C. Thomas Howell was born on December 7, 1966 in Los Angeles, California. He started acting at a very young age appearing in Brian Keith’s The Little People, and It Happened One Christmas, with Marlo Thomas. As a child, however, C. Thomas Howell was more interested in pursuing the rodeo circuit, than having an acting career. He traveled extensively with the rodeo and was named the California Junior Rodeo Association’s All Around Junior Boy’s Champion for 1980 and 1981.
In 1981, CT was hired as a stunt player for Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. This ultimately led to a role in the movie, playing Tyler, one of Elliot’s brother’s friends. E.T. was released in June of 1982 and shortly after, C. Thomas Howell was cast in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders. It was CT’s gripping performance as the tough, but vulnerable, Ponyboy Curtis that skyrocketed him to fame. That same year, C. Thomas Howell starred in his first TV series, Two Marriages. Soon after, came many fine performances in films such as: Red Dawn, Secret Admirer, Soul Man and The Hitcher.
In the 1990’s, CT continued to captivate audiences, giving riveting performances in over 40 films, including: Side Out, Kid, That Night, Breaking the Rules, Suspect Device, Shameless, Sleeping Dogs, and Fatal Affair. Once again, CT mesmerized us in the spellbinding TV series Kindred: The Embraced, as well as the critically acclaimed mini-series Gettysburg.
Some of C. Thomas Howell’s more recent movies include The Hillside Strangler, Net Games, The Hitcher 2, Gods and Generals, and the award winning independent film, The Glass Jar.
Although lots of people know of C. Thomas Howell’s career as an actor, many are not aware of his behind-the-scenes abilities. CT directed the films The Big Fall, Pure Danger, and Hourglass. In addition, he co-wrote Hourglass with longtime friend Darren Dalton. In 2002 CT produced the made for television movie Hope Ranch which he co-wrote with his father Chris Howell. His daughter Isabelle appears in this film as well, portraying the role of Molly.
In C. Thomas Howell’s 38 years he has appeared in over 80 films, and will soon be portraying the role of Dr. Ballard in the upcoming remake of The Poseidon Adventure.
C. Thomas Howell lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, Sylvie, and their 3 children Isabelle, Dashiell, and Liam. He enjoys spending his free time golfing, playing on his computer, watching sports, and at his family’s horse ranch.