C. Thomas Howell
Acting
Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966), usually credited as C. Thomas Howell, is an American actor and film director. He starred in the films The Outsiders as Ponyboy Curtis and in The Hitcher as Jim Halsey. He has appeared in Soul Man, Red Dawn, Secret Admirer, Gettysburg, H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stopped and Gods and Generals. Howell was born in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles to Christopher N. and Candice Howell. He has three siblings.
His father worked as a stunt coordinator and rodeo performer. He played the role of the Red Knight in Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King. 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.
In 1982, Howell made his film debut as Tyler in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
At the age of 15 in 1981, Howell was cast in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders (1983). Howell played the lead role of Ponyboy Curtis, "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 reunited for Grandview, U.S.A. and Red Dawn. Howell also had a pivotal role in Tank (1984). 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 in Back to the Future (1985); the other was Eric Stoltz. Ultimately, Michael J. Fox was cast as Marty after Stoltz was deemed wrong for the part. In 1986, Howell was a hitchhiker's target in the film The Hitcher. He also starred in the sequel, which was released in 2003. In 1986, Howell starred in Soul Man, a film in which Howell appears in Blackface. Rounding out the 1980s , Howell played the young Arturo Toscanini in Franco Zeffirelli's 1988 film Young Toscanini.
Media of
C. Thomas Howell
Photos (21)
Filmography of
C. Thomas Howell
Stanley Dixon
... 2026
Stanley Dixon
... 2026
Nathan
... 2025
Caspar Weinberger
... 2024
John Hawkins
... 2024
Mr. Sapp
... 2024
Ed Cameron
... 2023
Frank
... 2022
Peter
... 2022
Dr. Eric Peselowe
... 2021
Breen Nash
... 2020
Captain Miles Browning
... 2019
Control (voice)
... 2019
Self
... 2019
Jim Craft
... 2018
Narrator
... 2018
Carter
... 2018
Ted
... 2018
Blake
... 2018
The Stranger
... 2018
Jenkins
... 2018
Zoom (voice)
... 2018
Walter Jenkins
... 2017
John Danielson
... 2017
... 2017
Robert Crawford
... 2017
Kaine
... 2017
Ben Wilkins
... 2016
Nathan Shapiro
... 2016
Officer Roberts
... 2016
Ryan
... 2016
Tom Worthy
... 2015
Jack Carter
... 2015
George 'Shorty' White
... 2015
Silent Cal
... 2015
Sheriff Quentin
... 2015
Dr. Will Magnus (voice)
... 2015
Keith
... 2015
Jack
... 2015
Jack Carter
... 2014
... 2014
... 2014
Rad
... 2014
Charlie DuPuis
... 2014
Zeke
... 2014
Rex Everhart
... 2013
Mitch Fielding
... 2013
Delbert Furgeson
... 2013
Professor Zoom / Thawne (voice)
... 2013
Jack
... 2013
Nathan Detrick
... 2013
Double
... 2012
Patrick Cole
... 2012
Self
... 2012
Ray
... 2012
Jack's Father
... 2012
Russ
... 2012
Paul Jordan
... 2012
John Youngstown
... 2011
Jake
... 2011
Sheriff Beaumont
... 2011
... 2010
Chief Grasso
... 2010
Professor Grimes
... 2010
Alumnus Guy #2
... 2009
Luke
... 2009
Frost Michaels
... 2009
Seth Delray
... 2009
... 2009
Josh Myron
... 2008
... 2008
Sully
... 2008
LIttle Joe
... 2008
Thomas
... 2008
George Herbert
... 2008
Stone
... 2008
... 2008
Captain Williams
... 2007
K.C. Corcoran
... 2007
David Settles
... 2006
Michael Archer
... 2006
Clayton Connelly
... 2006
Doctor Ballard
... 2005
... 2005
Curtis
... 2005
George Herbert
... 2005
Coach Fielding
... 2005
Capt. Baskin
... 2005
Kuratha
... 2005
Jim Powell
... 2005
Kenneth Bianchi
... 2004
Addison Terrill
... 2004
Hedion
... 2004
Zack
... 2004
Preston Webb
... 2004
Jim Halsey
... 2003
Sgt. Thomas Chamberlain
... 2003
Adam Vance
... 2003
Sheriff Lyndon Harris
... 2002
Nat Wolff
... 2002
Sheriff Wade Messer
... 2002
Joss Mckinley
... 2001
Nathan Devine
... 2001
Geoffrey Liddy
... 2001
Tom Milton
... 2001
Concierge
... 2001
Dean Riley
... 2001
Valentino
... 2000
Officer Roberts
... 2000
... 1999
Jack
... 1999
Malcolm 'Mack' Maddox
... 1999
J.B. Gaines
... 1999
Tom Holly
... 1999
Dakota
... 1999
John Reed
... 1999
Evan
... 1998
Michael D'Angelo
... 1998
Boris Dakota
... 1998
Detective Mick Cullen
... 1998
Aaron
... 1997
Blaise Rybeck
... 1997
Sanchez Boon
... 1997
Tucker
... 1997
Evan Marino
... 1997
Michael Jardine
... 1997
Thomas 'Quin' Quinlan
... 1997
Johnie Dean
... 1996
Mark Goddard
... 1996
Baby Face Nelson
... 1996
... 1995
Jim Lomax
... 1995
Oscar Bonsetter
... 1995
Dan Jericho
... 1995
Carl
... 1994
Ben Braden / Alex Connelly
... 1994
Sergeant Lee Teffler
... 1993
Lieut. Thomas D. Chamberlain
... 1993
Micky Stewert
... 1993
Bernard Sprat
... 1993
Paul Stevens
... 1993
Egan
... 1992
Gene Michaels
... 1992
Rick
... 1992
Jack Stone
... 1992
Kid
... 1990
Cat Thomas
... 1990
Himself
... 1990
Monroe Clark
... 1990
Jenner Brading
... 1989
... 1989
Arturo Toscanini
... 1988
Bubber Drumm
... 1988
Tripp Wilson
... 1987
Mark Watson
... 1986
Jim Halsey
... 1986
Michael Ryan
... 1985
Robert
... 1984
Tim Pearson
... 1984
Billy
... 1984
Ponyboy Curtis
... 1983
... 1982
