Ron Howard Award for Best Director), "Cinderella Man", "The Da Vinci Code", "Angels & Demons", "Rush", "In the Heart of the Sea" and "Inferno". Howard showcased the world premiere of his film "Frost/Nixon" at the 2008 London Film Festival in October 2008. Howard was the recipient of the Austin Film Festival's 2009 Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award. Michael Keaton presented him with the Award. Howard took over directing duties on "", a film featuring "Star Wars" character Han Solo in his younger years. The film was released on May 23, 2018. Howard officially replaced directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller on June
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