Ron Howard’s favourite Clint Howard performance: “I thought he was great”
When the 2025 Emmy nominations were announced, the Howard family could have been forgiven for doing a double-take. After all, Ron Howard‘s nomination for his hilarious guest role in The Studio was the first acting nod he’d ever received in his storied career, despite being the star of one of the most popular sitcoms ever in his youth.
Indeed, Ron admitted to People magazine that he found it amusing to finally land an acting nomination not for playing Richie Cunningham in Happy Days, but for playing “an asshole version of myself” in Seth Rogen’s Hollywood-skewering comedy. In that show, he gleefully sends up the nice guy image he’s established over the years as one of Hollywood’s most reliable directors, transforming himself into a vicious, foul-mouthed tyrant with a grudge against Rogen’s hapless studio head.
“Apparently, it went over,” Ron chuckled. “I have many noms and even some wins on the producing and directing side, but first nom as an actor, which is kind of funny. I’m getting a kick out of it.”
In a crazy turn of events, though, Ron’s out-of-nowhere acting nomination wasn’t the only one awarded to one of his family members. You see, in an equally surprising move, his younger brother Clint, who Ron has cast in minor roles in many of his films, also received his first-ever Daytime Emmy nomination for his portrayal as a homeless musician on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.
In many ways, Clint has often seemed like a good luck charm for his big brother, which is why he’s appeared in such a large portion of his filmography. In fact, out of Ron’s 28 feature film credits, Clint has turned up in 17 of them, including small-but-memorable parts in Cocoon, Apollo 13, Parenthood, Backdraft, and Cinderella Man. “He is a great character actor and so recognisable,” Ron said about his brother, who has always been blessed with a unique visage, to say the least. “People are always excited when he shows up in something.”
For Ron, casting Clint in a role is never something he feels forced to do, but instead wants to do because he knows his brother is a consummate professional who will deliver what he wants from him. “He’s a pro, and he contributes,” Ron insisted. “Every time I can cast Clint, I know that’s one character I won’t have to worry about.”
However, to give credit where it is due, Clint hasn’t solely relied on his famous big brother for work. He has enjoyed a long, distinguished career in film and television, appearing in countless projects that have nothing to do with Ron. On the big screen, he has lent his talents to Tango & Cash, the Austin Powers movies, Rob Zombie’s Halloween, and, most recently, Terrifier 3. On the small screen, he has starred in episodes of several Star Trek shows, Seinfeld, Fringe, and Heroes.
Indeed, Clint landed the role of the down-on-his-luck Tom Starr on daytime staple The Bold and the Beautiful of his own accord, and then transformed a one-episode character into a recurring role that caught the attention of the Emmys simply by being so darn good. “I know he did a good job because people come up and talk to me about his performance on that,” Ron smiled, clearly proud of his brother. “I saw one episode, and I thought he was great. He’s inventive, he’s unique, and he is a talented guy.”
