Ron Howard: From Opie to Richie to Academy Award Winner

There are few people who do not recognize that adorable face. That is Ron Howard when he was playing Opie on The Andy Griffith Show. Even if you weren't a kid back in the 60s it's a pretty good chance you still have seen at least one episode of this show. It's an American classic. It ran for eight seasons on CBS. But maybe you were a child of the 70s and know Ron Howard from Happy Days where he played all round good guy, Richie Cunningham. Happy Days ran for 10 seasons on ABC and made Howard a household name to a new generation.

Now Ron Howard is most well known as a director of feature films, which began while he was still acting. His first directing job was for Grand Theft Auto (1977) while he was still on Happy Days. He's also become a very successful producer of films and television shows.

In honor of his recent 60th birthday (March 1st), I'm going to share a few of my favorite Howard films.



 -- Apollo 13 ( 1995)

It's 1970 and only one year since the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon. NASA continues its mission to explore space and has sent up Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert to fulfill the next phase. Unfortunately, these trips don't seem to interest the American public in quite the same way anymore. That is until Jim Lovell utters the phrase "Houston, we have a problem." Ron Howard takes us along on a roller coaster ride with the astronauts, their families and the men who eventually bring them safely home.



-- Frost/Nixon (2008)

The year is 1977 and it's three years since Richard Nixon was forced to resign as President of the United States. David Frost was a well known, but not necessarily well respected, television personality in England. Both men wanted to change how the world saw them.

The film, based on a successful West End play, brings the interview, along with the preparations on both sides, to magnificent life. Howard manages to show these two fascinating personalities as more than just characters and we see how much was at stake for both of these men. Frost/Nixon was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the 2009 Academy Awards but lost on both counts to Slumdog Millionaire.



-- Rush (2013)

The 1970s was a magical time for Formula One Racing. There were big personalities along with big drama and unfortunately, big crashes. One of the biggest personalities was Englishman, James Hunt. Another big personality, although quite different from Hunt, was Austrian Niki Lauda. Their drive and determination to win the F1 title, no matter the costs, is wonderfully shown in Howard's most recent directing job. He manages to recreate the excitement and danger of racing at that time. This is more than just a "racing" movie.

-- A Beautiful Mind (2001)

The mathematical and Nobel Prize winner, John Nash, is masterfully portrayed by Russell Crowe in this Academy Award winning film. The Winner for Best Picture and Best Director highlights Howard's ability to make difficult, and at times unlikable, people relatable. We get to see Nash struggle with schizophrenia but in the end manage to have a fulfilling life and win the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994.

From the Catalog:

-- The Andy Griffith Show [Actor]

-- Happy Days [Actor]

-- The Music Man [Actor]

-- Arrested Development [Producer]

Other films and shows


--Post by Tracy