C. Thomas Howell Biography

Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966), known by his stage name 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 also appeared in Soul Man, Red Dawn, Secret Admirer, Grandview U.S.A., Gettysburg, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stopped, Gods and Generals, and The Amazing Spider-Man. Howell appeared in the recurring and popular role of Police Officer III, Bill "Dewey" Dudek, in the TNT Series, Southland.

Early life and education

Howell was born on December 7, 1966, in Los Angeles, California, the son of Candice and Christopher N. Howell. He has two sisters, Stacy and Candi, and a brother, John. He is nicknamed either "Tommy" or "CT". His father worked as a stunt coordinator and rodeo performer. As a young boy, Howell wanted to be a stuntman and was even a child stunt player. He began acting at the age of four, when cast in The Brian Keith Show in an episode called "The Little People".

When Howell was young, his parents divorced, leaving his mother with both of her sons and daughter Stacy, and his father took Candi with him. Howell shared his time with each parent and started his career through his father's job. When he was 12, he became a rodeo champion at the California Junior Rodeo Association and was named "All-Around Cowboy" in August 1979. While growing up, he also spent time golfing with his grandfather (where his nickname "CT" came because that is how he was recorded on screen boards). Howell graduated from Saugus High School in 1984.

Career

Howell's showbiz debut was acting in the The Brian Keith Show episode "The Little People" as a little boy whose ears are being checked out by a doctor. When he got older, he tried stunt acting like his father and worked on commercials for a while. He tried rodeo riding for a few years. In 1982, He made his film debut as Tyler in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Afterward, he was cast as the lead role Ponyboy Curtis in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders, which earned him a Young Artist Award. Following The Outsiders, he became a teen idol, appearing in teen magazines like Tiger Beat and 16 Magazine, which referred to him as "Tommy" and "Tom".

1980s

In 1983 he and Outsiders co-star, Patrick Swayze, reunited for Grandview, U.S.A., also with Jamie Lee Curtis, and Red Dawn, with Charlie Sheen and Lea Thompson. Howell also had a pivotal role in Tank, with James Garner and Jenilee Harrison. In 1985 he again starred in the lead role in Secret Admirer, opposite Lori Loughlin and Kelly Preston. Howell was one of two final actors in the running to play Marty McFly in Back to the Future the other being Eric Stoltz, who was eventually selected. Michael J. Fox would later go on to replace Stoltz after filming had begun.

In 1986 he played a hitchhiker's target in the film The Hitcher, another of his successful movies. The sequel was released in 2003. Following that he starred as a white student who pretends to be black in the poorly received Soul Man. In 1988 Howell played Arturo Toscanini in the story of the world renown conductor in Franco Zeffirelli's Il giovane Toscanini with Irma Capece Minutolo and Elizabeth Taylor, which was one of his very first straight-to-video releases. Howell and Kelly Preston reunited as lovers in A Tiger's Tale.

1990s

At the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s, Howell appeared in The Return of the Musketeers and Side Out. In 1993, he starred with Linda Fiorentino and Nancy Allen in the campy thriller Acting on Impulse. After several straight-to-DVD features and a starring role in That Night, he achieved success again in the movie Gettysburg, which was popular with history buffs and history classrooms. He starred as Mike, a motorcycle courier in Mad Dogs and Englishmen (U.S. title: Shameless) with Elizabeth Hurley. He started an interest in crime-thrillers after starring in Payback and playing gangster Baby Face Nelson in a film of the same name. His made-for-television movie credits include Suspect Device, Sealed with a Kiss, Dads, and Dead Fire. He also appeared in the short-lived TV series Kindred: The Embraced.

2000s

Howell returned to the theater in the 2000s in movies such as Asylum Days, the Gods and Generals prequel to Gettysburg, and The Hillside Strangler, in which he played serial killer Kenneth Bianchi. In 2004, Howell starred in Hoboken Hollow. He also became a supporter of the production company The Asylum, which produced his straight-to-DVD movies.

In 2005, he starred in H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, one of three 2005 adaptations of the novel The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Because of its success, Howell directed and starred in a straight-to-DVD sequel War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave in 2008, which was heavily criticized. In 2005, he also reunited with his Secret Admirer co-star Lori Loughlin, when he had a recurring role on her television show Summerland as Zac Efron's father. After War of the Worlds, he spent time directing unsuccessful straight to-DVD movies. Also, in 2008, he directed and starred in The Day the Earth Stopped, a mockbuster intended to capitalize on The Day the Earth Stood Still. For these reasons, 20th Century Fox have threatened legal action against The Asylum, but no action has yet been taken. He also appeared as a doctor in The Poseidon Adventure, an adaptation of the 1972 film of the same name. Coincidentally, his father's first stunt co-ordination was for the original movie, though uncredited. He briefly hosted a show on KLSX later that year. He appeared in the Western The Pledge.

2010s

Howell appeared in the 2012 film The Amazing Spider-Man.

Television work

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. Howell later expressed disappointment in the series, but eventually found it more satisfying.

After Two Marriages, Howell made guest appearances in shows like Moonlighting and The Hitchhiker. In 2000, Howell played a doctor stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash in Amazon. He initially turned down a guest role in ER after missing out on a role he wanted, but his wife signed him up after yet another offer. Following ER, he guest appeared in 24. He guest starred in four episodes of Criminal Minds on CBS as serial killer George Foyet / The Boston Reaper, a recurring villain based on the Zodiac Killer.

Howell has played the role of Officer Bill 'Dewey' Dudek, a wild, loudmouth, but efficient police officer recovering from alcoholism, in the L.A. police drama Southland since 2009. He appeared in Seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4 and was promoted to a series regular for Season 5, which began in February 2013. The series was cancelled on May 10, 2013.

In 2011, he guest starred on The Glades and in Torchwood: Miracle Day.

Off-screen

Howell has worked with Francis Ford Coppola many times and in other areas of making motion pictures including writing, producing, and directing. In 1995, he wrote and directed Hourglass, in which he starred with Sofia Shinas. The following year, he helped produce The Big Fall and Pure Danger. Howell did not write or direct another movie until 2004. He and his father co-wrote the made for television movie Hope Ranch and Howell produced the film as well. The film was a success and Howell went on to write and produce Blind Injustice the next year. Two years later he produced The Stolen Moments of September.

Personal life

In his single days, Howell shared a place with his friend, Darren Dalton, with whom he co-starred in The Outsiders, Red Dawn and The Jailhouse . From July 11, 1989, to sometime in 1990, Howell was married to actress Rae Dawn Chong, his Soul Man co-star. He then married Sylvie Anderson in 1992. They have three children, Isabelle (born February 17, 1993), Dashiell (born January 2, 1997), and Liam (born April 24, 2001). His family currently resides in Stevenson Ranch, California.

In 2008, Howell was a contestant in the reality game show, Celebracadabra, on which celebrities performed magic tricks practiced by experienced coaches. The series began on April 27 and ended on June 12; Howell won and was named Greatest Celebrity Magician.

Filmography

Year	Movie	Role	Other notes
1982	E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	Tyler	Film Debut
1983	The Outsiders	Ponyboy Curtis
1984	Grandview, U.S.A.	Tim Pearson
	Tank	William "Billy" Carey
	Red Dawn	Robert Morris
1985	Secret Admirer	Michael Ryan
1986	The Hitcher	Jim Halsey
	Soul Man	Mark Watson	Married co-star Rae Dawn Chong
1987	Into the Homeland	Tripp Winston
1988	A Tiger's Tale	Bubber Drums
	Giovane Toscanini II	Arturo Toscanini
1989	The Return of the Musketeers	Raoul
1990	Far Out Man	Himself
	Side Out	Monoroe Clark
	Curiosity Kills	Cat Thomas
1992	Tattle Tale	Bernard Sprat
	Nickel & Dime	Jack Stone
	To Protect and Serve	Egan
	Breaking the Rules	Gene Michaels
	That Night	Rick
1993	Gettysburg	Thomas Chamberlain
1994	Jailbait	Sgt. Lee Teffler
	Dangerous Indiscretion	Jim Lomax
	Treacherous	Micky Stewert
	Natural Selection	Ben Braden / Alex Connelly
1995	Payback	Oscar Bonsetter
	Baby Face Nelson	Baby Face Nelson
	Teresa's Tattoo	Carl
	Hourglass	Michael Jardine
	Mad Dogs and Englishmen	Mike	Also known as Shameless
	Suspect Device	Dan Jerico
1996	The Big Fall	Blaise Rybeck
	Sealed with a Kiss	Detective Mick Cullen
	The Sweeper	Mark Goddard
	Pure Danger	Jonnie Dean
1997	Matter of Trust	Michael D'Angelo	Also known as The Surgeon
	Laws of Deception	Evan Marino
	Dilemma	Detective Thomas Quinlan
	Dead Fire	Tucker
	Last Lives	Aaron
1998	Fatal Affair	Malcolm Maddox	Also known as Stalker
	Sleeping Dogs	Sanchez Boon
	Charades	Evan	Also known as Felons or First Degree
1999	The Crimson Code	J.B. Gaines	Also known as Red Team
	Hot Boyz	Roberts
	Enemy Action	John Reed
	Cybermaster	Dakota
	Shepherd	Boris Dakota
	The Glass Jar	Lanois
	Avalanche	Jack	Also known as Escape from Alaska
	Hitman's Run	Tom Holly
	The Prince and the Surfer	Dean
2000	Lawless: Dead Evidence	Dean Riley
	The Million Dollar Kid	Valentino
2001	Separate Ways	Tom Milton
	Asylum Days	Nathan Devine
	Willfull	Nat Wolff
	XCU: Extreme Close Up	Geoffrey Liddy
	Askari	Joss McKinley
2002	Night of the Wolf	Sheriff Wade Messer
	Killer Bees!	Sheriff Lyndon Harris
2003	Net Games	Adam Vance
	Gods and Generals	Thomas Chamberlain
	The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting	Jim Halsey
2004	The Lost Angel	Kuratha
	Hidalgo	Preston Webb
	The Hillside Strangler	Kenneth Bianchi
	A Killer Within	Addison Terrill
	Zolar	Hedion
2005	The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam	Coach Fielding
	Crimson Force	Captain Baskin
	H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds	George Herbert
	Glass Trap	Curtis
	Nursie	Zack
	Ordinary Miracles	Jim Powell
	The Poseidon Adventure	Doctor Ballard
2006	The Da Vinci Treasure	Michael Archer
	Hoboken Hollow	Clayton Connelly
	The Far Side of Jericho	Little Jimmy Thorton
2007	Dead Letters	KC	Formerly known as Cold Ones
	The Haunting of Marsten Manor	Captain Williams
	Fighting Words	David Settles	Also known as Street Poet
	The Stolen Moments of September	Sisner
2008	Xenophobia	Stone
	Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood!	David
	House of Fallen	Thomas
	Big Game	Cody "Sully" Sullivan
	A Gunfighter's Pledge	Horn
	Toxic	Joe
	The Grind	Luke
	The Thirst: Blood War	Jed
	War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave	George Herbert	Also director
	The Day the Earth Stopped	Josh Myron
2009	The Land That Time Forgot	Frost Michaels
	Razor	Virgil
	Fuel	Shane
	Cupid's Arrow	Professor Grimes
	Camouflage	Stanley
	Secret at Arrow Lake	Daniel
	The Jailhouse	Sheriff Seth Delray
	American Pie Presents: The Book of Love	Alumnus Guy #2
2010	The Terror Experiment	Chief Grasso	Also known as Fight or Flight
	Flatline	Mr. Thomas
2011	Restitution	John Youngstown
	Camel Spiders	Sheriff Beaumont
	Cross	Jake
2012	The Amazing Spider-Man	Jack's Father
	Wedding Day	Russ
	Commander and Chief	Shrub
	Escape	Paul Jordan
	Home Invasion	Ray
2013	Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox	Professor Zoom	Voice
	Borrowed Moments	Jack
	An Amish Murder	Sheriff Nathan Detrick
	Lost on Purpose	Delbert Ferguson
	Magic Hour	Tom Worthy
	Don't Pass Me By	Jack
2014	Dirty Dealing	Carter
	Bigfoot Wars	Zeke

Television

TV show	Role	Episode	Year
Two Marriages	Scott Morgan	Unknown	1983
Moonlighting	Post Office Guy, Waiter	"Yours, Very Deadly", "The Lady in the Iron Mask"	1985, 1986
Nightmare Classics	Jenner Brading	"The Eyes of the Panther"	1989
The Hitchhiker	Unknown	"White Slaves"	1990
Kindred: The Embraced	Frank Kohanek	8 episodes	1996
The Outer Limits	Captain Miles Davidlow	"The Joining"	1998
V.I.P	Phil Sherman	"Val Got Game"	1998
The Love Boat: The Next Wave	John	"Affairs to Remember"	1998
Dead Man's Gun	Henry Hubble	"The Phrenologist"	1999
Amazon	Dr. Alex Kennedy	23 episodes	1999"2000
Twice in a Lifetime	Tony	"The Escaped Artist"	2000
Son of the Beach	Jason Dudikoff	"In the Line of Booty"	2002
The District	Chris Gunner	"On Guard"	2004
Summerland	Kyle Bale	2 episodes	2004, 2005
ER	Vincent Janeson	"The Human Shield"	2005
24	Barry Landes	2 episodes	2006
Smith	Unknown	"Seven"	2007
Celebracadabra	Himself (contestant)	Crowned "Best Celebrity Magician"	2008
Criminal Minds	George Foyet / The Boston Reaper	"Omnivore", "And Back", "Nameless, Faceless", "100", "Route 66"	2009, 2013
Southland	Officer III, Bill "Dewey" Dudek	Recurring (Seasons 1-4), Main (Season 5)	2009"2013
Psych	Agent Camden Driggs	"One, Maybe Two, Ways Out"	2010
The Glades	Peyton Robinson	"Second Skin"	2011
Torchwood: Miracle Day	The Gentleman	"Escape to L.A."	2011
CHAOS	Carson Simms	"Proof of Life"	2011
Alphas	Eli Aquino	"The Quick and the Dead"	2012
Revolution	Bounty Hunter	"Chained Heat"	2012
Castle	John Campbell	"Swan Song"	2012
Longmire	Ray Stewart	"A Damn Shame"	2012
Hawaii Five-0	Martin Cordova	"Death Wish"	2013
Sons Of Anarchy	Agent Frank Eagan	"One One Six"	2013