One of Hollywood’s best directors is, without a doubt, Ron Howard. He’s given us so many great films from A Beautiful Mind to Frost/Nixon to the Robert Langdon films to Hillbilly Elegy. But some of us older fans will remember Ron Howard as Ronnie Howard – and before he was a filmmaker…he was Opie!
Ron Howard started his career as an actor portraying Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. He created one of the most memorable characters in the history of American sitcoms. But as an adult, he’s largely put acting aside to focus on directing.
But there are rumors amidst that Ron Howard might wish to start acting again. Why is this?
Ron Howard’s Daughter is the Only Reason He Might Act Again. Join FactsVerse to learn more…
RON HOWARD’S LIFE AND CAREER
Ron Howard was born on the first of March, 1954, was born on Duncan, Oklahoma. While this was a far cry away from Hollywood, it seems that he was destined for the cinema from day one.
His mother, was an actress who acted in both film and television – probably known best for her role in popular TV shows such as Married…With Children and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. His father was Rance Howard an actor known for great films such as Cool Hand Luke, Chinatown, Ed Wood and Independence Day. Later, he’d act in some of his son Ron’s films including Splash, A Beautiful Mind, and Frost/Nixon.
Needless to say, Little Ron or Ronny was born to enter show business. Owing to his acting genes, it seemed that the natural choice was for him to also pursue a career as an actor.
His early credits included small roles in shows such as TheDupont Show with June Allyson, The Twilight Zone, Dennis The Menace, and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. But, of course, we remember Ronny Howard most for his role as Opie in The Andy Griffith Show.
On The Andy Griffith Show, Opie was the son of Sheriff Andy Taylor. He represented the All-American boy and many older generations can still see themselves as Opie. Ronny Howard became a child star and his character is on the same level as The Beaver or Little Ricky.
As he grew older and The Andy Griffith Show came to an end, he continued to pursue an acting career. His most notable role after The Andy Griffith Show was when he played Richie Cunningham in Happy Days. While this role became popular and garnered a new interest in Ron Howard’s career, he himself didn’t care much for the role. The truth is, Ron Howard never really had an interest in acting and didn’t necessarily want to pursue a career in acting – he was just thrust into it because of his parents and he did a pretty good job at it.
But his dreams were elsewhere. He wanted to focus on creating films and being behind the camera. He left the cast of Happy Days and only made a few guest appearances afterward.
It was in the 1980s that he began his directing career and he’s given us many great films. His great films are too many to mention but some of the ones that have become major hits include, Splash, Cocoon, Willow, Parenthood, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon, The DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons, Inferno, Rush, Solo: A Star Wars Series, Hillbilly Elegy, and Thirteen Lives.
In the meantime, he’s also raised a family and one of his daughters, Bryce Dallas Howard has become a successful actress and director in her own right. As Ron Howard continues to focus on his directing and producing career, fans have wondered if we’ll ever see him acting again.
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BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD’S LIFE AND CAREER
Bryce Dallas Howard was born on March 2nd, 1981, in Los Angeles California. The year of her birth is rather foretelling as it was in the 1980s when her father Ron Howard wanted to move away from acting and start a new career as a director – with his first major hit being Night Shift released in 1982. While this wasn’t the first film he directed, it was with this film that Ron Howard really wanted to focus on directing and producing.
But, let’s get back to Bryce Dallas. She began studying acting at a summer camp for the performance arts. In contrast to her father, she actually took an interest in acting and went on to study at various prestigious institutions including studying under the legendary Stella Adler.
She was committed to becoming a successful actress and wanted to focus on film and television.
As a child, she had appeared in small roles in some of her father’s films. Her first role was as the ‘Redheaded Audience Girl’ in Parenthood – though this hasn’t been confirmed. In 1995, she had an uncredited role in her father’s film Apollo 13 as the Girl in the Yellow Dress. Her first major role was in a 2004 film called Book of Love – which wasn’t directed by her father, but rather was written and directed by Alan Brown.
She had a major role as Heather in the film and this was the start of a great acting career. This was followed up with the role of Ivy in the M. Night Shyamalan film ‘The Village.’ She has acted consistently in films since then with the occasional TV role. Her notable film work includes roles in films such as Manderlay, Lady in the Water, As You Like It, Spiderman 3, Good Dick, Terminator Salvation, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Help, 50/50, Pete’s Dragon, Gold, Rocketman, and Jurassic World Dominion.
On TV, she’s appeared in shows such as Family Guy where she voiced herself in a cameo, Tales of the Jedi, and Black Mirror. She also voiced the character Evelyn Pierce in the podcast series The Guilty.
Unlike her father, it seems that Bryce Dallas Howard has actually enjoyed the process of acting. But like her father, Bryce Dallas Howard has taken an interest in working behind the camera as a director.
In 2006, she directed her first short film called Orchids. Five years later, she made her next short film When You Find Me. In 2013, she directed a segment from a TV movie called Call Me Crazy. She also directed one episode from the TV mini series Vanity Fair: Decades.
In 2019, she directed her first feature film entitled Dads. This was a documentary film in which she interviewed many celebrity dads including her own. She’s also directed TV episodes of shows such as The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
Now, the question remains will we see a collaboration between Ron Howard and Bryce Dallas Howard?
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RON HOWARD’S DAUGHTER IS THE ONLY REASON HE MIGHT ACT AGAIN
Ron Howard has stated that while he has no interest in returning to acting – he might make an exception if his daughter Bryce Dallas Howard directs him in a film or TV show.
Early in December 2022, Ron Howard appeared on the Awards Circuit podcast hosted by Variety Magazine. He was discussing his latest film Thirteen Lives when he was asked about his former acting career.
He stated that his daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, could possibly convince him to return to acting if he acted in a film or show directed by her. He also stated that Bryce was ‘astute and meticulous’ and because of this, she wouldn’t cast him unless he was absolutely right for the role.
He also discussed his acting career at length and reflected upon how he transitioned to filmmaking after spending his life as an actor. He stated that most people were skeptical and weren’t sure if he’d succeed at the new venture.
He had directed short films since the 1960s and in the 1970s he became known for directing a successful feature film entitled Grand Theft Auto. But he was still seen as an actor until 1982 when he decided to move away from acting to focus on directing with his success for directing the film Night Shift.
He stated that, at the time, some major actors such as Paul Newman or Jack Lemmon would direct a film but they wouldn’t fully make the switch to this new medium. Many were wondering whether Ronny Howard would become a great director. For many, he was only Opie or Richie Cunningham and they felt he wasn’t capable of directing major feature films.
How wrong they were!
He stated that while he understood others’ skepticism it upset him and perhaps he wanted to prove himself. But he also came at the right time when many great actors from television were transitioning to directing including Alan Alda and Rob Reiner.
Ron Howard has directed comedy films, thrillers, drama films, and documentaries. He has directed and produced hit after hit and just as audiences resonated with him as an actor, they’ve resonated with his films as a director.
Clearly, he made a great decision to transition to directing and producing. Nevertheless, he was a talented actor and many of us would love to see him in front of the camera again. He gave us great characters in Opie and Richie Cunningham, and perhaps there’s another great character whom we need to see from him.
Perhaps Bryce Dallas Howard is working on a film or show in which we’ll see Ron Howard acting. We’ll just have to wait and see…
So, now let’s hear from you:
Are you a fan of Ron Howard? Did you know that he stated he’d return to acting if his daughter directed him in a film or show?
He’s great as a director but we would love for him to return to acting as well.
And now, here’s what we want to know:
Do you think that there are other child stars who should return to acting as adults?
Or does their novelty mostly wear off when they become adults?
