Ron Howard Celebrates 50th Wedding Anniversary: ‘Thank God For You, Cheryl’
Few people in general can boast 50 years married, let alone celebrity couples. But now, director Ron Howard and his longtime wife Cheryl can. The two are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year, and Howard shared a beautiful photo of himself and his lovely wife to celebrate. He wrote, “#GoldenAnniversary Grateful for 50 amazing years and the family and experiences it has yielded. what an adventure down river through calm soothing waters and some tricky rapids as well. Our key….love and respect each other enough to just keep paddling. Thank God for you, Cheryl.”
Howard, who first found fame as Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show and later on Happy Days, met Cheryl Alley while both were students at John Burroughs High School in Burbank, California. They went on their first date in 1970 and married on June 7, 1975, when they were both just 21 years old.
Howard has said that from the moment he met Cheryl, there was never anybody else. Despite his early TV stardom, the two were raised away from the fast pace of Hollywood, with Ron growing up in small-town California and Cheryl in Southern California, and they both seemed to share a down-to-earth outlook that grounded them as Howard’s career took off.
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Cheryl, a writer and former actress, has been by his side through every chapter, whether it was his leap from child star to Oscar-winning director, or raising their four children: daughter Bryce Dallas, twins Jocelyn Carlyle and Paige Carlyle and son Reed Cross. Both Bryce and Paige have followed in their father’s footsteps to pursue an acting career while Jocelyn and Reed live quieter lifestyles. Several of the children now have their own kids, making the Howards grandparents.
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The director has often credited their lasting relationship to open communication and mutual respect. One of the secrets to their enduring love, according to Howard, is that they make time for each other, even during the busiest seasons. Over the years, he has taken Cheryl with him on shoots and to premieres, but they’ve also made space for quiet getaways and daily routines that keep them connected. Cheryl, who often stays out of the spotlight, has written children’s books.
In 2020, they celebrated the 50th anniversary of their first date with a special ride. He wrote on Instagram, “Nov 1 1970 Cheryl & I went on our 1st date. We went to see a re-release of Stanley Kramer‘s It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and then got some pizza at now defunct Barnone’s in Toluca Lake. Quite a start, right? We’ll be driving in the same ’70 VW Bug I picked Cheryl up in 5 decades ago. It runs great. So do we.”
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Hollywoods Golden Couples
February 2022
Gaze back at the classic romances of old Hollywood, both onscreen and off.
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