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),
Ron Howard 1980, Howard made his directing debut with the 1977 low-budget comedy/action film "Grand Theft Auto". This came after cutting a deal with Roger Corman, wherein Corman let Howard direct a film in exchange for Howard starring in "Eat My Dust!", with Christopher Norris. Howard went on to direct several TV movies. His big theatrical break came in 1982, with "Night Shift", featuring Michael Keaton, Shelley Long, and Henry Winkler. He has since directed a number of high-visibility films, including "Splash", "Cocoon", "Willow", "Parenthood", "Backdraft", "Apollo 13", "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", "A Beautiful Mind" (for which he won the Academy