Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966) is an American actor and director. After making his film debut with a supporting role in ''

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film, science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott Taylor, Elliott, a boy w ...

'' (1982), Howell had his breakout with a lead role as

Ponyboy Curtis Ponyboy Michael Curtis is a fictional character and the main protagonist of S. E. Hinton's 1967 novel '' The Outsiders''. On screen, he is played by C. Thomas Howell in Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film adaptation and by Jay R. Ferguson in the ...

in the coming-of-age film '' The Outsiders'' (1983). Following his breakout, Howell had starring roles in the films ''

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

'' (1984), '' Grandview, U.S.A.'' (1984), ''Red Dawn'' (1984), '' Secret Admirer'' (1985), and '' The Hitcher'' (1986). His lead role in the commercially successful yet controversial film '' Soul Man'' (1986) damaged his status as a leading man in Hollywood. In the 1990s, Howell starred in the films '' Side Out'' (1990), '' That Night'' (1992), and '' Gettysburg'' (1993), and had main roles as Detective Frank Kohanek on the Fox horror television series '' Kindred: The Embraced'' (1996) and Dr. Alex Kennedy on the syndicated series ''

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

'' (1999–2000). He portrayed Baby Face Nelson in the biographical film '' Baby Face Nelson'' (1995). In the 2000s, Howell starred in the film '' Gods and Generals'' (2003) and had a recurring, later main, role as Bill "Dewey" Dudek on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

and

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

crime drama series '' Southland'' (2009–2013). He had a supporting role in the film '' Hidalgo'' (2004). In the 2010s, Howell starred in the films '' Woodlawn'' (2015) and '' A Question of Faith'' (2017), and had a supporting role in the superhero film ''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...

'' (2012). He had voice roles in the superhero animated films '' Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox'' (2013), '' Justice League: Gods and Monsters'' (2015), and '' Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay'' (2018). Howell also portrayed Walter Jenkins in the political drama film '' LBJ'' (2016). In the 2020s, Howell had a main role as Hagerty on the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series '' Obliterated'' (2023) and portrayed Caspar Weinberger in the biographical film '' Reagan'' (2024).

Early life

Howell was born in the

Van Nuys Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1 ...

neighborhood of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to Christopher N. and Candice Howell. He has three siblings.. Cthomashowell.net; retrieved 2011-12-03. His father worked as a stunt coordinator and rodeo performer. He played the role of the Red Knight in

Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam ( ; born 22 November 1940) is an American-British filmmaker, comedian, collage film, collage animator, and actor. He gained stardom as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Pa ...

’s ''

The Fisher King ''The Fisher King'' is a 1991 American fantasy comedy drama film written by Richard LaGravenese and directed by Terry Gilliam. Starring Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges, with Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda Plummer and Michael Jeter, the film tells th ...

''. As a young boy, Howell wanted to be a stuntman and was a child stunt performer. He was also a rodeo star. When Howell was young, his parents divorced. Howell graduated from Saugus High School in 1984.

Career

Howell made his show business debut in the situation comedy '' The Brian Keith Show''. When he was older, he acted in commercials.

1980s

In 1982, Howell made his film debut as Tyler in

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

's ''

''. At the age of 15 in 1981, Howell was cast in

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

's '' The Outsiders'' (1983). Howell played the lead role of

, "the soulful tagalong greaser through whose eyes we see the events of the 1960s-set film unfold." Based on S.E. Hinton's bestselling 1967 novel of the same name, the coming-of-age film went on to become a cult classic. Howell's portrayal of Ponyboy was his breakthrough role, and it earned him a Young Artist Award. In 1984, Howell and his ''Outsiders'' co-star

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze ( ; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and dancer. Known for his romantic, tough, and comedic roles in blockbusters and cult films, Swayze was nominated for three Golden Glob ...

reunited for '' Grandview, U.S.A.'' and ''

Red Dawn ''Red Dawn'' is a 1984 American action drama film directed by John Milius, from a screenplay co-written with Kevin Reynolds. The film depicts a fictional World War III centering on a military invasion of the United States by an alliance of ...

'', Howell also had a pivotal role in ''

''. In 1985, he starred in '' Secret Admirer''. After filming ''The Outsiders'', Howell co-starred in his own television series '' Two Marriages'', which ended after four episodes, but letters of support got it back on air. He later expressed disappointment in the series. Howell was one of two final actors in the running for the lead role of

Marty McFly Marty McFly is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Back to the Future (franchise), ''Back to the Future'' franchise. He is a high school student living in the fictional town of Hill Valley (Back to the Future), Hill Valley, California ...

in ''

Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985 ...

'' (1985); the other was Eric Stoltz. Ultimately,

Michael J. Fox Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian and American actor and activist. Beginning his career as a child actor in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ...

was cast as Marty after Stoltz was deemed wrong for the part. In 1986, Howell was a hitchhiker's target in the horror film '' The Hitcher.'' He also starred in the 2003 sequel '' The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting''. In 1986, Howell starred in the satire '' Soul Man'', a controversial film in which Howell appears in

blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...

. The film was widely condemned and while it was a box office success, it did not help Howell's career. Howell then played the young

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...

Franco Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (; 12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019) was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post–World War II e ...

's 1988 film '' Young Toscanini''.

1990s

In 1992, Howell starred in romantic drama '' That Night'' alongside actress

Juliette Lewis Juliette Lake Lewis (born June 21, 1973) is an American actress, singer and musician. She is known for her portrayals of offbeat characters, often in films with dark plots, themes and settings. Lewis gained prominence in American cinema during t ...

. A film based on the novel of the same name by Alice McDermott. In 1993, Howell starred with Linda Fiorentino and Nancy Allen in the thriller '' Acting on Impulse''. He then achieved success in the film '' Gettysburg'', which was popular with history buffs and history classrooms. In 1995, he starred as Mike, a motorcycle courier in the poorly received '' Mad Dogs and Englishmen'' (U.S. title: ''Shameless'') with

Elizabeth Hurley Elizabeth Jane Hurley (born 10 June 1965) is an English actress and model. Her best-known film roles are Vanessa Kensington in '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' (1997) and as the Devil in '' Bedazzled'' (2000).Payback'' and then played gangster Baby Face Nelson in the film of the same name. He starred in and made his directorial debut with the 1996 direct-to-video release '' Pure Danger'', which also featured Teri Ann Linn and comic Carrot Top.

2000s

In 2000, Howell played a doctor stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash in the television show ''Amazon''. In 2004, he played

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

Kenneth Bianchi in '' The Hillside Strangler''. In 2005, he starred in '' H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds'', one of three 2005 adaptations of the novel ''

The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel was ...

'' by

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

. Howell directed and starred in a straight-to-DVD sequel '' War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave'' in 2008. Also in 2005, he reunited with his ''Secret Admirer'' co-star

Lori Loughlin Lori Anne Loughlin (; born July 28, 1964) is an American actress. From 1988 to 1995, she played List of Full House and Fuller House characters#Rebecca Donaldson Katsopolis, Rebecca Donaldson Katsopolis on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC ...

when he had a recurring role on her television show '' Summerland'' as

Zac Efron Zachary David Alexander Efron (; born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. Efron began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence as a teen idol for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the ''High School Musical'' film ...

's father. Howell appeared as a doctor in '' The Poseidon Adventure'', an adaptation of the 1972 film of the same name. His father's first (uncredited) stunt co-ordination was for the original film. In 2006, Howell starred in '' Hoboken Hollow''. He also became a supporter of the production company The Asylum, which produced his straight-to-DVD films. In 2008, Howell directed and starred in '' The Day the Earth Stopped'', a mockbuster intended to capitalize on ''

The Day the Earth Stood Still ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' is a 1951 American science fiction film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Julian Blaustein and directed by Robert Wise. It stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray, F ...

''. Beginning in 2009, Howell guest starred in ''

Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Jeff Davis that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005. It follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral ...

'' on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

as serial killer George Foyet (The Boston Reaper), a recurring villain based on The Boston Strangler. Also beginning in 2009, he played the role of Officer Bill "Dewey" Dudek, a police officer recovering from alcoholism, in the L.A. police drama '' Southland''.

2010s and 2020s

In 2011, Howell guest starred as an inmate on '' The Glades'' and in '' Torchwood: Miracle Day''. Howell appeared in the 2012 film ''

''. Starting in 2015, Howell has had a

recurring role Recurring means occurring repeatedly and can refer to several different things: Mathematics and finance *Recurring expense, an ongoing (continual) expenditure *Repeating decimal, or recurring decimal, a real number in the decimal numeral syste ...

as Dr. Daniel Stinger in the Freeform show '' Stitchers''. In 2017, he had a recurring role as Ash Spenser, a retired Navy SEAL, in the CBS show '' SEAL Team''. In 2016 and 2018, Howell had a recurring guest-star role as Paul Belmont, a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

Lieutenant Commander at

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by ...

, in Seasons 1 and 3 of '' Animal Kingdom''. In 2023, Howell starred in '' Obliterated'' on

as Harry Haggerty.

Personal life

In the 1980s, Howell dated actress Kyle Richards. In 1989, he married actress

Rae Dawn Chong Rae Dawn Chong (born February 28, 1961) is a Canadian-American actress. She made her big screen debut appearing in the 1978 musical drama film ''Stony Island (film), Stony Island'', and in 1981 starred in the fantasy film ''Quest for Fire (film), ...

, whom he met while co-starring with her in the 1986 film '' Soul Man''. They divorced the following year. Howell married his second wife, Sylvie Anderson, in 1992, and the couple had three children. Anderson filed for divorce in 2016. In November 2001, Howell was

acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal means that the criminal prosecution has failed to prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the charge presented. It certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an o ...

of five

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than admi ...

charges, including hit and run and brandishing a weapon arising out of a confrontation with a skateboarder in Southern California.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Discography

Singles

Albums

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Howell, C. Thomas 1966 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Male actors from Los Angeles People from Van Nuys, Los Angeles