Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American film
director, producer and actor. Howard first came to prominence as a
child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an
episode of The Twilight Zone. He 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 1980. 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 1980, Howard left Happy
Days to focus on directing, producing and occasionally writing variety
films and television series. His films include the comedy Night Shift
(1982), 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.
director, producer and actor. Howard first came to prominence as a
child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an
episode of The Twilight Zone. He 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 1980. 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 1980, Howard left Happy
Days to focus on directing, producing and occasionally writing variety
films and television series. His films include the comedy Night Shift
(1982), 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.
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