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.
Movies (162)
One Mile: Chapter Two
2026
One Mile: Chapter One
2026
Where the Wind Blows
2025
Reagan
2024
Ride
2024
The Open Door
2024
Old Dads
2023
Crimson Point
2022
Because We're Family
2022
The Wrong Path
2021
Beast Mode
2020
Dauntless: The Battle of Midway
2019
Control
2019
I Am Patrick Swayze
2019
Urban Country
2018
Detroit Under S.T.R.E.S.S.
2018
Dirty Dealing
2018
The Rack Pack
2018
Rich Boy, Rich Girl
2018
Deadman Standing
2018
Shifting Gears
2018
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay
2018
LBJ
2017
A Question of Faith
2017
Mac Daddy's Vegas Adventure
2017
Disconnected
2017
The Shadow People
2017
My B.F.F.
2016
Advance & Retreat
2016
Attack of the Killer Donuts
2016
Blood Lust
2016
Magic Hour
2015
A Christmas Eve Miracle
2015
Woodlawn
2015
Lazarus Rising
2015
Rivers 9
2015
Justice League: Gods and Monsters
2015
Spirit Riders
2015
A Magic Christmas
2014
Fruits De Mer
2014
Confessions of a Womanizer
2014
Rescuing Madison
2014
Category 5
2014
Bigfoot Wars
2014
Christmas Belle
2013
Storm Rider
2013
Lost on Purpose
2013
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
2013
Don't Pass Me By
2013
An Amish Murder
2013
MoniKa
2012
Chilly Christmas
2012
The 'E.T.' Journals
2012
Home Invasion
2012
The Amazing Spider-Man
2012
Wedding Day
2012
Escape
2012
Restitution
2011
Cross
2011
Camel Spiders
2011
Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood!
2010
The Terror Experiment
2010
Cupid's Arrow
2010
American Pie Presents: The Book of Love
2009
The Grind
2009
The Land That Time Forgot
2009
The Jailhouse
2009
Secret at Arrow Lake
2009
The Day the Earth Stopped
2008
A Gunfighter's Pledge
2008
Big Game
2008
Toxic
2008
House of Fallen
2008
War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave
2008
The Thirst: Blood War
2008
The Haunting of Marsten Manor
2007
Cold Ones
2007
Fighting Words
2006
The Da Vinci Treasure
2006
Hoboken Hollow
2006
The Poseidon Adventure
2005
Staying Gold: A Look Back at 'The Outsiders'
2005
Glass Trap
2005
H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds
2005
The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam
2005
Crimson Force
2005
The Lost Angel
2005
Ordinary Miracles
2005
The Hillside Strangler
2004
A Killer Within
2004
Zolar
2004
Nursie
2004
Hidalgo
2004
The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting
2003
The Hitcher: How Do These Movies Get Made?
2003
Gods and Generals
2003
Net Games
2003
Killer Bees
2002
WillFull
2002
Night of the Wolf
2002
Askari
2001
Asylum Days
2001
XCU: Extreme Close Up
2001
Separate Ways
2001
Burning Down the House
2001
Lawless: Dead Evidence
2001
The Million Dollar Kid
2000
Hot Boyz
2000
The Prince and the Surfer
1999
Escape from Alaska
1999
Fatal Affair
1999
Red Team
1999
Hitman's Run
1999
Cybermaster: Shepherd II
1999
Enemy Action
1999
Charades
1998
Matter of Trust
1998
The Shepherd
1998
Sealed with a Kiss
1998
Last Lives
1997
The Big Fall
1997
Sleeping Dogs
1997
Dead Fire
1997
Laws of Deception
1997
Hourglass
1997
Dilemma
1997
Pure Danger
1996
The Sweeper
1996
Baby Face Nelson
1996
Mad Dogs and Englishmen
1995
Dangerous Indiscretion
1995
Payback
1995
Suspect Device
1995
Teresa's Tattoo
1994
Natural Selection
1994
Jailbait
1993
Gettysburg
1993
Treacherous
1993
Tattle Tale
1993
Acting on Impulse
1993
To Protect and Serve
1992
Breaking the Rules
1992
That Night
1992
Nickel & Dime
1992
Kid
1990
Curiosity Kills
1990
Far Out Man
1990
Side Out
1990
The Eyes of the Panther
1989
The Return of the Musketeers
1989
Young Toscanini
1988
A Tiger's Tale
1988
Into the Homeland
1987
Soul Man
1986
The Hitcher
1986
Secret Admirer
1985
Red Dawn
1984
Grandview, U.S.A.
1984
Tank
1984
The Outsiders
1983
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1982
Dreadtown: The Steel Pulse Story
TV Shows (45)
Obliterated
2023
Will Trent
2023
1923
2022
Creepshow
2019
The Good Cop
2018
The Terror
2018
Marvel's The Punisher
2017
SEAL Team
2017
MacGyver
2016
Ties That Bind
2015
Stitchers
2015
Bosch
2015
The Blacklist
2013
Sleepy Hollow
2013
Revolution
2012
Longmire
2012
Grimm
2011
Alphas
2011
The Walking Dead
2010
The Walking Dead
2010
Blue Bloods
2010
Hawaii Five-0
2010
The Glades
2010
Celebrity Ghost Stories
2009
Southland
2009
Castle
2009
Sons of Anarchy
2008
Celebracadabra
2008
Torchwood
2006
Psych
2006
Criminal Minds
2005
Summerland
2004
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
24
2001
The District
2000
Son of the Beach
2000
Amazon
1999
Twice in a Lifetime
1999
V.I.P.
1998
Kindred: The Embraced
1996
The Outer Limits
1995
ER
1994
Nightmare Classics
1989
Moonlighting
1985
The Hitchhiker
1983