Portal:Oklahoma/Selected Biography/16



Ronald William "Ron" Howard, born March 1, 1954 in Duncan, Oklahoma, is an Academy Award-winning American director and producer as well as an actor. Howard came to prominence in the 1960s while playing Andy Griffith's TV son, Opie Taylor, on The Andy Griffith Show (credited as Ronny Howard), and later in the 1970s as Howard Cunningham's son and Arthur Fonzarelli's best friend, Richie Cunningham, on Happy Days (a role he played from 1974 to 1980). Since retiring from acting, he has directed many films including Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon, and the upcoming sequel to the The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons. (Read more...)