Ron Howard is a household name across America. The actor and director started out in Hollywood at a very young age! But a lot of people might not know the story behind his Hollywood career.
His parents were entertainers too, and the two of them made sure their sons would experience the upsides of working as actors without having to experience any of the downsides of being a child actor in Hollywood!
Ron and Clint Howard had a childhood filled with fame and recognition. While they were staples on-screen, they did also get to have a childhood thanks to their parents.
In their book “The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family,” they outlined the hard work their parents put into their careers and lives to ensure their sons always had a normal life along with their Hollywood fame.
Their parents Rance Howard and Jean Speegle were entertainers themselves. Their mother Jean Speegle studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, however, she got into an accident that impaired her movement and essentially rendered her unable to walk!
Luckily, she recovered and continued her passion for learning acting at the University of Oklahoma. It was at the university that she met Rance Howard, her future husband.
The Howard boys described both their parents in detail in their book. They talked about their handsome and slender father and their doll-faced red-haired mother. The two of them immediately fell in love and decided to pursue their shared love of acting together.
Both Rance and Speegle got hired by a children’s theater touring company. While Speegle would dress up as various princesses, Rance would often play the role of a huntsman or a prince.
While they were on tour in Kentucky, the couple decided to get married. And after spending a year and a half with the touring theater company, they decided to leave and focus on starting a family.
Soon they welcomed their sons Ron Howard and Clint Howard. Speegle continued to act for a little while longer before she gave it up so she could focus on raising her boys.
Rance continued acting as well as managing the careers of his sons. When 6-year-old Ron Howard got a role on “The Andy Griffin Show,” his father was there to supervise. Later on, when he starred in “The Music Man,” his father was right there beside him too.
Clint also starred in roles on projects like “Bananza,” “Star Trek,” and “Gentle Ben.” Their parents were careful with their sons’ earnings and put them in trust accounts so their sons would be able to benefit from them later in life.
In their book, Clint and Ron Howard talk about their lifestyle after becoming actors in Hollywood. Turns out, they did not live a lavish life as their parents kept them grounded and did not let them spend a lot of money.
They mostly survived on their father’s income, not using the money the boys’ made. Ron Howard revealed at one point the family got the option of starting a clothing line, but their father flat-out refused. The reason their father did not want to start the clothing line was that he did not want the ‘celebrity’ of Hollywood to ruin his children’s childhood.