C. Thomas Howell

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

209

Gender

Male

Birthday

1966-12-07 (59 years old)

Place of Birth

Los Angeles, California, USA

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

  • The Blacklist

    The Blacklist

  • Criminal Minds

    Criminal Minds

  • The Walking Dead

    The Walking Dead

  • The Walking Dead

    The Walking Dead

  • 24

    24

  • Castle

    Castle

  • Sons of Anarchy

    Sons of Anarchy

  • Blue Bloods

    Blue Bloods

  • Hawaii Five-0

    Hawaii Five-0

  • Grimm

    Grimm

  • E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

    E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

  • Psych

    Psych

  • SEAL Team

    SEAL Team

  • Bosch

    Bosch

  • ER

    ER

  • 1923

    1923

  • MacGyver

    MacGyver

  • Jimmy Kimmel Live!

    Jimmy Kimmel Live!

  • Longmire

    Longmire

  • Marvel's The Punisher

    Marvel's The Punisher

  • Sleepy Hollow

    Sleepy Hollow

  • V.I.P.

    V.I.P.

  • The Amazing Spider-Man

    The Amazing Spider-Man

  • Will Trent

    Will Trent

  • Moonlighting

    Moonlighting

  • The Outer Limits

    The Outer Limits

  • Obliterated

    Obliterated

  • Torchwood

    Torchwood

  • The District

    The District

  • The Glades

    The Glades

  • Celebrity Ghost Stories

    Celebrity Ghost Stories

  • Creepshow

    Creepshow

  • The Terror

    The Terror

  • Southland

    Southland

  • Alphas

    Alphas

  • The Hitchhiker

    The Hitchhiker

  • Son of the Beach

    Son of the Beach

  • Revolution

    Revolution

  • Summerland

    Summerland

  • Reagan

    Reagan

  • Stitchers

    Stitchers

  • The Outsiders

    The Outsiders

  • American Pie Presents: The Book of Love

    American Pie Presents: The Book of Love

  • Old Dads

    Old Dads

  • Urban Country

    Urban Country

  • Hidalgo

    Hidalgo

  • The Shepherd

    The Shepherd

  • Twice in a Lifetime

    Twice in a Lifetime

  • Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

    Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

  • Hoboken Hollow

    Hoboken Hollow

  • Gettysburg

    Gettysburg

  • Nursie

    Nursie

  • Ride

    Ride

  • Disconnected

    Disconnected

  • Soul Man

    Soul Man

  • Shifting Gears

    Shifting Gears

  • Big Game

    Big Game

  • Nickel & Dime

    Nickel & Dime

  • Storm Rider

    Storm Rider

  • Spirit Riders

    Spirit Riders

  • Red Team

    Red Team

  • Beast Mode

    Beast Mode

  • Restitution

    Restitution

  • Rivers 9

    Rivers 9

  • Tank

    Tank

  • The Good Cop

    The Good Cop

  • Dilemma

    Dilemma

  • LBJ

    LBJ

  • Control

    Control

  • Payback

    Payback

  • Secret Admirer

    Secret Admirer

  • Christmas Belle

    Christmas Belle

  • Wedding Day

    Wedding Day

  • The Jailhouse

    The Jailhouse

  • Chilly Christmas

    Chilly Christmas

  • Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay

    Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay

  • Xenophobia

    Xenophobia

  • Charades

    Charades

  • A Question of Faith

    A Question of Faith

  • Sleeping Dogs

    Sleeping Dogs

  • Category 5

    Category 5

  • Blood Lust

    Blood Lust

  • Camel Spiders

    Camel Spiders

  • The Wrong Path

    The Wrong Path

  • Pure Danger

    Pure Danger

  • MoniKa

    MoniKa

  • One Mile

    One Mile

  • Net Games

    Net Games

  • Fatal Affair

    Fatal Affair

  • WillFull

    WillFull

  • Cross

    Cross

  • Crimson Force

    Crimson Force

  • The Hitcher

    The Hitcher

  • Askari

    Askari

  • Advance & Retreat

    Advance & Retreat

  • The Poseidon Adventure

    The Poseidon Adventure

  • War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave

    War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave

  • Natural Selection

    Natural Selection

  • The Million Dollar Kid

    The Million Dollar Kid

  • Dangerous Indiscretion

    Dangerous Indiscretion

  • Amazon

    Amazon

  • Ordinary Miracles

    Ordinary Miracles

  • Crimson Point

    Crimson Point

  • Deadman Standing

    Deadman Standing

  • Suspect Device

    Suspect Device

  • Rescuing Madison

    Rescuing Madison

  • Bigfoot Wars

    Bigfoot Wars

  • Kindred: The Embraced

    Kindred: The Embraced

  • The Return of the Musketeers

    The Return of the Musketeers

  • Red Dawn

    Red Dawn

  • Curiosity Kills

    Curiosity Kills

  • H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds

    H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds

  • Dauntless: The Battle of Midway

    Dauntless: The Battle of Midway

  • Home Invasion

    Home Invasion

  • Justice League: Gods and Monsters

    Justice League: Gods and Monsters

  • Asylum Days

    Asylum Days

  • Staying Gold: A Look Back at 'The Outsiders'

    Staying Gold: A Look Back at 'The Outsiders'

  • The Sweeper

    The Sweeper

  • Gods and Generals

    Gods and Generals

  • Toxic

    Toxic

  • The Shadow People

    The Shadow People

  • Treacherous

    Treacherous

  • Woodlawn

    Woodlawn

  • The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting

    The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting

  • The Thirst: Blood War

    The Thirst: Blood War

  • I Am Patrick Swayze

    I Am Patrick Swayze

  • Glass Trap

    Glass Trap

  • The Hillside Strangler

    The Hillside Strangler

  • Attack of the Killer Donuts

    Attack of the Killer Donuts

  • Cold Ones

    Cold Ones

  • The Haunting of Marsten Manor

    The Haunting of Marsten Manor

  • Breaking the Rules

    Breaking the Rules

  • A Christmas Eve Miracle

    A Christmas Eve Miracle

  • Ties That Bind

    Ties That Bind

  • Lost on Purpose

    Lost on Purpose

  • The Terror Experiment

    The Terror Experiment

  • An Amish Murder

    An Amish Murder

  • A Gunfighter's Pledge

    A Gunfighter's Pledge

  • Cupid's Arrow

    Cupid's Arrow

  • Confessions of a Womanizer

    Confessions of a Womanizer

  • Cybermaster: Shepherd II

    Cybermaster: Shepherd II

  • Far Out Man

    Far Out Man

  • Escape from Alaska

    Escape from Alaska

  • Grandview, U.S.A.

    Grandview, U.S.A.

  • XCU: Extreme Close Up

    XCU: Extreme Close Up

  • Mad Dogs and Englishmen

    Mad Dogs and Englishmen

  • The Da Vinci Treasure

    The Da Vinci Treasure

  • To Protect and Serve

    To Protect and Serve

  • The Land That Time Forgot

    The Land That Time Forgot

  • My B.F.F.

    My B.F.F.

  • The Big Fall

    The Big Fall

  • Into the Homeland

    Into the Homeland

  • Hot Boyz

    Hot Boyz

  • House of Fallen

    House of Fallen

  • Hitman's Run

    Hitman's Run

  • Lawless: Dead Evidence

    Lawless: Dead Evidence

  • Acting on Impulse

    Acting on Impulse

  • Burning Down the House

    Burning Down the House

  • Young Toscanini

    Young Toscanini

  • Secret at Arrow Lake

    Secret at Arrow Lake

  • Dirty Dealing

    Dirty Dealing

  • Don't Pass Me By

    Don't Pass Me By

  • The Day the Earth Stopped

    The Day the Earth Stopped

  • A Killer Within

    A Killer Within

  • Laws of Deception

    Laws of Deception

  • The Rack Pack

    The Rack Pack

  • Where the Wind Blows

    Where the Wind Blows

  • That Night

    That Night

  • Magic Hour

    Magic Hour

  • Fruits De Mer

    Fruits De Mer

  • A Magic Christmas

    A Magic Christmas

  • Mac Daddy's Vegas Adventure

    Mac Daddy's Vegas Adventure

  • A Tiger's Tale

    A Tiger's Tale

  • The Eyes of the Panther

    The Eyes of the Panther

  • Baby Face Nelson

    Baby Face Nelson

  • Sealed with a Kiss

    Sealed with a Kiss

  • Matter of Trust

    Matter of Trust

  • The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam

    The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam

  • Night of the Wolf

    Night of the Wolf

  • The Lost Angel

    The Lost Angel

  • Because We're Family

    Because We're Family

  • The Prince and the Surfer

    The Prince and the Surfer

  • Nightmare Classics

    Nightmare Classics

  • Escape

    Escape

  • The 'E.T.' Journals

    The 'E.T.' Journals

  • The Grind

    The Grind

  • Side Out

    Side Out

  • Kid

    Kid

  • The Hitcher: How Do These Movies Get Made?

    The Hitcher: How Do These Movies Get Made?

  • Killer Bees

    Killer Bees

  • Rich Boy, Rich Girl

    Rich Boy, Rich Girl

  • Celebracadabra

    Celebracadabra

  • Jailbait

    Jailbait

  • Borrowed Moments

    Borrowed Moments

  • Dead Fire

    Dead Fire

  • Hourglass

    Hourglass

  • Zolar

    Zolar

  • Teresa's Tattoo

    Teresa's Tattoo

  • One More Mile

    One More Mile

  • Last Lives

    Last Lives

  • Fighting Words

    Fighting Words

  • Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood!

    Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood!

  • Separate Ways

    Separate Ways

  • Lazarus Rising

    Lazarus Rising

  • Enemy Action

    Enemy Action

  • Dreadtown: The Steel Pulse Story

    Dreadtown: The Steel Pulse Story

  • Detroit Under S.T.R.E.S.S.

    Detroit Under S.T.R.E.S.S.

  • Tattle Tale

    Tattle Tale

  • The Open Door

    The Open Door