
C. Thomas Howell
Born December 7, 1966 · Los Angeles, California, USA
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.
Notable Appearances
Movies

The Amazing Spider-Man

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

The Outsiders

One Mile: Chapter One

The Hitcher

American Pie Presents: The Book of Love

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

Hidalgo

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay

Justice League: Gods and Monsters

Old Dads

Red Dawn

Secret Admirer

One Mile: Chapter Two

Reagan

Gods and Generals

A Question of Faith

Grandview, U.S.A.

Gettysburg

The Poseidon Adventure

Dauntless: The Battle of Midway

Soul Man

The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting

I Am Patrick Swayze

Woodlawn

LBJ

Tank

The Return of the Musketeers

Urban Country

The Million Dollar Kid

The Land That Time Forgot

Camel Spiders

An Amish Murder

War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave

The Day the Earth Stopped

Attack of the Killer Donuts

H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds

That Night

Hot Boyz

Where the Wind Blows
TV Shows

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

24

Blue Bloods

The Walking Dead

SEAL Team

The Outer Limits

Psych

Grimm

Sons of Anarchy

ER

Marvel's The Punisher

Bosch

MacGyver

V.I.P.

Longmire

Sleepy Hollow

Moonlighting

The District

Will Trent

Celebrity Ghost Stories

1923

The Hitchhiker

Southland

Torchwood

The Glades

Creepshow

Twice in a Lifetime

The Terror

Alphas

Obliterated

Stitchers

Revolution

Son of the Beach

Summerland

The Good Cop

Kindred: The Embraced

Ties That Bind

Amazon

Nightmare Classics

Celebracadabra
More Movies

Sealed with a Kiss

Payback

Night of the Wolf

Toxic

A Gunfighter's Pledge

The 'E.T.' Journals

Dreadtown: The Steel Pulse Story

Ordinary Miracles

Rich Boy, Rich Girl

Killer Bees

The Sweeper

Nickel & Dime

A Tiger's Tale

Category 5

The Lost Angel

A Christmas Eve Miracle

Restitution

Dangerous Indiscretion

Deadman Standing

Christmas Belle

Confessions of a Womanizer

Escape

Staying Gold: A Look Back at 'The Outsiders'

The Prince and the Surfer

Baby Face Nelson

Far Out Man

Teresa's Tattoo

Burning Down the House

Big Game

The Da Vinci Treasure

XCU: Extreme Close Up

The Thirst: Blood War

Side Out

Don't Pass Me By

A Killer Within

Curiosity Kills

Dirty Dealing

Storm Rider

Cross

Into the Homeland

Hoboken Hollow

Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood!

Rescuing Madison

Kid

Home Invasion

Shifting Gears

Spirit Riders

The Eyes of the Panther

Mad Dogs and Englishmen

The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam

MoniKa

Acting on Impulse

The Jailhouse

Suspect Device

The Terror Experiment

The Hitcher: How Do These Movies Get Made?

Jailbait

To Protect and Serve

Breaking the Rules

Chilly Christmas

Glass Trap

My B.F.F.

Nursie

The Grind

The Hillside Strangler

Ride

Net Games

Natural Selection

House of Fallen

The Big Fall

Secret at Arrow Lake

Pure Danger

Hitman's Run

Laws of Deception

Separate Ways

Lazarus Rising

Cupid's Arrow

Enemy Action

The Shepherd

Sleeping Dogs

A Magic Christmas

Young Toscanini

Dead Fire

Treacherous

Magic Hour

The Open Door

Rivers 9

Matter of Trust

The Sin Seer

Fighting Words

Lost on Purpose

Escape from Alaska

Beast Mode

The Shadow People

Crimson Force

Because We're Family

Mac Daddy's Vegas Adventure

Wedding Day

Dilemma

The Haunting of Marsten Manor

WillFull

Fatal Affair

Crimson Point

Advance & Retreat

Askari

Blood Lust

The Wrong Path

Cold Ones

Hourglass

Asylum Days

Last Lives

Bigfoot Wars

Disconnected

Red Team

Cybermaster: Shepherd II

Zolar

Charades

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

Tattle Tale

Lawless: Dead Evidence

The Rack Pack

Control

Fruits De Mer




