Date of Birth

7 December 1966, Los Angeles, California, USA

Birth Name

Christopher Thomas Howell

Nickname

C.T.
Tommy

Height

5' 10" (1.78 m)

Mini Biography

After an eye-catching performance in the teen coming-of-age epic The Outsiders (1983), ex-child rodeo star C. Thomas Howell was one a promising young actor in the mid-1980s.

Christopher Thomas Howell was born in Los Angeles to Candice (Webb) and Chris Howell (a professional bull rider turned stuntman). He started working in the film industry at the age of seven. In 1981, he was cast as Tyler in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Shortly thereafter, he nabbed the lead in Francis Ford Coppola's classic The Outsiders (1983). Earmarked as an up-and-coming actor, his career soon skyrocketed with roles in films including the comedy Grandview, U.S.A. (1984), alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, and the violent Cold War invasion drama Red Dawn (1984). His career was not helped by the controversial racial comedy Soul Man (1986), which was not well-received. However, he did meet and fall in love with his co-star from that movie, Rae Dawn Chong, whom he later married. He has notched up in excess of 90 feature film appearances. including starring roles in Side Out (1990), Gettysburg (1993), Baby Face Nelson (1996), Fatal Affair (1998), Asylum Days (2001) and Hoboken Hollow (2006).

He played unpredictable Officer Bill "Dewey" Dudek in the TNT drama series Southland (2009) and as the sadistic serial killer "The Reaper" on CBS's Criminal Minds (2005). More recent television appearances include The Glades (2010) (A&E) and Torchwood (2006) (Starz Channel). He appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) (Sony). A budding film director, he has directed a number of films, including The Big Fall (1997), Pure Danger (1996), The Land That Time Forgot (2009), and The Day the Earth Stopped (2008).

Outside his acting career, Howell is an accomplished team roper. He lives with his wife Sylvie, and their three children (Isabelle, Dashiell and Liam).

Trivia

• He was a junior rodeo circuit champion.
• His father is Chris Howell, a stunt coordinator.
• He is an owner and producer of Buckwheat Films.
• The C. abbreviation stands for Christopher.
• Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1986" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 38. [1986]
• On trial for misdemeanors alleged in an accident with a skateboarder on 9 December 2000. The case was later dismissed. [October 2001]
• Child with second wife Sylvie Anderson, Isabelle Howell born 17 February 1993.
• Child with second wife Sylvie Anderson, Dashiell Howell, born January 2, 1997.
• Child with second wife Sylvie Anderson, Liam Howell (aka "Liam West Howell"), born April 24, 2001.
• In 2003 he was hospitalized for 4 weeks because of a ruptured appendix, a very serious illness, fatal if not treated on time.He lost 45 pounds and surgeons had to take out 3 feet of his intestine among other things in order to save his life. That's the real reason behind his gaunt look in all his movies between 2003 and 2005.As of today he has fully recovered. He's currently working out with a trainer and he has already gained 12 pounds of muscles and his face has filled back. He's also following a strict protein and carbohydrate diet.
• He tested for and was nearly cast as Marty McFly in Back to the Future (1985). The role was given to Eric Stoltz. Stoltz was hired initially as first choice Michael J. Fox was committed to his TV show Family Ties; when Fox was allowed to participate, Stoltz was released and then finally, Michael J. Fox got the role.
• Born exactly one year after Jeffrey Wright; also shares his birthday with Eli Wallach, Ellen Burstyn, and the late Harry Chapin.
• Was #73 in VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars.
• Former son-in-law of Tommy Chong.
• After winning the magic-performance Celeb-reality show Celebracadabra (2008) in 2008, he has reprised his show's character, "Cherry", and performing at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA.
• He was considered for the role of Glen Lantz in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).
• He and Dee Wallace both starred in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Secret Admirer (1985).
• He turned down the role of Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid (1984).
• He and Lori Loughlin reunited in her short-lived TV series Summerland (2004-2005).
• Born on the 25 year anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Quotes

• [2013, on The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting (2003)] That was probably a mistake, to be honest. It was mishandled. There was a time when Rutger was involved as well, so I sort of committed with the understanding that that was what was taking place, but then that didn't happen. It was a bit of a mess. The whole thing was just a real mess, and there was nothing I could do at that point. It probably should've never been made. And thankfully, nobody really even knows it exists. I don't even really call it a sequel. It's not really a sequel. It's almost a completely different movie, really.
• [2013] The Hitcher (1986) was a real important film for me as an artist, but more importantly, for me as a person. I was 17 or 18 when I did that movie, just starting to really understand what it was to be an actor. I'd done some movies prior to that where I really was clueless. I had no idea what I was doing on The Outsiders (1983), I had no idea what I was doing in a lot of those movies I did, whether it was Secret Admirer (1985) or Tank (1984) or Grandview, U.S.A. (1984) or A Tiger's Tale (1987). I was just sort of handed a gift at a young age, and I really only knew enough to get into a world of trouble at that point. The Hitcher kind of was a pinnacle for me, because of Rutger Hauer, who's an amazing actor; Jennifer Jason Leigh, who's an award-winning actress and still the most committed actor I've ever worked with to this day; and Jeffrey DeMunn, an incredible guy who has trained more in theater and done some great roles. I was working with these people, who really gave me an opportunity to sit down with each one of them and discuss the craft and how to build a character and how to make choices. At that point, I hadn't really done that. I was just going through the motions, playing these roles of young teenage boys, where the choices are made just by showing up. I mean, you're a young teenage boy, you're playing a young teenage boy. There isn't a whole lot of thinking that goes into that. But The Hitcher was my first step toward adult roles, and the experience of that film is what really made me want to do it for life. It was a time when I was trying to figure out who I was as a human being, as an artist. You're judged so harshly at that point in your life, not only by yourself, but also by your peers. It's a difficult time. Being a teenager really sucks. It's a hard time of life, and I'm about to have two of 'em. I've got one kid who's now 20, but I've got a 16-year-old boy, and I've got a boy who's 12 and just about to step into his teens. I recall my teen years, and I remember that as being the hardest time of my life. You just care so much about what other people think, and it's painful. The Hitcher, for me, was my first step out of that area and into becoming an adult, and I'm so thankful for that role. That experience is one of my favorite experiences in my career, and it's also one of my favorite films.