Did You Know That Ron Howard’s Dad Was An Actor, Too? Remembering Rance Howard
Rance Howard, who passed away in 2017 at age 89, was one of those dependable Hollywood actors with an instantly familiar face. His career spanned more than 60 years, and he laid the foundation for a family legacy that would reshape the industry, most notably through his sons Ron Howard and Clint Howard and even his grandchildren including actress Bryce Dallas Howard.
Born Harold Engle Beckenholdt on November 17, 1928, in Duncan, Oklahoma, Howard was raised on a farm during the Great Depression. He took an early interest in acting, later studying at the University of Oklahoma before changing his name professionally to Rance Howard. He married actress Jean Speegle in 1949, and together, they joined a touring children’s theater company, sharing their love of family and performing.
Everett Collection
Howard’s onscreen debut came in the 1956 Western Frontier Woman, where he played a villain and gave his infant son Ron his first film role.
From there, he became a classic character actor, someone you would see in dozens of shows and films, always delivering a solid, heartfelt performance. He appeared on shows like The Andy Griffith Show, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Waltons and Happy Days. He also took roles in films such as Cool Hand Luke, Chinatown, Ed Wood and Angels & Demons.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
One of his most rewarding professional collaborations was with his son Ron. Rance appeared in about seventeen of Ron’s films, including Splash, Apollo 13, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Beautiful Mind. He even cowrote Ron’s 1977 directorial debut Grand Theft Auto. Ron later shared that the warm father-son bond portrayed between Andy and Opie on The Andy Griffith Show was inspired by the real-life closeness he shared with his dad.
In his 80s, he played a small role in Alexander Payne‘s Nebraska and took the lead in the independent drama Broken Memories, portraying a father grappling with Alzheimer’s. Ron called it the role of his career. His final performance was filmed shortly before his death on November 25, 2017, in Los Angeles. He died of heart failure complicated by the West Nile virus.
Remind 