Ron Howard is an American actor, director, and producer who has a net worth of $200 million. In 1960, when he was just six years old, Ron was cast on what would become the iconic sitcom “The Andy Griffith Show.” In 1974, he landed a second soon-to-be-iconic television role, that of Richie Cunningham on “Happy Days.”
Shifting gears, Howard made his directorial debut with the low-budget comedy “Grand Theft Auto” in 1977. From these humble beginnings, he gradually built a reputation as a versatile director, taking on a variety of genres and producing numerous acclaimed films. Some of his most notable directorial works include the space drama “Apollo 13,” the historical drama “A Beautiful Mind” – which won him the Academy Award for Best Director – and the adaptation of Dan Brown’s bestseller “The Da Vinci Code.”
Beyond his personal directing accolades, Howard also made waves as a producer. Together with writer/producer Brian Grazer, he co-founded Imagine Entertainment in 1986. This production company rapidly became a major player in the industry, known for its diverse filmography. Notable Imagine productions over the years span a wide range of genres and mediums, from the biographical drama “A Beautiful Mind” and the gripping thriller “The Da Vinci Code” to the musical comedy series “Empire” and the heartwarming TV show “Parenthood.”
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Ronald William Howard was born in Duncan, Oklahoma, on March 1, 1954. He is the eldest son of Jean Speegle Howard, an actress, and Rance Howard, a director, writer, and actor. His younger brother Clint Howard would also go on to become a successful actor. The family moved to Hollywood, California, in 1958, where they lived for at least three years before moving to Burbank. He graduated from John Burroughs High School and later attended the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. However, he ultimately did not graduate from college.
Howard got his start in the entertainment industry when he was just five years old. His first credited film role was in 1959, in “The Journey”. He then appeared in episodes of “The DuPont Show with June Allyson,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Dennis the Menace,” “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,” and “The Cheyenne Show.” In 1960, Howard was cast as the character Opie Taylor in “The Andy Griffith Show”. He played the son of the title character for all eight seasons of the show. Other films he appeared in as a child and teenager include “The Music Man” (1962) and “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father” (1963), and episodes on series such as “The Eleventh Hour” (1965), “I Spy” (1966), “The Smith Family” (1968), “Daniel Boone” (1971-1972), “M*A*S*H” (1973), and “The Bold Ones”.
One of his first roles as an adult was in George Lucas’s coming-of-age film “American Graffiti” in 1973. He went on to star in the TV series “Happy Days” as Richie Cunningham and then starred opposite John Wayne in the 1976 film “The Shootist.” His last major acting role was a reprise of his famous role as Opie Taylor in the 1986 TV film “Return to Mayberry,” which was a reunion of “The Andy Griffith Show.” He also appeared in two TV reunions for the cast of “Happy Days” in 1992 and 2005. And in 2022’s “Scream,” Howard appeared in an uncredited role. In 2013, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
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Howard made his directorial debut in 1977 with the low-budget comedy action film “Grand Theft Auto.” He went on to direct several TV films before getting his big directorial break in 1982 with “Night Shift,” which starred Michael Keaton, Shelley Long, and Henry Winkler. Since then, Howard has directed several major films, including “Splash” (1984), “Cocoon” (1985), “Willow” (1988), “Parenthood” (1989), “Backdraft” (1991), “Apollo 13” (1995), “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000), “A Beautiful Mind” (2001), “Cinderella Man” (2005), “The Da Vinci Code” (2006), “Angels & Demons” (2009), “Rush” (2013), “In the Heart of the Sea” (2015), and “Inferno” (2016). In 2008, Howard showcased the world premiere of his film “Frost/Nixon” at that year’s London Film Festival. Awards he has received as a director include the Austin Film Festival’s 2009 Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award.
Furthermore, in June 2017, Howard officially became the director of the Star Wars prequel, “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (2018). The previous directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller had been let go due to their refusal to compromise with Lucasfilm over the direction of the film. At the time of his takeover, the film was actually nearly completed, with only three and a half weeks of filming and five weeks of reshoots left.
In November 2020, his drama film “Hillbilly Elegy” was released on Netflix, and in July 2022, his survival drama “Thirteen Lives” was released to Prime Video. Also in 2022, Netflix acquired “The Shrinking of Treehorn” from Paramount Pictures, which is set to be Howard’s first time directing an animated feature.
In 1985, Ron and Brian Grazer, co-founded the film and television production company Imagine Entertainment. Films produced by Imagine include “Friday Night Lights” (2004), “8 Mile” (2002), and “Inside Deep Throat” (2005). The company has also produced shows like “24”, “Felicity”, and “Arrested Development”. Howard actually conceived the idea for the Fox/Netflix series “Arrested Development”. He also served as producer and narrator and played a semi-fictionalized version of himself. In 2003, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
Howard married Cheryl Alley on June 7, 1975. She is now a writer who goes by Cheryl Howard Crew. They have four children, the oldest of whom, Bryce Dallas Howard, is also a notable actress and director.
In 2004, Ron and Cheryl paid $5.6 million for a 3,000-square-foot apartment in New York City’s uber-exclusive Eldorado Building. They proceeded to pour an additional several million into renovations. They listed this apartment for sale in 2017 for $12.5 million. They lowered the price to $11.5 million but ultimately did not find a buyer and still own the apartment as of this writing. They own a second NYC apartment, which was purchased in 2002 for $712,000.
In 2014, the couple sold their 33-acre estate on a lake in Greenwich, Connecticut, for $27.5 million.
In 2006, they paid $2.75 million for an ocean-view apartment in Santa Monica, California.
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