Actor, director, producer. Born March 1, 1954 in Duncan, Oklahoma. Born into a show business family, Ron Howard began appearing regularly on stage, television, and in films from an early age. Among his best-known TV roles are Opie Taylor from The Andy Griffith Show (1960–8) and Richie Cunningham from Happy Days (1973–80). He also made several notable performances in films, including The Music Man, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, American Graffiti and The Shootist.
In the 1980s, Ron Howard gave up acting to pursue a career as a movie director and producer, making his directorial debut with Grand Theft Auto in 1977. He has had a prolific career making movies that span genres, experiment ambitiously with the medium, and appeal to mainstream audiences. Successes include Splash (1984), Cocoon (1985), Parenthood (1991), Apollo 13 (1995), A Beautiful Mind (2002, Oscar Best Director; Golden Globe Best Film), and Cinderella Man (2005). His next film, 2008’s Frost/Nixon, covers the post-Watergate TV interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon.
In 1985, Howard started a production company, Imagine Films Entertainment, with Brian Grazer. The company is responsible for such hit TV shows as Felicity, 24 and Arrested Development. Howard lives in Connecticut with his wife, Cheryl, and their four children.
Source :- http://www.biography.com/
