever! 1982 — Self
• 2023John Wayne: Cowboys & Demons — Self
• 2023Tom Hanks: The Nomad — Self (archive footage)
• 2022'Tis the Season: The Holidays on Screen — Self
• 2022Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel — Self
• 2021Fuck Coin — Self
• 2021Roger Corman, the Pope of Pop Cinema — Self
• How To with John Wilson — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Reunited Apart — Self
• 2020The Happy Days of Garry Marshall — Self
• 2019Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10 — Self
• The Kelly Clarkson Show — Self
• 2018Kasdan on Kasdan — Self
• 2017Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies — Self
• Chelsea — Self
• 2016Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie — Himself
• 2016Tom Hanks: A League of His Own — Self
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self - Guest
• Late Night with Seth Meyers — Self - Guest
• Off Camera with Sam Jones — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Self
• 2013Don't Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck — Self
• 2013The Arrested Development Documentary Project — Self
• 2012Radioman — Self
• 2011Corman's World — Self - Filmmaker
• 2011Sheldon Leonard's Wonderful Life — Self
• 2010Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible — Self
• 2010Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story — Self
• Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen — Self - Guest
• 2008Ron Howard: 50 Years in Film — Self
• 2007Cannes: All Access — Self
• The Graham Norton Show — Self
• Kulturplatz — Self
• 2004Making a 'Splash' — Self - Director
• 2004Tell Them Who You Are — Self
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Self - Guest
• Real Time with Bill Maher — Self
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show — Self
• 2002Christopher Plummer: A Man For All Stages — Self
• 2002George Lucas: Creating an Empire — Self
• 2002Inside a Beautiful Mind — Self
• Top Gear — Self
• 2001From Morf to Morphing: The Dawn of Digital Filmmaking — Self - Director
• 2001The Shootist: The Legend Lives On — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 2000Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation — Self
• 1999From Star Wars to Star Wars: The Story of Industrial Light & Magic — Self
• 1999Television: The First Fifty Years — Self / Opie Taylor / Ritchie Cunningham (archive footage)
• The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn — Self - Guest
• Where Are They Now? — Self
• 1998The Making of 'American Graffiti' — Self
• 1997Frank Capra's American Dream — Self
• 1997Henry Fonda: Hollywood's Quiet Hero — Self
• 1997Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery — Self
• The View — Self, Self - Guest
• 1996Lost Moon: The Triumph of Apollo 13 — Self
• The Daily Show — Self
• MADtv — Self
• 1995Sci-Fi Channel: The Making of Apollo 13 — Self
• Inside the Actors Studio — Self
• 1992The Magical World of Chuck Jones — Self
• 1991The Horror Hall of Fame II — Self
• 1989First Works — Self
• 1988Willow: The Making of an Adventure — Self - Director
• 1985Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers — Self (archive footage)
• 1979Sitcom: The Adventures of Garry Marshall — Self
• 1978NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney — Self - Host
• 1978Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel — Self
• Donny & Marie — Self
• The Captain and Tennille — Self - Guest
• People's Choice Awards — Self - Winner
• Dinah! — Self
• The American Film Institute Salute to ... — Self
• Great Performances — Self
• The Danny Kaye Show — Self
• The Mike Douglas Show — Self - Co-Host
• The Oscars — Self
• The Bob Hope Show — Self
• Golden Globe Awards — Self - Presenter, Self - Nominee, Self - Accepting Award for Best Motion Picture Drama / Nominee