Ron Howard — So Much More Than Opie and Richie
A Classic TV Retrospective
“It was always my dream to be a director. A lot of it had to do with controlling my own destiny because as a young actor you feel at everyone’s disposal. But I wanted to become a leader in the business.” — Ron Howard
The television generation watched Ron Howard grow to maturity — first as little Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show and, in his teen years, as Richie Cunningham on Happy Days. But rather than attempting the difficult transition from child star to adult actor, Ron went behind the camera to become one of the preeminent Oscar-winning directors of our time. Perhaps one could have anticipated his later enormous success as a filmmaker of taste and intelligence by his pedigree. Like an early version of Jodie Foster (whose brother Buddy Foster took Ron’s place on Mayberry RFD, the Griffith sequel that CBS aired from 1968 to 1971), Howard always seemed to know how to deal with the vicissitudes of longtime success in Hollywood by being well-grounded in a supportive family, filled with love and respect. As such, he is a rarity in Hollywood.
Entertainment journalist Peggy Herz observed in 1974, “It’s hard to figure Ron Howard. He seems too nice to be real. He isn’t obnoxious about it; he’s just a pleasant, level-headed young man who happens to be a veteran actor at the age of 20. He’s…
