Ron Howard: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Film director, producer, and actor Ron Howard is a familiar name in America’s entertainment scenery.

The Oklahoma-born comes from a family well vested in the world of acting and theatrics. His mother Jean, acted in several TV shows and movies such as “Grace Under Fire,” “Frontier woman,” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

In addition, Howard’s father, Rance also got his first big break in “Frontier woman” and has earned over 100 acting credits until his death a few years ago. With the acting talent flowing in his veins, it never seemed off for Howard to follow the path of the thespian arts.

He got into acting and attained greater heights, pushing his family further into the spotlight. The “Happy Days” star started as a child actor, rose through the rungs, and has achieved legendary status in Hollywood for his immense versatility and sheer ingenuity.

Keep scrolling to find more about his career, net worth, and family.

The acting industry is quite a cut-throat world for many greenhorns trying to break into it. However, for Howard, destiny came calling at an early age.

At age six, he portrayed Opie Taylor in Sheldon Leonard’s “The Andy Griffith Show.” It happened after actor and future U.S. president Ronald Reagan praised him for his role in an episode of “General Electric Theater.”

The director explained the simplicity of getting his breakout role in an interview with the Television Academy Foundation (TAF.) “It was a pilot for a TV series. And Ronald Reagan was then hosting that show,” Howard said.

“I guess I didn’t have much of a credit, but Ronald Reagan had seen the episode, and at the end, he just ad-libbed this thing and said, ‘Special thanks to little Ronnie Howard who did a wonderful job, as Barnaby or something like that.”

“And that led Sheldon Leonard to call my agent and say, ‘I’m doing a series with Andy Griffith, and we need a son,” he added.

More acting roles came for Howard as he grew into his teenage years. He gained further acclaim for his role as Richie Cunningham, the main character, through seven seasons of the ABC sitcom “Happy Days.”

After acting for a while, the Academy Award winner set his eyes on a different path behind the silver screen. He enrolled in the University of Southern California’s film program, honing his skills for a switch to directing and producing films and television series.

His directorial debut came in 1977 with the film “Grand Theft Auto,” a comedy story about a rich girl who stole her dad's Rolls Royce and took off to Las Vegas to get married. Howard’s versatility saw him direct other movies across different genres like fantasy, comedy, biopics, docudrama, action, and historical movies.

He swept home Best Director and Best Picture Oscars for 2001’s “A Beautiful Mind” and his films have garnered over 90 award nominations altogether. His box-office, chart-topping movies as a director include “Cocoon,” “Apollo 13,” and “The Da Vinci Code.”

Howard is a National Medal of Arts alum and is an inductee in the Television Hall of Fame. He also has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his immense contributions to the movie industry.

The phrase “Success comes with riches” is a testament to Howard’s storied career in Hollywood. With over 40 directorial and production credits to his name alongside several movies and television series roles, the legendary director has amassed a pretty penny for himself.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Howard’s current wealth is north of $200 million after six decades in the industry. Meanwhile, the director is not resting on his directorial laurels and has utilized his storytelling skills in his recently released memoir “The Boys.”

The book, jointly written with his brother Clint, showed their appreciation for their parents' training efforts and positive impact.

“What spared Ron and me from becoming Hollywood casualties are the values Mom and Dad instilled in us,” Clint noted.

“Ron and I decided to share our story of growing up as the products of these sophisticated hicks: just your typical postwar tale of a tight nuclear family whose two kids happened to be on TV all the time.”

Having benefited from an acting upbringing, Howard seems to have passed the gene to some of his progenies. The “Griffith” star has four children Bryce, Paige, Jocelyn, and Reed, with his wife, “Angels & Demons” actress Cheryl Howard.

Of the quartet, Bryce is currently the most successful, acting-wise. Since her breakout role in 2004’s “The Village,” she has garnered over 40 acting credits to her name. With features in box-office hits like “Spider-Man 3,” “Terminator Salvation,” “Jurassic World,” and Oscar-winning film “The Help,” the redhead seems to be heading to the very top.

Bryce’s younger sister Paige is also making waves in the industry for her roles in “Adventureland,” “Medium,” “90210,” and “The Employer.”

Unlike their siblings, Jocelyn and Reed have stayed away from the acting life, venturing into other personal interests.