C. Thomas Howell
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
Ponyboy Curtis
The Outsiders
Tyler
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Adam Vance
Net Games
Robert
Red Dawn
Preston Webb
Hidalgo
Malcolm 'Mack' Maddox
Fatal Affair
Addison Terrill
A Killer Within
Jim Halsey
The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting
Frost Michaels
The Land That Time Forgot
Billy
Tank
Sully
Big Game
Paul Stevens
Acting on Impulse
Kenneth Bianchi
The Hillside Strangler
Michael Ryan
Secret Admirer
Ben Wilkins
My B.F.F.
Himself
Far Out Man
Mark Watson
Soul Man
Jim Halsey
The Hitcher
LIttle Joe
Toxic
Rick
That Night
Curtis
Glass Trap
George Herbert
H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds
Doctor Ballard
The Poseidon Adventure
Sheriff Lyndon Harris
Killer Bees
Luke
The Grind
Nat Wolff
WillFull
Sanchez Boon
Sleeping Dogs
Raoul
The Return of the Musketeers
Aaron
Last Lives
Clayton Connelly
Hoboken Hollow
Sgt. Thomas Chamberlain
Gods and Generals
Josh Myron
The Day the Earth Stopped
David Settles
Fighting Words
George Herbert
War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave
Chief Grasso
The Terror Experiment
Boris Dakota
The Shepherd
Monroe Clark
Side Out
Sheriff Beaumont
Camel Spiders
Jack
Escape from Alaska
Oscar Bonsetter
Payback
Tim Pearson
Grandview, U.S.A.
Michael Archer
The Da Vinci Treasure
Bubber Drumm
A Tiger's Tale
John Youngstown
Restitution
Jenner Brading
The Eyes of the Panther
Jim Powell
Ordinary Miracles
Double
MoniKa
Mark Goddard
The Sweeper
Kid
Kid
Horn
A Gunfighter's Pledge
Thomas 'Quin' Quinlan
Dilemma
Stone
Xenophobia
Dean Riley
Lawless: Dead Evidence
Patrick Cole
Chilly Christmas
Tom Holly
Hitman's Run
Tucker
Dead Fire
Michael Jardine
Hourglass
Dean
The Prince and the Surfer
Ray
Home Invasion
Nathan Detrick
An Amish Murder
Gene Michaels
Breaking the Rules
Professor Eobard 'Zoom' Thawne / Reverse-Flash (voice)
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
Carl
Teresa's Tattoo
Joss Mckinley
Askari
Nathan Devine
Asylum Days
J.B. Gaines
Red Team
Evan
Charades
Dan Jericho
Suspect Device
Johnie Dean
Pure Danger
Delbert Furgeson
Lost on Purpose
Mitch Fielding
Storm Rider
Baby Face Nelson
Baby Face Nelson
Dakota
Cybermaster: Shepherd II
Micky Stewert
Treacherous
John Reed
Enemy Action
Detective Mick Cullen
Sealed with a Kiss
Zack
Nursie
Concierge
Burning Down the House
Jack
Don't Pass Me By
Arturo Toscanini
Il giovane Toscanini
Rex Everhart
Christmas Belle
Tony
Confessions of a Womanizer
Cat Thomas
Curiosity Kills
Jack's Father
The Amazing Spider-Man
Mike
Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Frank
Crimson Point
Zeke
Bigfoot Wars
Jim Lomax
Dangerous Indiscretion
Peter
Because We're Family
Carter
Dirty Dealing
Charlie DuPuis
Category 5
Thomas
House of Fallen
Ed Cameron
Old Dads
Secret at Arrow Lake
Sergeant Lee Teffler
Jailbait
Jack
Borrowed Moments
George 'Shorty' White
Woodlawn
Russ
Wedding Day
Dr. Will Magnus (voice)
Justice League: Gods and Monsters
Evan Marino
Laws of Deception
Sheriff Quentin
Rivers 9
Blaise Rybeck
The Big Fall
Seth Delray
The Jailhouse
Walter Jenkins
LBJ
John Hawkins
Ride
Keith
Spirit Riders
Officer Roberts
Hot Boyz
Capt. Baskin
Crimson Force
Self
Dreadtown: The Steel Pulse Story
Ryan
Blood Lust
Nathan
Where the Wind Blows
Ben Braden / Alex Connelly
Natural Selection
Paul Jordan
Escape
Rad
Rescuing Madison
Professor Grimes
Cupid's Arrow
Officer Roberts
Attack of the Killer Donuts
Nathan Shapiro
Advance & Retreat
Michael D'Angelo
Matter of Trust
Tom Worthy
Magic Hour
Stanley Dixon
One Mile
Stanley Dixon
One More Mile
Jake
Cross
Jack Stone
Nickel & Dime
Coach Fielding
The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam
Kaine
The Shadow People
Egan
To Protect and Serve
David
Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood!
John Danielson
A Question of Faith
Fruits De Mer
Bernard Sprat
Tattle Tale
K.C. Corcoran
Cold Ones
Robert Crawford
Blue Weekend
Blake
Rich Boy, Rich Girl
Breen Nash
Beast Mode
Jim Craft
Urban Country
Jenkins
Shifting Gears
Tom Milton
Separate Ways
Narrator
Detroit Under S.T.R.E.S.S.
The Stranger
Deadman Standing
Ted
The Rack Pack
Hedion
Zolar
Jack Carter
A Magic Christmas
Mac Daddy's Vegas Adventure
Captain Miles Browning
Dauntless: The Battle of Midway
Captain Williams
The Haunting of Marsten Manor
Self
The 'E.T.' Journals
Self
I Am Patrick Swayze
The Hitcher: How Do These Movies Get Made?
Jed
The Thirst: Blood War
Lieut. Thomas D. Chamberlain
Gettysburg
Sheriff Wade Messer
Night of the Wolf
Control (voice)
Control
Tripp Wilson
Into the Homeland
Kuratha
The Lost Angel
Alumnus Guy #2
American Pie Presents: The Book of Love
Silent Cal
Lazarus Rising
Dr. Eric Peselowe
The Wrong Path
Geoffrey Liddy
XCU: Extreme Close Up
Eobard Thawne / Professor Zoom (voice)
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay
Caspar Weinberger
Reagan
Mr. Sapp
The Open Door
Self
Staying Gold: A Look Back at 'The Outsiders'
Jack Carter
A Christmas Eve Miracle
Valentino
The Million Dollar Kid
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
164
Gender
Male
Birthday
1966-12-07
Place of Birth
Los Angeles, California, USA
Also Known As
Christopher Thomas Howell