Name
C. Thomas Howell
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1966-12-07 (60 years old)
Place of Birth
Los Angeles, California, USA
Biography
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.
Known For
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In 1960s Tulsa, class divisions ignite a violent rivalry between the working-class Greaser...
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After being released from special forces, a father tries to reconnect with his daughter by...
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On a stormy night, young Jim, who transports a luxury car from Chicago to California to de...
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Ten years after the first American Pie movie, three new hapless virgins discover the Bible...
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The Flash finds himself in a war-torn alternate timeline and teams up with alternate versi...
- 1983 The Outsiders as Ponyboy Curtis
- 1982 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial as Tyler
- 2003 Net Games as Adam Vance
- 1984 Red Dawn as Robert
- 2004 Hidalgo as Preston Webb
- 1999 Fatal Affair as Malcolm 'Mack' Maddox
- 2004 A Killer Within as Addison Terrill
- 2003 The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting as Jim Halsey
- 2009 The Land That Time Forgot as Frost Michaels
- 1984 Tank as Billy
- 2008 Big Game as Sully
- 1993 Acting on Impulse as Paul Stevens
- 2004 The Hillside Strangler as Kenneth Bianchi
- 1985 Secret Admirer as Michael Ryan
- 2016 My B.F.F. as Ben Wilkins
- 1990 Far Out Man as Himself
- 1986 Soul Man as Mark Watson
- 1986 The Hitcher as Jim Halsey
- 2008 Toxic as LIttle Joe
- 1992 That Night as Rick
- 2005 Glass Trap as Curtis
- 2005 H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds as George Herbert
- 2005 The Poseidon Adventure as Doctor Ballard
- 2002 Killer Bees as Sheriff Lyndon Harris
- 2009 The Grind as Luke
- 2002 WillFull as Nat Wolff
- 1997 Sleeping Dogs as Sanchez Boon
- 1989 The Return of the Musketeers as Raoul
- 1997 Last Lives as Aaron
- 2006 Hoboken Hollow as Clayton Connelly
- 2003 Gods and Generals as Sgt. Thomas Chamberlain
- 2008 The Day the Earth Stopped as Josh Myron
- 2006 Fighting Words as David Settles
- 2008 War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave as George Herbert
- 2010 The Terror Experiment as Chief Grasso
- 1998 The Shepherd as Boris Dakota
- 1990 Side Out as Monroe Clark
- 2011 Camel Spiders as Sheriff Beaumont
- 1999 Escape from Alaska as Jack
- 1995 Payback as Oscar Bonsetter
- 1984 Grandview, U.S.A. as Tim Pearson
- 2006 The Da Vinci Treasure as Michael Archer
- 1988 A Tiger's Tale as Bubber Drumm
- 2011 Restitution as John Youngstown
- 1989 The Eyes of the Panther as Jenner Brading
- 2005 Ordinary Miracles as Jim Powell
- 2012 MoniKa as Double
- 1996 The Sweeper as Mark Goddard
- 1990 Kid as Kid
- 2008 A Gunfighter's Pledge as Horn
- 1997 Dilemma as Thomas 'Quin' Quinlan
- 2008 Xenophobia as Stone
- 2001 Lawless: Dead Evidence as Dean Riley
- 2012 Chilly Christmas as Patrick Cole
- 1999 Hitman's Run as Tom Holly
- 1997 Dead Fire as Tucker
- 1997 Hourglass as Michael Jardine
- 1999 The Prince and the Surfer as Dean
- 2012 Home Invasion as Ray
- 2013 An Amish Murder as Nathan Detrick
- 1992 Breaking the Rules as Gene Michaels
- 2013 Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox as Professor Zoom / Thawne (voice)
- 1994 Teresa's Tattoo as Carl
- 2001 Askari as Joss Mckinley
- 2001 Asylum Days as Nathan Devine
- 1999 Red Team as J.B. Gaines
- 1998 Charades as Evan
- 1995 Suspect Device as Dan Jericho
- 1996 Pure Danger as Johnie Dean
- 2013 Lost on Purpose as Delbert Furgeson
- 2013 Storm Rider as Mitch Fielding
- 1996 Baby Face Nelson as Baby Face Nelson
- 1999 Cybermaster: Shepherd II as Dakota
- 1993 Treacherous as Micky Stewert
- 1999 Enemy Action as John Reed
- 1998 Sealed with a Kiss as Detective Mick Cullen
- 2004 Nursie as Zack
- 2001 Burning Down the House as Concierge
- 2013 Don't Pass Me By as Jack
- 1988 Young Toscanini as Arturo Toscanini
- 2013 Christmas Belle as Rex Everhart
- 2014 Confessions of a Womanizer as Tony
- 1990 Curiosity Kills as Cat Thomas
- 2012 The Amazing Spider-Man as Jack's Father
- 1995 Mad Dogs and Englishmen as Mike
- 2022 Crimson Point as Frank
- 2014 Bigfoot Wars as Zeke
- 1995 Dangerous Indiscretion as Jim Lomax
- 2022 Because We're Family as Peter
- 2018 Dirty Dealing as Carter
- 2014 Category 5 as Charlie DuPuis
- 2008 House of Fallen as Thomas
- 2023 Old Dads as Ed Cameron
- 2009 Secret at Arrow Lake
- 1993 Jailbait as Sergeant Lee Teffler
- 2015 Borrowed Moments as Jack
- 2015 Woodlawn as George 'Shorty' White
- 2012 Wedding Day as Russ
- 2015 Justice League: Gods and Monsters as Dr. Will Magnus (voice)
- 1997 Laws of Deception as Evan Marino
- 2015 Rivers 9 as Sheriff Quentin
- 1997 The Big Fall as Blaise Rybeck
- 2009 The Jailhouse as Seth Delray
- 2017 LBJ as Walter Jenkins
- 2024 Ride as John Hawkins
- 2015 Spirit Riders as Keith
- 2000 Hot Boyz as Officer Roberts
- 2005 Crimson Force as Capt. Baskin
- Soon Dreadtown: The Steel Pulse Story as Self
- 2016 Blood Lust as Ryan
- 2025 Where the Wind Blows as Nathan
- 1994 Natural Selection as Ben Braden / Alex Connelly
- 2012 Escape as Paul Jordan
- 2014 Rescuing Madison as Rad
- 2010 Cupid's Arrow as Professor Grimes
- 2016 Attack of the Killer Donuts as Officer Roberts
- 2016 Advance & Retreat as Nathan Shapiro
- 1998 Matter of Trust as Michael D'Angelo
- 2015 Magic Hour as Tom Worthy
- 2026 One Mile: Chapter One as Stanley Dixon
- 2026 One Mile: Chapter Two as Stanley Dixon
- 2011 Cross as Jake
- 1992 Nickel & Dime as Jack Stone
- 2005 The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam as Coach Fielding
- 2017 The Shadow People as Kaine
- 1992 To Protect and Serve as Egan
- 2010 Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood! as David
- 2017 A Question of Faith as John Danielson
- 2014 Fruits De Mer
- 1993 Tattle Tale as Bernard Sprat
- 2007 Cold Ones as K.C. Corcoran
- 2017 Disconnected as Robert Crawford
- 2018 Rich Boy, Rich Girl as Blake
- 2020 Beast Mode as Breen Nash
- 2018 Urban Country as Jim Craft
- 2018 Shifting Gears as Jenkins
- 2001 Separate Ways as Tom Milton
- 2018 Detroit Under S.T.R.E.S.S. as Narrator
- 2018 Deadman Standing as The Stranger
- 2018 The Rack Pack as Ted
- 2004 Zolar as Hedion
- 2014 A Magic Christmas as Jack Carter
- 2017 Mac Daddy's Vegas Adventure
- 2019 Dauntless: The Battle of Midway as Captain Miles Browning
- 2007 The Haunting of Marsten Manor as Captain Williams
- 2012 The 'E.T.' Journals as Self
- 2019 I Am Patrick Swayze as Self
- 2003 The Hitcher: How Do These Movies Get Made?
- 2008 The Thirst: Blood War as Jed
- 1993 Gettysburg as Lieut. Thomas D. Chamberlain
- 2002 Night of the Wolf as Sheriff Wade Messer
- 2019 Control as Control (voice)
- 1987 Into the Homeland as Tripp Wilson
- 2005 The Lost Angel as Kuratha
- 2009 American Pie Presents: The Book of Love as Alumnus Guy #2
- 2015 Lazarus Rising as Silent Cal
- 2021 The Wrong Path as Dr. Eric Peselowe
- 2001 XCU: Extreme Close Up as Geoffrey Liddy
- 2018 Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay as Zoom (voice)
- 2024 Reagan as Caspar Weinberger
- 2024 The Open Door as Mr. Sapp
- 2005 Staying Gold: A Look Back at 'The Outsiders' as Self
- 2015 A Christmas Eve Miracle as Jack Carter
- 2000 The Million Dollar Kid as Valentino
- Soon The Greatest Actress in the World
- Soon The Horseman
- 2015 The Sin Seer as Detective Riggers
- 1999 The Glass Jar as Lanois
- 1991 Michael Jackson's Black or White as Special Appearance
- 2000 Son of the Beach ( 1 episode )
- 2000 The District ( 1 episode ) as Chris Gunner
- 2003 Jimmy Kimmel Live! ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 2001 24 ( 2 episodes ) as Barry Landes
- 2011 Alphas ( 1 episode ) as Eli Aquino
- 1996 Kindred: The Embraced ( 8 episodes ) as Det. Frank Kohanek
- 2005 Criminal Minds ( 7 episodes ) as The Reaper / George Foyet
- 2004 Summerland ( 2 episodes ) as Kyle Bale
- 2019 Creepshow ( 1 episode ) as Sam Spinster
- 1994 ER ( 1 episode ) as Vincent Jansen
- 2008 Celebracadabra ( 9 episodes )
- 1999 Twice in a Lifetime ( 1 episode ) as Tony Tremaine / Phil Barlow
- 1999 Amazon ( 22 episodes ) as Dr. Alex Kennedy
- 1983 The Hitchhiker ( 1 episode ) as Gerald
- 1995 The Outer Limits ( 1 episode ) as Capt. Miles Davidow
- 2009 Southland ( 14 episodes ) as Officer Dewey Dudek
- 2010 The Glades ( 1 episode ) as Peyton Robinson
- 2010 The Walking Dead ( 2 episodes ) as Roy
- 1989 Nightmare Classics ( 4 episodes ) as Jenner Brading
- 2012 Revolution ( 1 episode ) as Bounty Hunter
- 2009 Castle ( 1 episode ) as John Campbell
- 2010 Blue Bloods ( 1 episode ) as Alex Polanski
- 2006 Psych ( 1 episode ) as Camden Driggs
- 2013 Sleepy Hollow ( 1 episode ) as SAC Mick Granger
- 2015 Stitchers ( 5 episodes ) as Daniel Stinger
- 2015 Ties That Bind ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Witherspoon
- 2009 Celebrity Ghost Stories ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 2017 Marvel's The Punisher ( 3 episodes ) as Carson Wolf
- 2011 Grimm ( 5 episodes ) as Weston Steward
- 2013 The Blacklist ( 2 episodes ) as Earl Fagen
- 1985 Moonlighting ( 1 episode ) as Waiter (uncredited)
- 2008 Sons of Anarchy ( 1 episode ) as Agent Frank Eagan
- 2016 MacGyver ( 1 episode ) as Vasil
- 2018 The Good Cop ( 1 episode ) as Businessman
- 2010 The Walking Dead ( 1 episode ) as Hilltop Resident
- 2023 Obliterated ( 8 episodes ) as Hagerty
- 2018 The Terror ( 5 episodes ) as Major Bowen
- 2006 Torchwood ( 1 episode ) as The Gentleman
- 2017 SEAL Team ( 12 episodes ) as Ash Spenser
- 2012 Longmire ( 1 episode ) as Ray Stewart
- 1998 V.I.P. ( 1 episode ) as Phil Sherman
- 2023 Will Trent ( 1 episode ) as Warden Sturgill Hardly
- 2010 Hawaii Five-0 ( 1 episode ) as Martin Cordova
- 2022 1923 ( 3 episodes ) as Anders
- 2015 Bosch ( 3 episodes ) as Louis Degner
