Ronald William Howard was born on March 1, 1954 in Duncan, Oklahoma. Five years later, the Howard moved to Hollywood. His father, Rance, and his mother, Jean Speegle Howard, were theatrical actors. Ron’s brother Clint, who would later become an actor as well, completed the family. You know him as “Ron Howard” the child actor who played “Opie Taylor” on the “Andy Griffith Show” in the 60s. You then saw him as “Richie Cunningham” on “Happy Days” in the 70s. Since that time, he’s grown up and become a director, writer, producer and much more! Read this interesting article and learn some little known facts about Actor/Director Ron Howard!
Early Years
“The All-American Boy”, as he was known, grew up in the public eye on television screens across the nation. Even so, Ron Howard’s father wanted him to have a normal childhood. At least as normal as it could be. He attended Burroughs High School in Burbank. After graduation, Ron Howard enrolled at the University of Southern California.
His Career
A little known fact about actor/director Ron Howard is that he began playing a fresh-faced, freckled teenager in “Happy Days” when he was actually twenty years old. When the show ended, Howard was a twenty-six-year-old married man in real life. Add that to the fact he was younger than fellow actors Anson Williams, who played pal “Potsie Weber” Donny Most. who played “Ralph Malph”, and Henry Winkler who played “Fonzie.” Winkler was the oldest of the group. When “Happy Days” ended, he was thirty-five years old!
Ron Howard grew up during the same time Dodgers-great Don Drysdale was pitching his way to sports fame. Another little known fact about actor/director Ron Howard is that he didn’t realize how much money he made acting. Until he read about Drysdale’s enormous pay. Howard realized he made about the same amount, and that he must be paid very well.
After a successful run as a television actor, Ron Howard found himself typecast as a clean-cut kid. That limited his future career possibilities. So, he decided it was time to step behind the camera and create his own films.
Apollo 13
Not all of Ron Howard’s directing talents have produced box-office hits, but his movie “Apollo 13”, about one space mission that went wrong, (1995) earned nine Oscar nominations. It earned Howard the “Director’s Guild Association Outstanding Feature Film Directorial Achievement Award”.
A little known fact about actor/director Ron Howard is that he placed his parents and his daughter Bryce in the cast of “Apollo 13.”
Family Life
Ron Howard married his high school sweetheart, actress Cheryl Alley on June 7, 1975. The couple have daughter Bryce Dallas, born in 1981, twins Jocelyn Carlyle and Paige Carlyle, born in 1985, and son Reed who was born in 1987.
A little known fact about actor/director Ron Howard is that his three daughters were actually named after the places they were conceived at. His wife got pregnant for Bryce Dallas in Dallas, Texas. And, his twins, Paige Carlyle and Jocelyn Carlyle, were conceived during a stay at the Hotel Carlyle in New York City.
When he’s not off working on a movie, the five-foot-nine-inch Howard lives with his family at their home in Connecticut.
