It's incredible how Ron Howard went from a fiery-haired child star of The Andy Griffith Show to one of the greatest film directors in Hollywood. The man is literally an American institution. From his years on TV sets to his current place behind the camera, what is Ron Howard's net worth?
Ronald William Howard was born into a show biz family so it's no surprise that he didn't waste any time getting in front of the camera. His mother, Jean Speegle Howard, was an actress and his father, Rance Howard, was an actor, director, and writer. Though he was born in Oklahoma, Howard's family moved out to Burbank and he was already booking roles at the young age of five.
Howard actually had numerous roles before landing the part of Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show for eight seasons. His first TV role was on Johnny Ringo, followed by The Twilight Zone, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, Dennis the Menace, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, and General Electric Theater, as well as film roles in The Journey, Five Minutes to Live, and The Music Man. Howard really did grow up on sets, but it wasn't until he landed a role in George Lucas's American Graffiti that he transitioned into more mature roles. That film helped him land the role of Richie Cunningham on the iconic sitcom Happy Days with Henry Winkler, but Howard started getting curious about working behind the camera. He made a few more acting appearances, including John Wayne's final film The Shootist, before finally fully making the move over to directing. But he did continue to appear in Happy Days reunions and Return to Mayberry.
Though he attended film school at the University of Southern California he never ended up finishing. His directorial debut came with the action film, Grand Theft Auto, followed by his big break: Night Shift, starring Michael Keaton and Shelley Long. As of today, Celebrity Net Worth estimates that Ron Howard's net worth is around $200 million. Howard has become a major director and producer in the film industry. He's even the co-chairman of his own production company with Brian Grazer, Imagine Entertainment, which was produced numerous hit shows including 24, Felicity and Arrested Development (Howard also served as the show's narrator).
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Some of the most notable films from his directing career include Splash, Cocoon, Willow, Parenthood, Backdraft, Apollo 13, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, Frost/Nixon, and Solo: A Star Wars Story. So far, Howard has won two Academy Awards (Best Director and Best Picture for A Beautiful Mind), four Emmys, a Grammy, and two Golden Globe awards from his over 100 nominations.
Ron Howard and family seen at Ron Howard honored with star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, December 10, 2015, in Hollywood, CA. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Warner Bros./AP Images)
Outside of his celebrated career, Howard has kept a happy and stable home life with his wife since 1975, Cheryl Alley. The couple has four children together — daughters Bryce Dallas Howard and twins Jocelyn Carlyle and Paige Howard as well as son Reed Cross. Bryce inherited her father's love for film and has gone on to become a major actress. After attending New York University's renowned Tisch School of the Arts, she became known for her roles in The Village, Lady in the Water, The Help, Terminator Salvation and Jurassic World.
This article was originally published in August of 2020.
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