“It was always my dream to be a director. A lot of it had to do with controlling my own destiny, because as a young actor you feel at everyone’s disposal. But I wanted to become a leader in the business.”
(Photo Source: www.biography.com)
Opie, otherwise known as Ron Howard, sure has grown up since his role as Andy Griffith’s son. Ron Howard has made his mark on the entertainment industry as an actor, a director and a producer. To me, he is a true fan of films and TV.
I often thought that I was somehow, in some way, related to Ron Howard, but in reality, I think it’s just wishful thinking!
According to the website Biography, Ron Howard, born in Duncan, Oklahoma, on March 1, 1954, gained national recognition as a child actor, first as Opie on The Andy Griffith Show, and then as the teenaged Richie Cunningham on Happy Days.
(Photo Source: www.achievement.org)
Howard went on to a career behind the camera, directing movies including Cocoon, Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, for which he received an Academy Award.
(Photo Source: www.wodumedia.com)
When asked about 2001’s A Beautiful Mind, Ron Howard said, “It was always our goal to try to present schizophrenia in a very personal way. So the delusional characters are symbols, you know, manifestations. It’s all a bit more allegorical, it’s not pure case study, it’s not a clinical presentation.”
(Photo Source: IMDb)
In 2002, Howard produced A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly. This movie earned Howard an Academy Award for Best Director, an Academy Award for Best Picture, and a Golden Globe for Best Film. The next year, he worked as the anonymous narrator and executive producer for another television show, Arrested Development. The show was nominated for multiple awards, and won Howard an Emmy award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2004. (Source: Biography)
A few years after the success of A Beautiful Mind, Howard once again directed Russell Crowe in the boxing drama Cinderella Man, which was nominated for more than 22 awards. He followed the critical success of the film with his blockbuster hit The Da Vinci Code (2006), which grossed more than $750 million worldwide, and was nominated for a Golden Globe. (Source: Biography)
In 2008, Howard received an Oscar nod for Best Director for Frost/Nixon, a film exploring the post-Watergate TV interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon. He is also the director of 2009’s Angels & Demons, the sequel to The Da Vinci Code. (Source: Biography)
Howard first appeared in the role of Opie, Andy Griffith’s son in The Andy Griffith Show, on October 3, 1960. The show ended in 1968, but that didn’t stop Howard. He went onto star in one of my husband’s most favorite movies, American Grafitti (1973), George Lucas’ seminal teen film featuring such great actors and actresses like Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Paul Le Mat, Cindy Williams, and Wolfman Jack.
In 1974, Howard starred as the beloved Richie Cunningham in Happy Days, which also starred Henry Winkler as the Fonz. Then in 1977, he made a deal with director Roger Corman. Howard would star in Corman’s Eat My Dust, and Corman would help Howard direct his first major film project, Grand Theft Auto. Soon after this experience, Howard founded his first production company in 1977, Major H Productions.
When Howard was asked in 1979 what the future holds, he said, “If I had to choose between a great acting job and a good directing job, I’d choose the directing job.”
In 1981, Howard met Brian Grazer. Then in 1986, after working with Brian Grazer for several years, they co-founded Imagine Films Entertainment and together they made Night Shift with Henry Winkler, Splash with Tom Hanks, and Cocoon with Don Ameche and Wilford Brimley. They also developed such popular TV shows as Felicity with Keri Russell and 24 with Keifer Sutherland.
Howard’s younger brother, Clint Howard, has minor roles in most of his movies.
(Photo Source: www.blogs.telegraph.co.uk)
He has also cast his father and mother in a number of roles. Both his wife Cheryl Howard and father Rance Howard appeared in
Angels & Demons, as a CERN scientist and as Cardinal Beck, respectively. (Source:
Wikipedia)
Here is a list of other projects that Howard has had a hand:
– Jay-Z: Made in America (producer, documentary)
– Katy Perry: Part of Me (producer, documentary)
– Parenthood (executive producer, writer, TV series)
– Sports Night (executive Producer, TV series)
– The Dilemma (producer, director, movie)
Jamie Foxx even tapped Howard to make a cameo in his music video, “Blame It”, along side Forest Whitaker, Jake Gyllenhaal, Samuel L. Jackson, Quincy Jones, Cedric the Entertainer, Morris Chestnut, Clifton Powell, Alex Thomas, DeRay Davis, Joe, Mos Def, Tatyana Ali, Jalen Rose, Bill Bellamy, Ashley Scott, Electrik Red, Dawn Richard, Keshia Knight Pulliam and LeToya.
In the June 2006 issue of
Vanity Fair magazine, Howard was asked, “What do you consider your greatest achievement?” He replied, “Forty-eight consecutive years of steady employment in television and film, while preserving a rich family life.”
In 2011, Ron Howard and Canon U.S.A. invited photographers of all levels to submit their most imaginative photographs based on eight elements of storytelling for an unprecedented user-generated contest, “Project Imagin8ion.” The project set out to prove that photography could be used as a creative vehicle, even inspiring a Ron Howard production. Nearly 100,000 photos later, eight photos were selected and influenced an award-winning short film, “when you find me,” directed by Bryce Dallas Howard. (Source:
http://www.usa.canon.com)
In 1975, Howard married his high school sweetheart, Cheryl Alley.
(Photo Source: www.xfinity.comcast.net)
Together they have four children: daughters: Bryce Dallas Howard (b. 1981), Jocelyn Carlyle (twin, b. 1985), Paige Howard (twin, b. 1985). Son: Reed Cross (b. 1987).All of Howard’s four children are named after the places they were conceived: Bryce Dallas in Dallas, Texas, Paige Carlyle and Jocelyn Carlyle at the Hotel Carlyle in New York City, and Reed Cross after a specific road, according to Bryce Dallas Howard. (Source:
IMDb)
What is your favorite Ron Howard movie, whether he acted, directed, or produced it? I’d love to hear from you!
Have a great day!
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Great post! As a director i’d have to say my favourite of his is Frost/Nixon. I’m really looking forward to ‘Rush’ next year, i’m a massive Formula 1 geek.
I, too, can’t wait for “Rush” to come out. I’m not really familiar with Formula 1, but I am a fan of Nascar. A few of those Formula 1 drivers have migrated to Nascar, and they seem to be adjusting well to stock car racing.
Thanks for checking out my blog and for liking my post on Ron Howard.
Your blog is great! Continue the great work!
Have a great day!
Great post! As a director i’d have to say my favourite of his is Frost/Nixon. I’m really looking forward to ‘Rush’ next year, i’m a massive Formula 1 geek.