Ronald William Howard, more popularly known as Ron Howard, was born March 1, 1954, in Duncan, Oklahoma, to his parents Jean Speegle Howard, who was an actress, and Rance Howard, who was an actor, writer and director. The family moved to Burbank California in 1958. He graduated from John Burroughs High School and later attended the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, but did not earn a degree.

On June 7, 1975, Howard married his high-school sweetheart, Cheryl Alley, who is a writer and has a degree in Geriatric Psychology. The couple has four children: daughters Bryce, Jocelyn, Paige and son Bryce. They chose to name their daughters’ middle names that would indicate where they were conceived, Bryce in Dallas, twins Jocelyn and Paige at the Hotel Carlyle in New York.

There son’s name, Reed Cross, came from a London street.

Ron Howard earned his first notable level of recognition in 1960, when he was cast in the role of Opie Taylor in the hit television series The Andy Griffith Show.  His character was the son of the local sheriff in the fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina. The show ran for eight seasons which made “Ronny Howard” a household name. His next big television role came as Richie Cunningham in the 1970s hit sitcom Happy Days.  This was a popular role he played from 1974 to 1980.

Before leaving Happy Days in 1980, Howard made his directorial debut with the 1977 project Grand Theft Auto, but his big theatrical break didn’t come until 1982 with the hit Night Shift. The movie featured two new rising stars, Michael Keaton and Shelly Long.

After his television acting days behind him, Howard turned his ambitions fully toward directing. He’s directed some of the biggest movies in Hollywood history including Splash, Backdraft,  Ransom, The Da Vinci Code, and  A Beautiful Mind, which won four Oscars in 2002 including Best Picture and Best Director. His work on Apollo 13 won him the 1996 Best Director award of the Directors Guild of America.

On a s VH1 television special listing the popular choices for the top 100 Child Stars, many of the interviewees considered Ron Howard to be the most successful child star of all-time. They took into account his two major television acting roles and his successful directing career.