Ron Howard has been a household name almost as long as the 70 years he’s lived. His career in film and television started as a toddler, and he has been unstoppable ever since.
In addition to his impressive career, Howard has demonstrated longevity in his personal life as well. He has been married to his wife Cheryl for almost half a century.
Let’s delve into more about Howard, his decades-long career, and marriage!
On March 1, 1954, in Duncan, Oklahoma, Ronald Howard, who would become a future Hollywood legend, was born.
Howard was just 18 months old when he appeared in his first film, Frontier Woman. By the age of two, he made his stage debut in The Seven Year Itch.
The freckle-faced redhead soon began his celebrity journey with his role on The Andy Griffith Show from 1960 to 1968.
Playing the character Opie, the son of Andy Griffith’s character, Howard had the full support of his parents, who were also in the entertainment industry.
“Remember how we always said, ‘You can do it if you want, but you don’t have to?’ Well, if you start this, you can’t quit’,” Howard recalled a conversation with his parents years ago. “You don’t have to do other parts on other shows, if you don’t want to, but you’d have to keep doing this one.”
Howard understood the message and realized he enjoyed acting and was good at it.
Actually, he was great at it and was about to soar to new heights of stardom.
Howard’s ‘Happy Days’
While starring in The Andy Griffith Show, Howard also appeared in the 1962 musical film The Music Man, a huge commercial success.
He then starred in the 1973 classic, American Graffiti, alongside Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, and Cindy Williams.
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In 1974, he was cast as Richie Cunningham in the new series Happy Days, created by Garry Marshall. The show aired from 1974 to 1984 and became a beloved classic.
High school sweetheart
Before Howard won a Golden Globe for his role in Happy Days, he met his high school sweetheart, Cheryl Alley, in 1970. They married in 1975.
“I met her, and there was never anybody else,” Howard said, speaking with People magazine. “She’s unbelievably supportive and always has been. Our compatibility has endured through all kinds of experiences.”
After 50 years of shared experiences, Howard, who earned an Oscar for directing A Beautiful Mind, celebrated the 50th anniversary of his first date with Cheryl on Instagram.
They also shared their plans for that day, “We’ll be driving in the same ‘70 VW Bug I picked Cheryl up in 5 decades ago. It runs great. So do we.”
His ‘good luck charm’
Cheryl has made several cameos in Howard’s projects and even played herself on the TV comedy series Arrested Development, which was produced and narrated by Howard.
Speaking with the Television Academy, Ron referred to Cheryl as his “good luck charm,” explaining that she appears in every film he makes.
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“At a certain point, I became very superstitious about making sure that she appears, that she’s at least identifiable in one frame,” he explained. “They don’t have to be big cameos, but she’s gotta be in there.”
In addition to bringing her husband some luck, Cheryl is also a published author with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in screenwriting.
The power couple are grandparents to six children and parents to four: daughter Bryce, twins Paige and Jocelyn, and son Reed.
Bryce, a recognizable actor, is known for movies like Jurassic World and The Help, while Paige made her feature film debut in 2009’s Adventureland and has appeared in films The Employer and Collection.
Reed is a professional golfer, and Jocelyn, Paige’s twin sister, keeps a very private life.
The secret to longevity
Nearing their 49th anniversary on June 7, the Emmy Award-winning producer shares that “communication” is the secret to their lasting love.
“People say, ‘How’d you do it?’ There’s no technique,” Howard told People. “There’s no tactic, other than communication is really important. You have to learn to communicate and have difficult conversations in constructive ways. Beyond that, there’s an element of luck because people either grow together or they don’t and I don’t think you can force that.”
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