For nearly as long as he has lived, Ron Howard has been well-known. The Hollywood heavyweight began his career as a toddler and has been working ceaselessly in television and movies.
In addition to his remarkable profession, the multiple award winner has been married to his wife, Cheryl, for nearly 50 years. He also exhibits longevity in his personal life.
Learn more about Howard, his marriage, and his decades-long career by reading on!
Ronald Howard, a future Hollywood icon, was born in Duncan, Oklahoma, on March 1, 1954.
At the age of two, Howard had his stage debut in The Seven Year Itch, and at the age of eighteen months, he starred in his first movie, Frontier Woman.
Soon after, the redhead with freckles began his career as a celebrity by appearing on The Andy Griffith Show (1960–68).
Howard had the full support of his parents, who were both in the entertainment business, when the little child portrayed Griffith’s son Opie.
“Recall how we used to say, ‘You don’t have to, but you can do it if you want.’” Recalling a discussion he had with his parents decades prior, Howard remarked, “Well, if you start this, you can’t quit.” “You don’t have to do other parts on other shows, if you don’t want, but you’d have to keep doing this one.”
Explaining that he understood the message his parents were delivering, Howard adds, “I think it was pretty clear at that point that I was enjoying it, and I was good at it.”
Actually, he was great at it, and he was about to reach a level of stratospheric stardom.
Howard’s ‘Happy Days’
While starring in The Andy Griffith Show, Howard also appeared on the big screen in 1962’s The Music Man, a musical film that was a huge commercial success.
Naturally gifted, he went on to star in American Graffiti (1973), which also included Cindy Williams, Harrison Ford, and Richard Dreyfuss, with whom he would later collaborate.
In 1974, he was chosen to play Richie Cunningham in Garry Marshall’s brand-new television series Happy Days, which ran on television sets all over the world from 1974 until 1984.
Popular spin-offs from the TV series include Mork & Mindy, which starred Robin Williams as the beloved Orkan Mork, and Laverne & Shirley, which starred Williams and Marshall’s sister Penny.
It was in 1970 – before he won a Golden Globe for his performance as the innocent teenager on Happy Days – that Howard met the high school sweetheart, Cheryl Alley, whom he would marry in 1975.
“There was never anyone else when I met her.” The Da Vinci Code director went on to say, “She is and has always been incredibly supportive,” in an interview with People. Our compatibility has held up throughout a variety of situations.
Howard, who won an Oscar for directing A Beautiful Mind, celebrated the 50th anniversary of his first date with Cheryl on Instagram after 50 years of shared adventures.
He sent a picture of himself in socks with pictures of Cheryl’s face next to the text, “Nov. 1, 1970, Cheryl & I went on our first date.” After seeing Stanley Kramer’s It’s a Mad Mad Mad World re-release, we had pizza at the now-closed Barnone’s in Toluca Lake. That’s quite a start.
He also shared their plans that day, “We’ll be driving in the same ‘70 VW Bug I picked Cheryl up in 5 decades ago. It runs great. So do we.”
