Clint Howard
Clint Howard (born April 20, 1959) is an American character actor with a career spanning over six decades and more than 200 credits in film and television.[1][2]
The younger brother of actor and director Ron Howard, he debuted at age two on The Andy Griffith Show and rose to prominence as a child star in the title role alongside a bear in the CBS adventure series Gentle Ben (1967–1969).[1][3]
Howard has frequently collaborated with his brother on projects such as Apollo 13 (1995), where he portrayed mission flight director Seymour Liebergot, and The Waterboy (1998), contributing to his reputation for versatile supporting roles across genres including science fiction, comedy, and horror.[4][5]
Known for his distinctive appearance and energetic performances, he continues to work steadily in independent films and conventions, maintaining a dedicated fanbase without major controversies.[1][6]
Early life and family
Birth and upbringing
Clint Howard was born on April 20, 1959, in Burbank, California, to actors Rance Howard and Jean Speegle Howard.[7][5] His parents, originally from Oklahoma, had met in a college drama class and relocated to the Los Angeles area to pursue opportunities in film and theater, establishing a household centered on the performing arts.[8] As the second son, Howard grew up in a family where entertainment industry pursuits were normalized from infancy, with his parents balancing their own acting work alongside raising two boys immersed in that world.[9] The younger brother of Ron Howard by five years, Clint shared a supportive sibling dynamic marked by guidance and encouragement amid the competitive pressures of a show-business lineage.[10][11] Ron, already active in acting by the time of Clint's birth, provided an older brother figure who assisted in navigating early family experiences in Hollywood, while their parents fostered resilience and family unity to counter industry demands.[12] This environment in Burbank, proximate to studios, offered constant proximity to production sets and professional networks through parental involvement, shaping formative perceptions of career possibilities without formal pushing into performance.[13] The Howards maintained a relatively grounded family structure uncommon in Hollywood, prioritizing ethical grounding and mutual support over exploitation, as later reflected in joint accounts of their youth.[14] This approach emphasized personal development alongside incidental exposure to the trade, setting the stage for Clint's eventual entry into acting around age four.[15]Parental influence on career entry
Clint Howard's entry into acting was profoundly shaped by his father, Rance Howard, a working actor who actively facilitated opportunities for his sons without exerting coercive pressure. Rance, drawing from his own experiences in theater and television, relocated the family to Hollywood in the early 1960s to advance their collective prospects in the industry, securing Clint's debut role at age three as the nonverbal toddler Leon on The Andy Griffith Show in 1962.[7] This appearance in five episodes leveraged the family's existing connections, as older brother Ron Howard starred as Opie Taylor, allowing Rance to emphasize natural talent and preparation over exploitation.[9] Rance's approach prioritized structured involvement, coaching Clint on set dynamics and emotional delivery while modeling professionalism through his own recurring roles on the series, which helped instill discipline amid the demands of child performance.[16] Unlike many child actor narratives marked by parental overreach or neglect leading to later dysfunction, Rance's guidance focused on fostering resilience and enjoyment, as recounted in the Howard brothers' memoir, where he is credited with opening doors while allowing organic development.[17] [18] Complementing Rance's logistical and instructional support, Clint's mother, Jean Speegle Howard, an actress known for her improvisational skills and voice work, provided emotional grounding and participated in family-oriented projects to maintain a nurturing environment. Jean's presence on sets offered reassurance during Clint's formative experiences, reinforcing a collaborative dynamic that contrasted with the isolation often faced by young performers in less family-centric upbringings.[9] This parental tandem's emphasis on balanced oversight mitigated common industry pitfalls, such as unchecked ambition or inadequate supervision, enabling Clint's early immersion without the derailments seen in other child star trajectories.[12]Professional career
Initial television appearances
Clint Howard made his television debut at age two on The Andy Griffith Show, appearing in five episodes from 1962 to 1964 as the quirky character Leon, a friend of Opie Taylor known for his peculiar speech patterns and eccentric behavior.[19][20] His first appearance was in the episode "The Jinx," aired January 29, 1962, followed by roles in episodes such as "One-Punch Opie" on December 31, 1962.[21][22] In 1966, Howard guest-starred in the Star Trek original series episode "The Corbomite Maneuver," portraying Balok, the enigmatic child-like alien commander whose puppet form and voice were provided by Howard, showcasing his ability to handle fantastical roles.[23] This appearance highlighted his early versatility beyond sitcoms into science fiction.[24] Howard continued with guest spots on western series, including three appearances on The Virginian in 1967, such as in "Melanie" on February 22 and "Ride a Cock-Horse to Laramie Cross" as Manuel.[25][26][27] That year, he transitioned to a lead role as Mark Wedloe in Gentle Ben, a family adventure series airing from September 1967 to 1969 across 56 episodes, where he played the son of a game warden bonding with a black bear.[28][29] These roles established Howard's early pattern of portraying odd or adventurous young characters across genres.[30]Film roles and collaborations
Clint Howard began his film career as a child actor in The Music Man (1962), portraying Thornton Bancroft "Thorny" Whalen, a young band member in the musical adaptation directed by Morton DaCosta, marking his first credited screen role alongside Robert Preston and Shirley Jones. His early film work often featured him in supporting youth roles, such as in The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963), where he appeared as a child in the comedy-drama starring Glenn Ford. Howard's most notable film collaborations occurred with his brother, director Ron Howard, spanning decades and showcasing Clint in character parts that leveraged his distinctive appearance and eccentric energy. In Village of the Giants (1965), a science-fiction comedy produced by Bert I. Gordon, Clint played one of the teenagers transformed into giants after consuming a mysterious substance, contributing to the film's cult status despite its modest $50,000 budget and limited theatrical run. Later collaborations included Apollo 13 (1995), Ron's historical drama about the NASA mission, where Clint portrayed flight controller Jerry Bostick, appearing in mission control scenes amid the film's $355 million worldwide gross and five Academy Award nominations. In How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), directed by Ron and starring Jim Carrey, Clint had a cameo as a Whoboration maker in Whoville, supporting the Ron Howard production's $345 million box office haul. These sibling projects, totaling at least eight films together, highlighted Clint's reliability in bit parts without elevating him to leads, often capitalizing on familial ties for casting. Beyond family collaborations, Howard amassed roles in independent and genre films, frequently in horror and exploitation cinema. He starred as the lead in Evilspeak (1981), a low-budget horror film directed by Eric Weston, playing bullied cadet Stanley Coopersmith who unleashes demonic forces via computer-aided satanism, a rare protagonist turn that earned the film an X rating initially before editing for R. In The Wild Angels (1966), Roger Corman's biker exploitation picture, he appeared as "Loser," a Hell's Angels-style gang member in the film that grossed $10 million on a $350,000 budget and influenced the outlaw motorcycle genre. Another standalone credit was in The Lonely Lady (1983), a drama adapted from Harold Robbins' novel, where he played a minor role amid the film's controversial reception for its erotic elements and Pia Zadora's performance. Over his career, Howard has accumulated more than 260 film credits, predominantly as a character actor in supporting or cameo capacities, eschewing leading roles in favor of versatile, often quirky antagonists or oddballs that fit his lanky frame and intense screen presence. This niche has sustained steady work in B-movies and blockbusters alike, with contributions typically uncredited or brief but memorable for their intensity, as seen in unlisted genre entries like Ice Cream Man (1995), where he portrayed a deranged ice cream vendor.Star Trek and genre work
Clint Howard has appeared in five Star Trek episodes across four series, with roles spanning from 1966 to 2017.[31] His debut in the franchise came in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Corbomite Maneuver," where he portrayed the alien Balok, a performance filmed when he was six years old.[32] Subsequent appearances include the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Past Tense, Part II" in 1995, the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Acquisition" in 2003 as the Ferengi pirate Muk, and a brief unnamed role in the Star Trek: Discovery episode "Will You Take My Hand?" in 2017.[33][34][35]| Series | Episode | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Original Series | The Corbomite Maneuver | 1966 | Balok |
| Deep Space Nine | Past Tense, Part II | 1995 | Unnamed |
| Enterprise | Acquisition | 2003 | Muk |
| Discovery | Will You Take My Hand? | 2017 | Unnamed |