Ron Howard Net Worth

Ronald William Howard was born in Duncan, Oklahoma, on March 1, 1954. His father, Rance Howard, was an actor, writer, and director. By and by 1958, the family was living in Hollywood, with Ron’s early childhood home just a block from the iconic Desilu Studios.

Early Career

It was a natural fit for him to follow in his father’s footsteps, and by the age of 5, Ron Howard began appearing in television and films under the name Ronny Howard. In his first year of acting, he appeared in two films, Frontier Woman and The Journey.

Between 1959 and 1960, he would also appear on television in Playhouse 90, Johnny Ringo, and The Twilight Zone. He appeared in six episodes of the Dennis the Menace show and four episodes of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis before landing one of his most well-known roles as Opie Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show.

While still appearing on The Andy Griffith Show, he also made appearances on Route 66, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, Dr. Kildare, The Fugitive, The Big Valley, and I Spy.

Guest Roles

After The Andy Griffith Show ended in 1968, Ron Howard continued to work on television on shows such as The F.B.I., Daniel Boone,  Gentle Ben, Gunsmoke, Lassie, and Love American Style.

The Smith Family

Ron Howard appeared in The Smith Family for all 39 episodes between 1971 and 1972. He was Bob Smith, the elder son of Detective Sergeant Chad Smith, played by Henry Fonda.

The 70’s

Ron Howard managed to avoid the downfall of many child actors and continued working on television through the 70s. He appeared in Bonanza, M*A*S*H, The Waltons, and The Magical World of Disney.

Ron also began appearing in some films. He was in Eat My Dust, The Shootist, and American Graffiti.

Happy Days

Ron’s role in Love American Style in 1974 led to the creation of Happy Days, a show about teenagers set in the 50s. His character, Ritchie Cunningham, played the All-American boy alongside Henry Winkler’s greaser type, Author “Fonz” Fonzarelli.

Happy Days had 255 episodes and ran for 11 years. It created seven spin-offs, including the popular Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy.

Grand Theft Auto

Due to his positive experiences as a child actor, Ron Howard always felt he wanted to become a director eventually. While filming Happy Days, he directed his first film, Grand Theft Auto.

Night Shift

After Grand Theft Auto, Ron Howard started slowly moving to the director role with several television movies like Skyward. His first big directorial success was with Night Shift, which starred Michael Keaton, Shelley Long, and Happy Days co-star Henry Winkler.

The 80s

Ron Howard left Happy Days in 1980 and, in 1984, directed popular films like Splash, Cocoon, Willow, and Parenthood.

The 90s

Ron Howard continued to be a well-respected director in the 1990s. Backdraft received positive reviews, but his next film, Far and Away, received mixed reviews. However, in 1995, he had a big hit with Apollo 13, in which he directed Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon. The film earned $335 million and only cost $52 million. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

The 2000s

In 2000, Ron Howard directed the beloved childhood classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. But, his next film, A Beautiful Mind, would win him his first Oscar. The biographical film of mathematician John Nash got eight Academy Award nominations and won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director.

Howard worked with Tom Hanks again in 2006’s The Da Vinci Code and its 2009 sequel, Angels & Demons.

The 2010s

At this point, Ron Howard’s career was into its fifth decade, and he showed no signs of slowing down. He directed Rush (a sports drama), and In the Heart of the Sea (about the ship Essex) before entering the Star Wars universe. In 2017, he replaced the original directors on Solo: A Star Wars Story.

The 2020s

Like others, Ron Howard dipped his toes into the waters of streaming services by directing Hillbilly Elegy on Netflix. As of March 2021, Howard was working on Thirteen Lives, about the junior football team rescued from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave.

What is Ron Howard’s Net Worth?

It is estimated that Ron Howard’s net worth is $200 million. From his royalties from reruns and new films, it is believed that Ron Howard’s net worth increases monthly by $2.29 million.

When you have money like Ron Howard’s net worth provides him, you can afford the finer things in life. He and his wife bought a 3,000-square-foot apartment in NYC in 2004 that cost them $5.6 million.

The couple paid $27.5 million for a home in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 2014. They also have an apartment in Sant Monica, California, that overlooks the ocean, which set them back $2.75 million in 2006.

Who is Ron Howard?

Ron Howard was born into a show biz family. In addition to his father, Rance Howard, an actor, writer, and director, his mother, Jean Speegle Howard, was an actress. Ron has a younger brother, Clint Howard, who is also an actor and often collaborates with his brother.

Ron Howard’s Personal Life

Ron often was tutored on set while working, but when he wasn’t, he went to Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary and David Star Jordan High School. He ended up graduating from John Burroughs High School. He briefly attended the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts without graduating.

He married Cheryl Alley, his high school sweetheart, in 1975. The couple has four children: daughter actress Bryce Dallas Howard, Jocelyn Carlyle and Paige Carlyle (twins), and son Reed Cross.

Fun Facts About Ron Howard

• Ron Howard is the co-chairman of Imagine Entertainment with Brian Grazer.
• He appeared in a 1997 Milk – Where’s Your Mustache? ad.
• The Austin Film Festival gave him the Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking award in 2009.

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