Rance Howard
Rance Howard | |
---|---|
Rance Howard, December 2007 | |
Born |
Harold Rance Beckenholdt November 17, 1928 Duncan, Oklahoma, U.S. |
Alma mater | University of Oklahoma |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1956–present |
Spouse(s) |
Jean Speegle Howard (m. 1949; d. 2000) Judy Howard (m. 2001) |
Children |
Ron Howard Clint Howard |
Signature | |
Rance Howard (born November 17, 1928) is an American actor who has starred in film and on television. He is the father of actor, producer, and film director Ron Howard, and the grandfather of the actress Bryce Dallas Howard.
Early life
Howard was born Harold Rance Beckenholdt in Duncan, Oklahoma, the son of Ethel Cleo (née Tomlin) and Engel Beckenholdt, a farmer. He changed his name to "Rance Howard" when he became an actor.[1] He married actress Jean Speegle Howard in Burbank, California in 1949. Their sons are actor/director Ron Howard and actor Clint Howard. He is also the grandfather of actresses Bryce Dallas Howard and Paige Howard. His son Ron was born while he served three years in the United States Air Force.[2][3]
Acting career
Howard attended the University of Oklahoma, where he went to drama school. His professional acting career began in 1948 when he went to New York City, auditioned and landed a job in a children's touring company. The role that got him noticed nationally TV and film was playing the part of Lindstrom in the touring company of the play Mister Roberts with Henry Fonda in 1950, playing the character for about a year-and-a-half in major cities across the U.S.[4]
Both Rance and oldest son Ron, who was 2 at the time, made their feature film debuts together in the 1956 western Frontier Woman. Later in the 1950s, Rance's roles included his TV debut in the series Kraft Theatre, on which he appeared three times in 1956-57.[5]
After son Ron went on to play Opie in The Andy Griffith Show in the early 1960s, Rance had guest parts in five episodes of the show.[6] Howard was known best for his role on television in 25 episodes of the 1960s TV series Gentle Ben—which starred his youngest son Clint—as Henry Broomhauer, a backwoodsman who befriended the family. Another well-known TV role was on Babylon 5, in which he had a recurring role as David Sheridan, the father of Babylon 5 captain John Sheridan. He also starred in the short-lived 2000 TV series Driving Me Crazy. His television guest appearances include Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Kung Fu, The Waltons, CBS Schoolbreak Special 1986 episode "The Drug Knot", Angel, 7th Heaven, Cold Case, That's So Raven, and two appearances on Seinfeld (both as different characters). On The Waltons, Howard portrayed Dr. McIver in five different episodes, one of which included Ron.
Howard has acted in over 100 films, including the 1967 movie Cool Hand Luke, The Music Man (in an uncredited bit part playing "Oscar Jackson"), and many other films. He also appeared as Dottie and Kit's father in A League of Their Own. In 2013, he played Woody Grant's brother in Nebraska. He often takes parts as a priest or minister, county sheriff, or western marshal, and has made numerous appearances in films by Joe Dante.
Howard has acted in most of his son Ron's films including Splash, Cocoon, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man and Frost/Nixon. The exceptions are Night Shift, Willow, Backdraft, Ransom, EDtv, and The Da Vinci Code.
Filmography
Films
Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
---|---|---|---|
1967 | Cool Hand Luke | Sheriff | Uncredited |
1967 | Gentle Giant | Tater Coughlin | |
1974 | Chinatown | Irate Farmer | |
1974 | Where the Lilies Bloom | Roy Luther | |
1977 | Grand Theft Auto | Ned Slinker | Directed by son Ron |
1978 | Cotton Candy | Mr. Bremmercamp | Directed by son Ron |
1984 | The Lonely Guy | Minister | |
Splash | McCollough | Directed by son Ron | |
1985 | Cocoon | St. Petersburg Detective | Directed by son Ron |
The Long Hot Summer | Wilk | ||
1986 | Gung Ho | Mayor Conrad Zwart | Directed by son Ron |
1987 | Innerspace | Supermarket Customer | |
1989 | The 'Burbs | Detective #2 | |
Parenthood | Dean at College | Directed by son Ron | |
1992 | Far and Away | Tomlin | Directed by son Ron |
Universal Soldier | John Devreux | ||
1992 | Ticks | Sheriff Parker | |
1994 | Ed Wood | Old Man McCoy | |
Little Giants | Minister | ||
The Paper | Alicia's Doctor | Directed by son Ron | |
1995 | Apollo 13 | Reverend | Directed by son Ron |
Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest | Eddie Calhoun | ||
1996 | Ghosts of Mississippi | Ralph Hargrove | |
Independence Day | Chaplain | ||
Mars Attacks! | Texan Investor | ||
Sgt. Bilko | Mr. Robbins | ||
1997 | Traveller | Farmer | |
1998 | Small Soldiers | Husband | |
Psycho | Mr. Lowery | ||
2000 | How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Elderly Timekeeper | Directed by son Ron |
2001 | A Beautiful Mind | White-Haired Patient | Directed by son Ron |
A Crack in the Floor | Floyd Fryed | ||
Joe Dirt | Bomb Squad Cop | ||
Rat Race | Feed the Earth Spokesman | ||
2002 | Back by Midnight | Priest | |
D-Tox | Geezer | ||
2003 | The Missing | Telegraph Operator | Directed by son Ron |
2004 | The Alamo | Governor Smith | |
Eulogy | Lance Sommers | ||
2005 | Cinderella Man | Announcer Al Fazin | Directed by son Ron |
2007 | Georgia Rule | Dog Bite Man | |
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Preacher | ||
2008 | Drillbit Taylor | Older Man | |
Frost/Nixon | Ollie | Directed by son Ron | |
2009 | Angels & Demons | Cardinal Beck | Directed by son Ron |
2010 | Jonah Hex | Telegrapher | |
Valentine's Day | Bistro Gardens Diner | ||
2011 | The Dilemma | Burt | Directed by son Ron |
Spooky Buddies | Mr. Joseph Johnson | ||
2013 | Nebraska | Uncle Ray | |
The Lone Ranger | Engineer | ||
2016 | Max Rose | Walter Prewitt |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Other Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1956–1957 | Kraft Television Theatre | Various | 3 episodes |
1958 | How to Marry a Millionaire | Corporal | 1 episode |
1959 | Bat Masterson | Fletcher | 1 episode |
1962–1964 | The Andy Griffith Show | Various | 4 episodes |
1966 | That Girl | Customer #2 | 1 episode |
1966 | The Virginian | Luka | 1 episode |
1967 | The Monroes | Al | 1 episode |
1967–1969 | Gentle Ben | Henry Boomhauer | 13 episodes |
1970 | Then Came Bronson | Mr. Carl Mueller | 1 episode |
1971 | Night Gallery | Cameraman | 1 episode |
1971–1972 | Bonanza | Sam/Bogardus | 2 episodes |
1968 | The F.B.I. | Ranger | 1 episode |
1969 | Kung Fu | Sheriff Byrd | 1 episode |
1973–1975 | The Waltons | Dr. McIvers | 5 episodes |
1974 | Gunsmoke | Frank Benton | 1 episode |
1976–1979 | Happy Days | Announcer/Ben Wilson/Mr. Burkhart | 3 episodes |
1977 | Little House on the Prairie | Simpson | 1 episode |
1978 | Battlestar Galactica | Farnes | 1 episode |
1979 | Laverne & Shirley | Doctor | 1 episode |
1981 | Mork & Mindy | Guard | 1 episode |
1983 | The Thorn Birds | Doctor | Miniseries |
1984 | Dynasty | Gifford | 1 episode |
1984 | Murder, She Wrote | Fillmore | 1 episode |
1986 | A Smoky Mountain Christmas | Doctor | |
1989–1992 | Baywatch | Fireman/Joe | 2 episodes |
1989 | B.L. Stryker | Richard Walton | 1 episode |
1991 | Quantum Leap | Ring Doctor | 1 episode |
1993 | Coach | Herman Van Dam | 1 episode |
1993–1996 | Seinfeld | Blind Man/Farmer | 2 episodes |
1994 | Diagnosis Murder | Driver | 1 episode |
1995 | Problem Child 3 | The Janitor | Television film |
1996–1997 | Babylon 5 | David Sheridan | 3 episodes |
1996–1997 | Married... with Children | Edwin/Reverend | 2 episodes |
1996 | Melrose Place | Motel Manager | 1 episode |
1998 | Clueless | Mr. Bell | 2 episodes |
1998 | Two of a Kind | Mr. Fillmore | 2 episodes |
1999 | Just Shoot Me! | Blind Flower Guy | 1 episode |
2000 | 7th Heaven | Old Man in Park | 1 episode |
2001 | Angel | Marcus Roscoe/Angel | 1 episode |
2004 | Cold Case | Buddie | 1 episode |
2004 | That's So Raven | Murphy | 1 episode |
2005 | Ghost Whisperer | Dirk Abrams | 1 episode |
2006 | CSI: NY | Samuel Cooper | 1 episode |
2009 | ER | Dr. Oliver Kostin | 1 episode |
2009 | Lie to Me | Joe Metz | 1 episode |
2011 | Workaholics | Jerry | 1 episode |
2012 | Grey's Anatomy | Martin Carroll | 1 episode |
2013 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Eugene | 1 episode |
2014 | Bones | Jerold Norsky | 2 episodes |
2014 | Kroll Show | Dr. Stanley Armond | 1 episode |
2014 | Review | Willie | 1 episode |
2016 | The X-Files | Old Man | 1 episode |
References
- ↑ Newsbank
- ↑ Gray, Beverly (2003). Ron Howard: from Mayberry to the moon-- and beyond. Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press. pp. 7–8. ISBN 1-55853-970-0.
- ↑ Estrin, Eric (22 Feb 2010). "Ron Howard's 'Breakthrough'?: Ronald Reagan". The Wrap. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ↑ "Rance Howard At 83: 'I Never Play The Ron Howard Card'". Huffington Post. 22 July 2012.
- ↑ http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/89675%7C127411/Rance-Howard/biography.html
- ↑ http://blog.al.com/bob-carlton/2009/03/veteran_character_actor_rance.html
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rance Howard. |
- Rance Howard at the Internet Movie Database
- Genealogy Wiki
- Interview May, 2014 in The Oklahoman