Rance Howard, Actor and Father of Ron and Clint Howard, Dies at 89
He appeared in several of his older son's films, including 'Apollo 13,' 'Parenthood,' 'Splash,' 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' and 'A Beautiful Mind.'
Rance Howard, actor and father of Ron Howard and actor Clint Howard, died Saturday. He was 89.
Ron announced the news via his Twitter account. “Clint & I have been blessed to be Rance Howard’s sons,” he wrote. “Today he passed at 89. He stood especially tall [for] his ability to balance ambition [with] great personal integrity. A Depression-era farm boy, his passion for acting changed the course of our family history. We love & miss U Dad.”
Rance was known for appearing in several of his son's films, including Apollo 13, Parenthood, Splash, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Beautiful Mind, and he was in Nebraska for Alexander Payne. He has several movies yet to be released, including The Christ Slayer and Apple Seed.
Rance also appeared on the small screen on shows such as Bones, Grey's Anatomy, NCIS: Los Angeles, Seinfeld, and of course, Ron's Happy Days.
Ron recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his father. At the Nov. 14 premiere of Rance's Broken Memories, Ron said he was proud of him, called his performance “the role of his career to date” and shared what inspired him most about his father.
“He has an undying love of the process, which has made him appreciate every day on a film or television set," he said. "And he’s never lost the youthful excitement for being a part of a process that tells a story that reaches audiences in different ways and reflects the work of a team of collaborators that shares that excitement, and that always rubbed off on me, that joy of being lucky enough to be among the storytellers.”
At the premiere, Ron's daughter, actress Bryce Dallas Howard, also had nothing but praise for her grandfather, calling him the "greatest human being on the planet."
His wife, Judy, died in January. He is survived by his sons, Bryce and another granddaughter, Paige.
