Ron Howard

 Born March 1, 1954, Ronald William Howard is an American screenwriter, producer and actor. Howard first rose to fame as an actor for children. He was a guest star in numerous television series, like The Twilight Zone. He became famous for his portrayal of young Opie Taylor, the child of Sheriff Andy Taylor (played by Andy Griffith) in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show from 1960 until 1968. During this time the actor also appeared in the musical film The Music Man (1962) that was a commercial and critical success. From 1959 until 1973, he was known as Ronny Howard. Howard was played in one of the lead parts in the film about coming of age American Graffiti (1973), and became a household name for playing Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days, a role he would play from 1974 until 1980.In the year 1980, Howard left Happy Days to concentrate on directing writing and producing various TV and film series. Howard directed comedy series Night Shift (1982), Splash (84), and Cocoon (1985) along with the romantic Willow (1988).