Clint Howard is a versatile American figure known for his roles as an actor, producer, writer, and director. He rose to prominence for his performances as Mark Wedloe in ‘Gentle Ben’, Paco in ‘The Waterboy’, and Sy Liebergot in ‘Apollo 13’. Growing up in a family of actors, Clinton and his older brother Ron were immersed in the world of entertainment from a young age.
Childhood
Clint Howard, the youngest of two children, was born on April 20, 1959, in Burbank, California, USA. His parents were actors, Rance Howard and Jean Speegle Howard. His older brother Ron, born on March 1, 1954, is about five years his senior.
Howard has a heritage that includes German, English, Irish, Scottish, and Dutch ancestry. His father’s birth name is Beckenholdt, but he changed it to Howard for his career by 1948. Clint attended R.L. Stevenson Elementary School.
Clint Howard’s Career
Clint Howard‘s acting journey began when he was just two years old, with a role in the second season episode ‘The Jinx’ of the popular CBS show ‘The Andy Griffith Show’.
This was also the time when his brother was playing the character of Opie Taylor on the show. About a year later, he made his first appearance on the big screen in the uncredited role in ‘The Courtship of Eddie’s Father’, directed by Vincente Minnelli.
From 1964 to 1965, he was featured in 26 episodes of ‘The Baileys of Balboa’, a CBS sitcom. The following year, he provided the voice for Roo in the animated short film ‘Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree’.
Disney’s film ‘The Jungle Book’ from 1967, based on Rudyard Kipling’s book from 1894, featured his voice for the character Hathi Jr. He also played Roo in the short film ‘Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day’ (1968) and the full-length movie ‘The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh’ (1977).
Clint Howard had a role as Ace in his brother’s first feature film, ‘Grand Theft Auto’ (1977). Ron frequently chooses to include Howard and their parents in his works.
Additionally, the two brothers have worked together on various projects such as ‘Splash’ (1984), ‘Backdraft’ (1991), ‘Far and Away’ (1992), ‘Apollo 13’ (1995), ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ (2000), ‘Cinderella Man’ (2005), ‘Frost/Nixon’ (2008), and ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ (2018).
Additionally, he made appearances in multiple Star Trek episodes, solidifying his lasting impact on the Star Trek community. He collaborated with future Star Trek director J. J. Abrams on the Fox sci-fi show ‘Fringe’ as well. In one episode from the first season (2008), he played a character who believes he is the son of Sarek of Vulcan.
Clint Howard has portrayed Creepy Rodney in two installments of the NBC comedy series ‘My Name Is Earl’ (2006-08), Johnny Bark in two episodes of the Fox (later Netflix) show ‘Arrested Development’ (2003-13), and Crazy Dave in the CMT sitcom ‘Still the King’.
He has collaborated with Adam Sandler on the silver screen, appearing in both ‘The Waterboy’ (1998) and ‘Little Nicky’ (2000). He played the role of Radar Operator Johnson Peters Ritter in all three installments of the Austin Powers franchise. Currently, he is slated to feature in the upcoming comedy ‘Deported’, horror flick ‘3 from Hell’, and action-packed ‘Crimson Saints’.
Personal Life
Melanie Sorich was Clint Howard’s first wife before Howard filed for divorce in 2017. The divorce documents revealed that they did not have any children together, but they did co-own a house in Burbank and two vehicles: a 2006 Honda Accord and a 2005 Chrysler 300. In 2020, reports surfaced that Howard had tied the knot with a woman named Kat C. Howard in Las Vegas.
Net Worth
With a net worth of $4 million, Clint Howard is a well-known American actor. Despite usually securing smaller or secondary roles in his career, he is easily recognizable in Hollywood. He has also exhibited remarkable consistency, amassing over 200 credits throughout his extensive time in the industry.
