Age, Biography & Wiki
Full Name: Ronald William Howard
Date of Birth: March 1, 1954
Age (as of 2025): 71 years old
Place of Birth: Duncan, Oklahoma, USA
Nationality: American
Occupation: Actor, Director, Producer, Businessman
Known For: “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Happy Days,” “Apollo 13,” “A Beautiful Mind,” “The Da Vinci Code”
Ron Howard began his career as a child actor at the age of six, achieving early fame on “The Andy Griffith Show.” He later starred in “Happy Days,” cementing his status as a television icon. Transitioning to directing and producing, Howard became one of Hollywood’s most respected filmmakers, co-founding Imagine Entertainment, a production powerhouse responsible for numerous acclaimed films and TV series.
| Occupation | Film Producer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1 March 1954 |
| Age | 71 Years |
| Birth Place | Duncan, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While official and recent measurements are not widely published, Ron Howard is generally reported to be around 6 feet (183 cm) tall, with a medium build. Details about his exact weight or body measurements are not publicly available in prominent sources.
| Height | 183 cm |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Relationship Status: Married
Spouse: Cheryl Alley Howard (married since 1975)
Children: 4 (including actress Bryce Dallas Howard)
Ron Howard has been married to Cheryl Alley Howard for nearly five decades, highlighting a stable and long-standing relationship. The couple’s family life and philanthropic efforts are well-regarded in Hollywood.
He also starred in the 1963 film The Courtship of Eddie's Father with Glenn Ford and Jones. He guest-starred as Tommy in the twelfth episode of the first season of The Big Valley and he appeared as Barry Stewart on The Eleventh Hour in 1965; on I Spy in the 1966 episode "Little Boy Lost"; as Henry Fonda's son in an ABC series, The Smith Family, in 1968; as Jodah in Land of the Giants in 1969; as a boy whose father was shot on Daniel Boone in 1971–72; and as an underage Marine on M*A*S*H in the episode "Sometimes You Hear the Bullet" in 1973. In the 1970s, he appeared in at least one episode of The Bold Ones, as a teenage tennis player with an illness.
In 1974, Howard guest-starred as Seth Turner, the best friend of Jason Walton (Jon Walmsley), in The Waltons episode, "The Gift". Featured in the cast as Dr. McIvers is Ron Howard's father Rance Howard. In 1976, Howard starred alongside John Wayne and Lauren Bacall in Don Siegel's The Shootist, the story of a Western gunfighter dying of cancer. (The movie was Wayne's last.)
Before leaving Happy Days in 1980, Howard made his directing debut with the 1977 low-budget comedy/action film Grand Theft Auto, based on a script he co-wrote with his father, Rance. This came after cutting a deal with Roger Corman, wherein Corman let Howard direct a film in exchange for Howard starring in Eat My Dust!, with Christopher Norris. Howard went on to direct several TV movies for NBC between 1978 and 1982, including the 1980 TV movie, Skyward, starring Bette Davis. His big directorial break came in 1982, with Night Shift, featuring Michael Keaton, Shelley Long, and Howard's Happy Days co-star Henry Winkler.
In 2000, he directed the live action children's fantasy film, How the Grinch Stole Christmas based on the Dr. Seuss children's book. The film starred Jim Carrey as the titular character and featured performances from Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, and Molly Shannon, with Anthony Hopkins serving as the film's narrator. Despite the film receiving mixed reviews from critics, it was a financial success and earned $345 million at the box office. Howard's followup film was the biographical drama film A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe as the American mathematician John Nash who struggled with paranoid schizophrenia. The film featured performances from Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Josh Lucas, and Christopher Plummer. The film received positive reviews from critics who praised Crowe's and Connelly's performances. The film went on to receive eight Academy Award nominations including a win for Best Picture and a nomination and win for Howard as Best Director. Howard was nominated alongside Robert Altman, David Lynch, Ridley Scott, and Peter Jackson. In 2005, Howard directed the biographical sports drama Cinderella Man based on the true story of heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock played by Russell Crowe. The film also starred Renée Zellweger as his wife Mae Braddock, and Paul Giamatti as his trainer Joe Gould. Rotten Tomatoes gave it an approval rating of 80% based on reviews from 214 critics with an average score of 7.4/10. Its consensus states, "With grittiness and an evocative sense of time and place, Cinderella Man is a powerful underdog story. And Ron Howard and Russell Crowe prove to be a solid combination." Howard is also known for directing the Robert Langdon films. The series began with The Da Vinci Code (2006) with Tom Hanks as Langdon, featuring performances by Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, and Alfred Molina. The sequel was Angels & Demons (2009) with Hanks reprising his role and performances by Ewan McGregor and Stellan Skarsgård. In 2016, Inferno was released with Hanks continuing the role with performances by Felicity Jones, Irrfan Khan, and Omar Sy. All three films received mixed reviews but were popular among audiences.
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| Husband | Cheryl Alley (m. June 7, 1975) |
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Net Worth and Salary
Net Worth (2025): $200 million – $250 million
Annual Salary (Directing): $10 million – $20 million per film, excluding back-end profits from successful projects
Ron Howard’s substantial net worth reflects his success across acting, directing, producing, and business. His production company, Imagine Entertainment, has been a major contributor to his wealth, alongside real estate investments in Los Angeles and Greenwich, Connecticut.
Career, Business, and Investments
Acting Highlights:
- The Andy Griffith Show (child actor)
- Happy Days (Richie Cunningham)
Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, seven Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2003 and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2013. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions in film and television.
Howard is a co-chairman, with Brian Grazer, of Imagine Entertainment, a film and television production company. Imagine has produced several films including Friday Night Lights, 8 Mile, and Inside Deep Throat, as well as the television series 24, Felicity, The PJs, and Arrested Development which Howard also narrated and later appeared in as himself.
Social Network
Ron Howard maintains an active presence on major social media platforms, including:
Howard has directed historical dramas such as Apollo 13 (1995), Cinderella Man (2005), Rush (2013), In the Heart of the Sea (2015), and Thirteen Lives (2022), the children's fantasy film How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), the comedy The Dilemma (2011), the space drama Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), as well as the Robert Langdon film series: The Da Vinci Code (2006), Angels & Demons (2009), and Inferno (2016). He also directed numerous documentaries such as The Beatles: Eight Days a Week (2016), Pavarotti (2019), and We Feed People (2022).
Howard appeared on the 1969 Disneyland Records album The Story and Song from the Haunted Mansion. It featured the story of two teenagers, Mike (Howard) and Karen (Robie Lester), who get trapped inside the Haunted Mansion. Thurl Ravenscroft plays the Narrator, Pete Reneday plays the Ghost Host, and Eleanor Audley plays Madame Leota. Some of the effects and ideas that were planned but never permanently made it to the attraction are mentioned here: the Raven speaks in the Stretching Room, and the Hatbox Ghost is mentioned during the Attic scene. It was reissued in 1998 as a cassette tape titled A Spooky Night in Disney's Haunted Mansion and on CD in 2009.
Howard's direction for the 1995 docudrama film Apollo 13 received praise from critics. The film stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton as the three astronauts members of the Apollo 13 flight crew, with supporting performances from Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, and Kathleen Quinlan. The film was a massive financial success earning $335 million off a budget of $52 million. The film received widespread critical acclaim with Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praising the film in his review saying: "A powerful story, one of the year's best films, told with great clarity and remarkable technical detail, and acted without pumped-up histrionics." The film went on to receive nine Academy Award nominations including Best Picture.
Howard took over directing duties on Solo: A Star Wars Story, a film featuring Star Wars character Han Solo in his younger years. The film was released on May 23, 2018. Howard officially replaced directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller on June 22, 2017; they were let go from their position two days earlier, reportedly due to their refusal to compromise with Lucasfilm over the direction of the film; reportedly the directors encouraged significant improvisations by the actors, which was believed by some at Lucasfilm to be "shifting the story off-course". At the time, the film was nearly completed, with three and a half weeks left to film and another five weeks of reshoots scheduled. Howard posted on Twitter, "I'm beyond grateful to add my voice to the Star Wars Universe after being a fan since 5/25/77. I hope to honor the great work already done & help deliver on the promise of a Han Solo film."
Education
Educational Background:
- University of Southern California (USC): Attended but did not graduate
Howard was tutored at Desilu Studios in his younger years but continued his schooling at Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary and David Starr Jordan Junior High in Burbank, California when not working in television, eventually graduating from Burbank's John Burroughs High School. He later attended the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts but did not graduate. Howard has said he knew from a young age he might want to go into directing, thanks to his early experience as an actor.
In November 2017, Howard announced that he would be teaching his first directing class. On November 24, 2020, Howard's drama film Hillbilly Elegy was released on Netflix. The film is based on the memoir of the same name by JD Vance and was adapted for the screen by Vanessa Taylor. The film stars Academy Award nominees Glenn Close and Amy Adams. The film has received widespread negative reception from critics.
Summary Table
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Ronald William Howard |
| Date of Birth | March 1, 1954 |
| Age (2025) | 71 |
| Height | ~6 ft (183 cm) |
| Net Worth | $200 million – $250 million |
| Salary (Directing) | $10 million – $20 million per film |
| Companies | Imagine Entertainment (Co-founder) |
| Spouse | Cheryl Alley Howard (since 1975) |
| Children | 4 (including Bryce Dallas Howard) |
| Education | Attended University of Southern California (no degree) |
| Social Media | Twitter, Instagram |
