Ron Howard has been having fun with success as a Hollywood director for nearly 50 years, although the challenge most individuals affiliate him with continues to be “Happy Days.” The ABC sitcom, which lasted for 11 seasons from 1974 to 1984, was the place Howard made his title taking part in Richie Cunningham. Given the significance of the sequence to launching Howard’s profession, it is no shock it helped him get his begin in directing, even when Howard by no means directed an episode of “Happy Days” itself. The sequence noticed him share the display screen with Henry Winkler, who performed the Fonz, and whom Howard credit for serving to him land his massive break as a director.
It was whereas making “Happy Days” that Howard began directing quick movies, earlier than ultimately attending to direct the low-funds comedy “Grand Theft Auto” for producer Roger Corman. Howard went on to direct a spate of TV films, earlier than touchdown his first main studio directing job on 1982’s “Evening Shift.” Winkler starred within the film. Whereas talking just lately to EW, Howard talked concerning the significance of Winkler’s casting, saying “Henry was at all times so supportive of that. When Henry mentioned sure to ‘Evening Shift,’ that is what bought that film greenlit.”
By swapping Fonzie’s “Happy Days” catchphrases and leather-based jacket for a job because the markedly much less cool Chuck Lumley, Howard says Winkler “performed a hand in serving to my dream in the end come true, which was to be a studio, Hollywood, function director.” Since “Evening Shift,” Howard’s directing profession has continued to flourish.
Ron Howard’s directing profession since leaving Happy Days
Howard left “Happy Days” after its seventh season to pursue his directing profession. Following the success of “Evening Shift,” Howard went on to direct comedies “Splash” and “Cocoon,” earlier than reteaming with Michael Keaton for 1986’s “Gung Ho.” Howard first labored with Keaton on “Evening Shift,” which was the longer term Batman’s first main function movie function.
After his preliminary run of comedy films, Howard went on to direct “Willow,” a excessive fantasy journey film, in 1988. It starred Warwick Davis, who returned for the quick-lived “Willow” Disney+ sequence in 2022, in addition to one other Batman-to-be in Val Kilmer. Since then, Howard has directed a number of revered films, together with “Apollo 13,” “A Stunning Thoughts,” and “Frost/Nixon.”
Having beforehand labored with George Lucas on “Willow,” on which Lucas was an government producer, Howard ventured into Lucas’ Star Wars universe in 2018 on the spin-off film “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” Although the film obtained a lukewarm reception, it set a household precedent. Howard’s daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, additionally a profitable actor and director, joined the Disney+ Star Wars sequence “The Mandalorian” as a director in 2019. She has directed episodes for every season of the hit present.
Howard just lately performed a model of himself in Seth Rogen’s Apple TV+ comedy “The Studio.” His function in “The Studio” subverted Howard’s “good man” picture, which his function on “Happy Days” has contributed to. A satirical tackle Hollywood, “The Studio” featured a a lot ruder Ron Howard.
