Ron Howard's Dad 'Held The Reins' To His Career Right Up Until His 18th Birthday

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Ron Howard has an impressive variety of skills in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Besides talent, he's also had the advantage of time, since he started acting as a toddler. When Ron became a star as Opie on "The Andy Griffith Show," he was only 6. However, it wasn't as idyllic as it may have seemed. "We grew up in circumstances that were profoundly unusual ... working in an industry fraught with way more snares and traps than we were aware of in our innocence," Ron recalled in "The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family," which he co-authored with his brother (and fellow actor) Clint Howard.

Fortunately, their parents, Rance Howard and Jean Speegle Howard, were also actors, so they had their own first-hand experiences to inform them as they raised their kids. "[My dad] had held the reins to my career pretty tightly throughout my childhood; as long as I was a minor, he and Mom were going to be the primary decision makers about my career and future, though I was always respectfully looped in," Ron explained in his memoir.

Rance shared his love of acting, bonding with his son as he explained the mechanics of scenes and helped Ron learn his lines. Through his guidance, he helped his kids become successful actors early in their lives. Rance wasn't shy about making suggestions, either, like when he persuaded the staff on "The Andy Griffith Show" to write scripts with more realistic father/son interactions.

Once Ron Howard reached legal adulthood, Rance Howard's involvement in his son's acting career completely changed. Even though Rance didn't see the appeal of "American Graffiti," he honored Ron's decision to be in it. Ron's role in "American Graffiti" was a big win, since the film's success helped "Happy Days" move forward. Unfortunately for Ron, "Happy Days" could be tough behind the scenes, especially when the production team didn't seem to value his contributions. Happily, Rance's relationship with Ron had transitioned into a cooperative partnership by then. When Ron was offered a chance to direct, Rance took an action movie idea he had, and together they wrote the screenplay for "Grand Theft Auto," which became Ron's directorial debut. Ron was passionate about the prospect of directing, and he had been watching directors since he was a child actor.

As Ron's status as a director grew, Rance suggested Jean Speegle Howard for a role in "Apollo 13." While Ron was initially skeptical about his mom believably playing an older character, she convinced him. "She turned away and took her false teeth out and said, 'Would this help?!' I said, 'Okay, okay, okay! You got the part!'" Ron later recalled to Vulture.

Rance died in 2017. His balanced approach to his son's professional work was crucial to their lifelong bond. His parenting style influenced Ron's relationship with his own children. "My father was kind of a genius-level parent," Ron said on "In Depth With Graham Bensinger" in 2023. "As a parent, I really wanted to feel that I could live up to the kind of parenting that I received."