Rance Howard Rance Howard Rance Howard (born Harold Rance Beckenholdt; November 17, 1928 – November 25, 2017) was an American actor who starred in film and on television. He was the father of actor and filmmaker Ron Howard and actor Clint Howard, and grandfather of the actresses Bryce Dallas Howard and Paige Howard. Howard appeared in many notable films such as "Cool Hand Luke" (1967), "Chinatown" (1974), "Splash" (1984), "Ed Wood" (1994), "Apollo 13" (1995), "Independence Day" (1996), "A Beautiful Mind" (2001), "Cinderella Man" (2005), "Frost/Nixon" (2008), "Nebraska" (2013), and "Max Rose" (2016). For co-produced the television film "The Time Crystal" (1981),
Robot & Frank while critical of what he saw as a film "more concerned with telling a story and moving an audience than challenging anyone," recommended it overall as "sturdily crafted" and well-acted. The film won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, tying with the Kashmiri film "Valley of Saints". Robot & Frank Robot & Frank is a 2012 American science fiction comedy-drama film directed by Jake Schreier and written by Christopher Ford. Set in the near future, it focuses on Frank Weld, an aging jewel thief played by Frank Langella, whose son buys him a domestic robot.